Prius Hybrid efficiency? (Without the hybrid system working?)

[123]

Can anyone tell me what kind of mpg the Prius gets with out the hybrid system working? so just using ICE.

[Daox]

Assuming you can still move the car? Horrible as it is now a single speed transmission. Chances are you won't even get it to move though. The CVT needs the electric motors to 'shift'.

[redpoint5]

0 MPG or Infinite MPG depending on how you look at it. The car won't start or move, as Daox has pointed out.

[RedDevil]

In the 2nd gen Insight you can still drive the car without the IMA (hybrid assist) system. It has a starter motor and a conventional CVT gearbox, it runs though rapid acceleration is gone.
You can simply invoke the IMA-less mode by pulling the IMA fuse or shorting an acessory lead. I have used the latter method to good effect. So happy my dealership found the cause and cured it

[Cobb]

The prius is like a moped with the petals. It cant run from a dead stop as its geared too high without the electric motors in operation to spin in reverse to allow sitting still. I guess if you can push it 12mph or so it will start, but you would be limited to like 50mph since only half the cvt will work?

Thats what kind of sold me on the Insight. The local toy dealer will openly tell you of a lady who parked her prius at the airport and how it wouldnt start and couldnt be jumped vs a traditional car. They had to do something to the hybrid system to get it running again.

They also had stories about the turtle light too.

Yeah, the insight is a bit more gutless, gets about 35mpg and in my experience it coasted very well. I am sure with more experience I could of got at least 40 through hypermiling it.

[mechman600]

Originally Posted by Cobb

I guess if you can push it 12mph or so it will start, but you would be limited to like 50mph since only half the cvt will work?

Nope. A Prius WILL NOT MOVE without the motors. It requires all elements to function.

This is the ENTIRE Prius transmission:

Without MG1 providing torque to the sun gear, nothing will happen if you push the car. Or try to drive.

[123]

Hmmm I think everyone miss understood what I was asking. What I am trying to figure out is how much of an mpg increase does the electric hybrid system add to fuel economy? So what would mpg be if the car only had ICE like a normal car vs the same car with hybrid system?

[Xist]

The 2,001 Prius was a 2,765-pound car with a 1.5l, 70 HP engine. The 2,014 is 3,042 pounds with a 1.8l, 98 HP. My Civic is 2,370 pounds with a 1.6l, 115 HP engine.

My understanding is that the rule of thumb is that for every percentage you decrease the weight, you increase mileage by half, although the engines are totally different, the Prius has Atkinson\Otto cycle-engines, while the HX has lean burn. Also, the 2,001 is 46.67 HP/L and the 2,014 is 54.44 HP/L, while my Civic is 71.875 HP/L.

Do we subtract the weight of the hybrid system? If so, the 2,001 should roughly equal my car, which is rated 30/39. The 2,014 is larger and heavier, but more aerodynamic and efficient, although I expect that it would get worse mileage in a gas-only version.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by 123

Hmmm I think everyone miss understood what I was asking. What I am trying to figure out is how much of an mpg increase does the electric hybrid system add to fuel economy? So what would mpg be if the car only had ICE like a normal car vs the same car with hybrid system?

The Prius is considered a sluggish car with a fully functioning engine/MG hybrid, so it would be awful to accelerate without the electric motor (by U.S. standards).

That said, your question is highly dependent on who is driving the car and what the drive cycle looks like. If the drive cycle were 100% flat freeway, the Prius would get better fuel economy with a manual transmission and no electric/hybrid system. Many people here could probably get close to the same efficiency without the hybrid system in mixed driving.

The electric motor is not efficient because the power source for the battery comes from the gas engine. It is inefficient to charge a battery with a gas engine and then convert the electricity back to mechanical energy. The only time electric power is efficient is in recapturing the energy lost during braking. The Prius does this at about 30% efficiency.

Hybrid systems are primarily for making a car efficient despite an inefficient driver. They also allow the engine to be smaller sized, less powerful, and more fuel efficient. Skilled drivers that are good at minimizing braking see much less benefit from a hybrid system.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

I'm not so enthusiastic of hybrid drivelines, but I might recognize I actually like the aerodynamic profile of the Prius.