Quote:
Originally Posted by Daox
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I am very much looking forward to being the only main driver of the Prius to see what can really be done with the car. As of right now, I've been hitting high 50s and its still been pretty cold out. I can't wait for summer.  |
That makes a lot of sense so I'd like to share something I've recently found with both our NHW11 and ZVW30:
There is a 30-40 second interval when the car is first started that it supports substantial power drain from the traction battery while holding the fuel consumption to a very efficient, fixed rate of 0.60 gal/hr. This allows reaching speeds of 35-40 mph from traction battery without burning more than 0.60 gal/hr.
To replicate the phenomena, park the car where you can safely accelerate to 40 mph within 30-40 seconds. After a cold soak, ~3-4 hours, get in the car and after making sure there are no traffic conflicts, start the car and gently with authority pull out and accelerate to 38-40 mph while listening to the ICE. If it races, back off and then reapply the accelerator.
My testing indicates you can reach 35-40 mph with instantaneous MPG in excess of 40-50 MPH. If once the engine 'races,' shift into "N" and glide at more than 100 MPG.
I had found this notch in the control laws last fall but it wasn't until recently that I was able to quantify the effect.
Enjoy,
Bob Wilson