In this video, we dive into how the Prius hybrid synergy drive system works. We also review my 3 biggest tips for how to drive any hybrid car in the most efficient way.
The #1 tip I have for getting the best mpg is drive in a lane where people won't be taking left or right turns and causing you to brake and have to accelerate again
3rd gen Prius D mode is not as regenerating as 2nd gen and can be left D all the time. In N, the engine will never charge the battery, but in P it will. So when you stop, put it in P or D is the best option not N. Yes 60-70mpg is doable if you drive in interstate behind the truck at 60mph too.
Do you keep your OBD2 plugged in all the time so you can use Hybrid Assistant? If so, what are the dangers of draining the 12v battery if the car isn't driven for a week or so?
holy.. I’v tried to keep the battery always full by regulating with accelerator it works and the result is 58mpg instead of 52-53 mpg. I always tried to use the battery max. and when the engine kicks on to charge the battery it reduces the mpgs solid. so to compare with it your method is way efficient. I think 60mpg is very easy to rich. only one question which method is keep the battery longlife ?? any way its great thanks.
*Charge Limit* 3:50 "We featured this in a previous video" title of the video, plz - or a link in the description? _ah. Just found the pop-up link in the top-right of the video._
What app are you using that shows what the car is doing? I'm not sure you mentioned it and there's no link to it. I'd like to have it myself. It really shows a lot, especially the braking. Thank you in advance.
Hi ya! Thank you for the videos they are so informing. Question, what is that app or mode that you are using in the video to show those efficiency modes? Thank you! 😊
Super! for your sharing video, but i have one issue due to long drive then engine keep running then hybrid seen not charge anymore. unless i have to stop the car for about 30 mins then it work back as normal. so what issue then i should fix? Thank you.
Great Video! On clarification on terminology. Multiple times when you stated kilowatt hours, it should have just been kilowatts. Kilowatts is a unit of power, used for expressing motors, like horsepower. Kilowatt HOURS is a unit of energy, like a gallon of gasoline , used for expressing batteries and battery capacity. Kilowatt hours is basically saying, that the battery can output however many kilowatts, for an hour. When talking about power output and input from the battery, kilowatts is the proper term. When talking about battery size, then use kilowatt hours. Great explanation on how everything works, just thought I’d make this small correction for those who were confused, like me!
What do you think is better for fuel efficency, to accelerate fast (when PWR indicator is filled) or accelerate slowly (when PWR indicator is not filled at all and ECO indicator is turned on)?
This ultimately depends on your driving situation and speed. In general it's probably more efficient to stay in eco if you can, but the main inefficiency is wasting acceleration. I consistently accelerate into the PWR section but mostly look at RPM from Hybrid Assistant and try to not exceed 3000rpm when accelerating.
Old post, but for those who are curious... Here's the deal, if you accelerate fast on the fourth-generation Prius, you kick the motor on. EV mode not only stops at about 23 mph for standard Prius 4th gens, the harder the acceleration, the more likely it will be activated as well. Different generations have different motors and software. A slow and easy acceleration is best for that generation (and most) cars. Think of it as steps. 0-15 MPH takes more energy than 0-5...
Hi, great video! i have a used 2013 prius with 66k. In my prius, i cannot accelerate over 10mph before I hit the midway line and EV turns off unless I basically creep at very very low speeds. At 14:00 you start accelerating and it sounds like you have better headroom before you get to the midway line. What speed do normally hit at the midway line? I'm wondering if this is normal or if I need to get something checked. I do a lot of stop and go and restaurant drive thrus KILL my MPG. Thank you!
Unfortunately there are several variables that impact how much power can be drawn from the HV battery at the midway line. From my observations, the main factors in order of impact appear to be: 1. Battery charge - the higher charge the more power at the midline. 2. Battery temperature - low or high temperatures will limit charge to or from the battery. 3. Speed - driving a low speed, the hybrid synergy drive system favors electric power. As speed increases, gas power is favored. 4. Battery age/wear - a worn out battery will charge and discharge quicker than a battery in good condition.
EV driving mode only goes 0-9mph and you can only start the car in EV mode if it’s warm enough, around 68 degrees or higher. It’s basically for pulling out of your parking space and that’s it. In normal drive mode however you can drive all the way to 43mph on electric. If you accelerate slowly enough, you can do 0-43 all electric but it’s so slow it’s not practical. Hyper-milers say to go 0-19mph in electric from every stop to maximize your mpg.
@@AndreasEUR The behavior outlined is specific to 3rd gen Prius, 2010-2015 which is the generation in the video and the generation in question. The other generations have totally different EV behavior. Even 2nd generation can go much faster in EV mode but for some reason the EV mode is almost useless on the 3rd gen.
Will not hurt your gearbox unless the electrics fail, just remember it is only good for battery regen. It shuts off your ICE and turns it into a air pump that actually makes it less efficient
It does not recharge, B mode is engine braking, used the same way regular cars use downshifting. When you're going down a long steep hill and want to avoid overheating the brakes, or in the Prius's case, prevent maxing out the battery. The car will do it automatically if it does max out, either way.
Edward, Applegate is right but one part you are correct on is when they say it's for downhill braking when it does that it's also giving your battery energy. But don't drive like that unless going downhill.
