Some odd and interesting hybrid observations

[Dario]

I'm curious how far the rest of you have driven in electric only mode. I was downtown last week in traffic. I went at least a couple of miles without the engine staring. It was flat, stop-and-go traffic that never got over ~15 mph.

I can't figure out what triggers the engine to start. If I have to go uphill at all it seems to start it. Also pushing the gas more than just slightly will start it. But sometimes it seems to be more forgiving than others. Maybe this is related to battery charge.

Lastly, have any of you noticed that the battery gauge does not seem accurate? I was driving downhill for about 5 miles the other day. It was all braking down the hill. When I got to the bottom I had 8 bars of battery. Right after some electric motor was used for ~1 block it was down to 5 bars, then quickly dropped to 4. None of this seems right. I don't think it could have charged from 4 bars that quickly, nor could it have gotten depleted that quickly.

Maybe it's just the low battery capacity? It occurs to me that it would have been better to us some type of lithium battery rather than NiCds.

I think the hybrid we're going to want will have more battery capacity, maybe be able to drive electric only for 20-30 miles, and get rid of that battery brick in the cargo area.

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[Dead Horse]

The battery isn't for efficiency, it's for power/torque. Toyota has always said this. Its goal isn't to save gas on your commute.

The battery is (relatively) tiny. That's how it charges/depletes so fast.

Also, the battery is NiMH...not NiCd or Li-ion. Safer, more durable, and longer lasting than lithium...It's Toyota, they like safe and long lasting.

 

[Dario]

The battery isn't for efficiency, it's for power/torque. Toyota has always said this. Its goal isn't to save gas on your commute.

I am aware that the battery is not for efficiency.

Also, the battery is NiMH...

Thanks for the correction.

Li-ion batteries last more than long enough and are more than safe enough. Many (most?) Toyota hybrids are using Li-ion, and certainly the plug-ins are.

With such a small battery pack, Li-ion would have been a far better choice, imo. With 2-3x the energy density the brick in the back could be much smaller, or we could get more energy storage.

The only reason I can see they would not have used Li-ion is cost.

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