my experience - battery is being used since it's such slow acceleration - slow speed that there is no point of switching to HV mode. i hardly toggled ICE during bumper to bumper heavy traffic (unless i ran out of battery as whole and ice came on to regen it) So why not just leave it on EV mode for stat purpose
Except that it doesn't always work that way for me. For example, if you're on the freeway, say going up a little hill - in EV - and traffic opens up just a little. Well, opens up enough that you step on the pedal just a little too hard. That's when ICE cuts in. And the ICE would engage in HV as well under those circumstances. So I'm not sure it really makes much difference if speed is under 40mph and you're on level ground. By the say, I think I have decided that based on some data I collected, ECO mode does increase my over mpg by a small amount - although I think it can also create the power problem I mentioned above. Running in PWR mode eliminates soft pedal, but it decreases overall mpg for me. Normal mode might actually be best in most circumstances, but I don't have enough comparative samples to say for sure.
Yea, if the traffic opens up that much and I have to accelerate that hard, I would use the gas engine. Remember, the battery can output about 51 hp. ICE would need to rev about 2,700 rpm to make that kind of power. HSI bar in HV mode will be way beyond in the PWR region. I was answering to bumper to bumper traffic congestion. 51 hp from the PHV battery has more than enough power for it.
Definitely drive in EV. In my regular Prius I don't mind some traffic on the way home, because it increases my gas mileage. Just use low speed EV pulse and glide to conserve battery output.