@@willmarkley4237 I'm not actually sure how much B mode is sending energy into the battery. Sure regen is still working to slow the car down, but the ECU is also revving up the engine without fuel. It's either neutral or draining energy out of the battery because that's the car's last resort to preventing the battery from maxing out.
@@HEVTech1 What's upcoming for your next NexPower battery vid? Just ordered one, so I'm soaking up as much information as possible. Do you recommend a certain type of corrosion resistant nut/bus bar? I saw nickel sets.. assuming it's nickel plated copper? (bus bars)
@@808zhu while mine had quite a bit of oxidation, it was after 100k miles and 11 years. Soaking in vinegar and a wire brush scrub should be all you need.
You want to find most efficient Throttle/RPM sweet spot. Feathering acceleration while engine is running is inefficient on any modern ICE engine. Of course when above a certain speed (42mph? 46mph?) you might have no choice but to keep it running there in this inefficient spot, however most engines are most efficient around 2k RPM and 80% of throttle. So ideal hypermiling tactic is use the engine at it's most efficient RPM and have it off when that much power isn't needed. Limiting amount of time engine runs while avoiding running it above 2.5k RPM or below 1.5k RPM would be most efficient. So help understand this better consider this: 1. running engine feathering it for 1 minute and engine off for 1 minute. 2. Running engine for total of 10 seconds, but in optimal RPM/throttle range, leaving 1 minute and 50 seconds to be with engine off. Second one would use far less gas, even though those 10 seconds would use more gas than 10 or even 30 seconds feathering it. This is assuming you're not going above 2.5k RPM, ideally closer to 2k RPM. I'm a hypermiler and this is a classic pulse and glide method.
@@MontyGumby basically think about this you want as little engine resistance as possible - lowest RPM possible while getting the most torque out of the unit of gas. This is usually at around 2k RPM and 70-80% of throttle. But you also want to use as little gas as possible without losing much momentum when it's not needed. Feathering is when you're accelerating/maintaining speed while staying below 1.5k. if want to accelerate efficiently? Accelerate at 1.6-2.4k RPM
@@mikerodix4800 yeah basically you want to stay in higher end of eco zone. Top end of Eco zone. Like you should have two modes of driving if you will: "Pulse" - eco mode from middle to top end of eco zone and "Glide" - EV zone. Avoid power mode and avoid very bottom range of eco zone if possible especially on slow and long creeps like when in traffic. Just give it moderate pulse instead and switch to ev mode
@@ophrasbankaccount7716 In a hybrid, if you put it in N it will prevent any regen from slowing you down, allowing you to coast as long as possible, especially in pulse and glide. You can place the accelerator pedal in a specific location to do this as well so its not regenning or using energy to accelerate. But its easier to just put it in N.
@@ophrasbankaccount7716 not sure what you're asking... The motors slow you and Regen at the same time. When coasting you want the least amount of friction to allow you to cost the longest. Then put it back in drive when slowing to allow Regen. There is no engine braking in hybrids.
Nice catch - yes I was speaking in terms of kilowatts vs kWH. The power from and to the battery is limited to 21kW and -25kW respectively under ideal conditions.
Coasting in neutral doesn't get you any re-gen, you're loosing MPGs because the battery is not charging, also putting it back in drive puts a strain on the inverter and motor, that instantaneous electric shock because there's no transmission, it puts a stain on the electronics.
@@SavageBunny1 false, not losing mpgs :) and i know it doesn't Regen, that's whats increasing my mpgs, coasting MUCH further with zero consumption. I use regen to slow down speed, so I don't lose anything. Sorry, but I believe you are wrong from what I see. When in D you ahve to be perfect with throttle to keep it just in the right spot. Neutral removes ALL guesswork and pits you right at that sweet spot and keeps you there. (Which in D also gives ZERO regen :) I dislike very much that I can't turn off regen above X percent.
Here are the BEST tips for increasing mpg. Cheap: 1. Put max psi in your wheels (you can get up to 15 mpg difference) Also, check psi every few weeks, as they can easily fluctuate. 2. Don't accelerate toward stop signs, red lights stopped cars or down hills. 3. Try to gage your needed speed to never stop for a red light. (slowing down enough to drag the time to a green light) This highly increases efficiency. 4. When accelerating, accelerate at medium to hard acceleration to coasting speed, then keep the steady speed. (slow acceleration contrary to popular belief is less efficient). 5. Use cruise control on freeways as we get distracted by many things, we begin fluctuating the pedal creating very inefficient driving. 6. don't run A/C alongside windows down (many people do this). 6.5 (forgot to add this one) try to brake only using regen braking, meaning don't brake hard enough for disk brakes to engage. Expensive: 7. Replace your tires with fuel efficient tires and put them at max psi. 8. Service or replace your battery pack if its bad (bad performance) 9. Consider replacing the nimh modules with lithium ion modules. (can increase mpg up to 10) Is better for city driving. 10. Buy a newer prius. I think the newer ones go to about 70mpg if u know how to drive one. Enjoy
@@robbie2980 I've been driving for hundreds of thousands of miles my entire life on max psi on my prius , and never had issues. But you do you. You can see the wear pattern on your tires. If rhe center of your tire is being worn faster than the sides, you should reduce psi.
I don’t know what you pay for gas with your regular vehicle, but I only pay about $150 for an entire year of gas in my 2012 Prius PlugIn. So next time you say buy a regular vehicle you should also tell them how much they will pay to gas that vehicle over a year! 🤪
