Reverse-- electric use only
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
From: LC
I think we have concluded that the ICE will come on for sure to warm the CATs. I believe that it only comes on for a short moment just to give them a little boost. Here is a test we can all do:
Visit a large parking lot and starting at one end, travel to the other only in reverse. Notice when the ICE comes on (probably shortly after the car is turned on) and when and if it turns off while you are backing up.
If it turns off while backing up, this confirms that the ICE comes on for just a little bit to get things warmed up.
My end goal is to have a switch that forces the vehicle to travel forward in the same way it does moving backwards. The ICE will likely come on to keep the CATs warmed, but I believe that the effort (and gas) used by the ICE to keep things warmed and charged, will be significantly less than if it is primarily used for forward propulsion.
Thoughts? Is your goal different?
Visit a large parking lot and starting at one end, travel to the other only in reverse. Notice when the ICE comes on (probably shortly after the car is turned on) and when and if it turns off while you are backing up.
If it turns off while backing up, this confirms that the ICE comes on for just a little bit to get things warmed up.
My end goal is to have a switch that forces the vehicle to travel forward in the same way it does moving backwards. The ICE will likely come on to keep the CATs warmed, but I believe that the effort (and gas) used by the ICE to keep things warmed and charged, will be significantly less than if it is primarily used for forward propulsion.
Thoughts? Is your goal different?
Lead Lap
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 508
Likes: 0
From: Anderson SC
You won't see any benefit. You are trying to make the car do something it wasn't designed to do. Toyota made it that way for a reason. For your idea to work you would beed larger batteries. Toyota designed the system with smaller batteries to save on weight, and because the batteries are expensive.
I don't under stand what you are trying to acomplish. Are you aware that the hybrid battery can only propel the car for 2 to 3 miles (maybe 5 if you do 35 MPH and there is a slight downgrade) it seems to me tjhat you are trying to make the car do something it wasn't designed or is capible of doing. If you force the car to run on battery only you will only go about 2 or 3 miles before the battery is drained and the engine has to turn back on the charge the battery. And when the engine does come on it will have to run longer and harder to propel the car while recharging a drained hybrid battery. Maybe I am missing something but I just don't understand what benefit you will get but setting up a switch that will let you drive for 2 to 3 miles on battery power. I would like a switch to let me move the car out of the garage without turning on the engine but it isn't worth the effort or trouble to wire up a switch.
I don't under stand what you are trying to acomplish. Are you aware that the hybrid battery can only propel the car for 2 to 3 miles (maybe 5 if you do 35 MPH and there is a slight downgrade) it seems to me tjhat you are trying to make the car do something it wasn't designed or is capible of doing. If you force the car to run on battery only you will only go about 2 or 3 miles before the battery is drained and the engine has to turn back on the charge the battery. And when the engine does come on it will have to run longer and harder to propel the car while recharging a drained hybrid battery. Maybe I am missing something but I just don't understand what benefit you will get but setting up a switch that will let you drive for 2 to 3 miles on battery power. I would like a switch to let me move the car out of the garage without turning on the engine but it isn't worth the effort or trouble to wire up a switch.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 4,192
Likes: 3
From: none
Maybe I am missing something but I just don't understand what benefit you will get but setting up a switch that will let you drive for 2 to 3 miles on battery power. I would like a switch to let me move the car out of the garage without turning on the engine but it isn't worth the effort or trouble to wire up a switch.
Draining the battery is worse for mileage. Those of us with the EV switch on the Prius do it for reasons you've stated. Not because we want to force the car to stay in EV and drive around in it and drain the battery.
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