Charging in reverse is certainly not optimal, and in normal conditions it is never necessary. Thanks for the update. Tom
It applies only to Gen1 Prius with 6,500 rpm MG1 redline. Gen2 MG1 redline is 10,000 rpm. I think Gen3 has 10k also, if not higher.
Stumbled in here because I will be viewing the Wagon in 10 hours (it's not on sale yet until May or so, it's only in the Netherlands for 100 hours, so you had to BOOK a timeslot to view it ). Loved the question how fast it would go in reverse, takes me back to my childhood (mid '70s) with reverse-racing on TV. There was a mixed class (any car) and a special class: only Daf's. Reason for this class (Daf's were seen as old people's cars) was that they had the original Van Doorne's Transmissie, 'het pientere pookje', an alliterative version of 'the smart stick'. Or CVT as it is known now They indeed went as fast backwards as forwards (>60mph).
When someone asks about reverse top speed, I can't help but ask: are you trying to pull off some 2Fast2Furious stunts in your Prius? [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tulDW616IE]2 Fast 2 Furious, The Brian O'Conner Driving School - YouTube[/ame]
