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I am going a little off topic here, but I think S Keith is absolutely right about the mileage effect of EV mode in a not-plug-in hybrid being a placebo.
Shortly after I bought my 2010 Insight (which also has a limited EV mode) I read someone on IC saying that one should AVOID using the Insight's EV mode in order to save on gas.
Actually, if you think about it, the 2nd law of thermodynamics intuitively tells us that EV mode is LESS efficient than the gas engine in a "soft" hybrid which doesn't plug into the wall.
It's not a simple thing where there is only 1 step:
- Car uses electricity to move (some energy lost as heat)
There's 3 steps, each with a loss of energy to heat//friction
- Car burns gas to move (much energy lost as heat)
- Car reabsorbs SOME kinetic energy during braking and regen coast
- Car uses electricity to move (some energy lost as heat)
It's usually more efficient to stay at step 1. Regen and regenerative braking, for hypermiling purposes, should be limited to situations where you HAVE to stop. EV mode should be used sparingly in order to avoid wasting gas to recharge the battery.
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