Hey Guys
I am not sure everybody is aware or not, but when I have purchased my 06 RX, the dealer told me that when you are driving reverse, the system only uses electric motors, there is no way to make ICE to kick in.

So I wonder if there can be a hack to use this feature as EV button, whatever makes the system not to use ICE, can be converted while we are using D shift.

Do you guys have any idea?

Thanks

 

Killer idea. Exactly what I want to do with my RX.

I think that we need to first confirm that the system does in fact only run on electric when in reverse. Can I get a few people to please confirm this?

If it is confirmed, there must be a way to trick the system to think it is in reverse and only use electric while going forward. Ideally a nice on off switch would be great.

 

I would be willing to bet anything the dealer is wrong. It seems like a great idea because if it were true Lexus wouldn't have to build a reverse gear in the transmission that would save Lexus a lot of $$$. The reason they wouldn't do it is it would prevent people from backing up a long distance if the charge on the hybrid had run low. What happens if you find your self on a long narrow country dirt road with no place to turn around. You have run the battery down because the road is an old dirt road and have been driving so slow your were driving forward on battery only. You come to a dead end with no turn around and are forced to back up a long distance. Run down hybrid battery + being forced to back up long distance = stranded driver

 

I drive into my sloped driveway, forward. Park the car, the next morning, I put the car in reverse and back out of my sloped driveway in reverse. If the engine is cold, it will kick the ICE at about the half way point up.

If there WERE a way to hack it, I believe it would be by means of the Engine Temperature... trick the ECU into believing the engine is warm and the cats are up to operating temp.

Cheers,

MadloR

 

I do not see how the engine can supply torque to the wheels through the power split device when the wheels are turning in reverse. The engine can, and often does, run in this condition, driving its generator helping supply power to the drive motors and charging the battery, so you will not pull down the batteries no matter how long your narrow, lonely, dirt road is. There is no reverse as is typical on the normal automatic or manual transmission.

 

Every morning I put the car in reverse to take it out of my driveway and after the car has traveled about 5 feet the engine kicks in. It doesn't matter what the temperature outside is. The garage never gets below 55 either. The driveway is sloped downward in reverse, too.

 

You are right, I didn't explain myself correctly. The ICE is normally off in reverse, but if the hybrid needs to be recharged the ICE will come on and charge the hybrid batter so that the battery will be able to move the car in reverse.. I guess I should have explained it differently because it is partially correct that the ICE is off in reverse, but if the CAT temp drops the ICE will come on to heat up the CAT even if you are in reverse and the ICE will also come on if the Hybrid Battery is low.

 

Greetings again all,

I think we still need to get to the bottom of whether reverse only runs on battery power. I have personally tested the reverse and it seems to stay in electric the whole time (according to my nav screen and the center dash display). The ICE does kick in, but only to charge and warm the batteries, not to propel the vehicle backwards. I am going to do some more extensive parking lot tests later today and I will report back. I encourage everyone else to do the same. Be sure to pay attention to the display screens and not necessarily the sound of the ICE turning on.

 

If you study the planetary gear arrangement of the so-called continuous variable transmission, I believe you will conclude that it is not possible for the engine to power the vehicle in reverse.

 

You are correct, the transmission does not have a reverse gear, but the engine still is needed to warm up the cats and keep the hybrid battery from draining

EDIT

Think of it this way. When you see a big diesel train locomotive in operation, the diesel is not moving the train. Diesel locomotives are really electric trains. The diesel runs an electric generator which powers the electric motors in the locomotive. When you drive the "H" cars in revers it is the same principle

 

I have done some testing too, it looks like (both from energy screen and the sound) ICE does not kick in in reverse. I have drive it for half mile. ICE kicks in when you first start the car no matter you are going reverse or not. But I believe it is not related to the reverse.
So, there is somehow an EV button, the question is how we can use it.
I will do more research about it and will post..
Thanks

 

There is no way to force the car into full battery mode, I am not sure but I do think the Prius does have a switch to do to. But even if you could switch it the ICE would still come on to keep the cat warm, and if the "H" battery ran low it would have to come on. I wouldn't bother with the work involved with installing a switch. I can get my car to run on battery only just by not pressing on the pedal too hard. If there isn't any traffic I can drive 2 or 3 miles without the engine coming on. I wouldn't try it with cars behind you because you will have to accelerate so slow you will get the people behind you angry. I really don't see the point of a turn off switch because the maximum distance you can drive on battery only is probably less than 5 miles. And once you drain the "H" battery down the ICE will have to stay on longer to charge it back up so what ever you gained by keeping the ICE off you will loose when you have to run the ICE longer to re-charge the battery.

 

With the Prius, the program is already in the car. We just have to add a switch. In EV Drive Mode, you can accelerate harder without the engine coming on. Without the button, you have to lightly feather the throttle as silvervett described.

I'd say total range is 1-2 miles (2 is it's a slight downhill).


The main point of EV Drive Mode is for the following reasons (and by no means are they inclusive!)

1. moving your car in/out of the garage without the engine coming on
2. changing parking spots
3. entering an underground carpark if your engine's still running
4. cruising home silently (if your engine doesn't want to shut off automatically)

etc etc

 

Unfortunally it doeesn't work that way because even if you are only moving the car a few feet the ICE needs to come on to heat up the ICE. I would love to have the ICE on a 2 to 4 minute shut off timer. You push the button and the ICE stays off for a few minutes. You would use it when you want to move the car with out going anywhere. Maybe you may need to move it because you a blocking another car in the driveway. Or maybe you may need to get something out of the garage like a lawn mower but it car is blocking it. You can move the car a few feet get the lawn mower out then put the car back without ever starting the ICE. The way the system is set up the ICE turns on within a few seconds after you turn the key if the cats are cold. It is the one flaw in an almost perfect desig. In my opinion they should have programed the ICE not to come on untill it was needed.

 

nono I mean the USES for the EV Drive mode that you guys are wanting (from the Prius).. i.e. the EV "switch"