I’m getting an XSE Prime in 3 weeks! I’m so excited!!!! Question, if my commute is mostly highway, should I do EV or HV mode? It’s about 20 miles each way to work.
Question about which driving mode to use when driving the Prime
SMP
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With a 40 mile round trip commute you just want to drive it it/until the EV miles run out. You will be able set benchmarks (where along route EV miles run out or how many EV miles left when you get home) for each season and track how those benchmarks hold up over time.
Get in and drive always worked with our Toyota hybrid/plug-ins.
Get in and drive always worked with our Toyota hybrid/plug-ins.
Depends on your speed (and to a lesser extent on the outside air temperature). If you drive 30-40 mph the entire way, EV alone may suffice. But if you drive highway speeds, EV will not work. The idea is to maximize EV use, which is wasted and not very efficient at high speeds.
My general rule is to drive in HV mode (the right button) -- not EV/HV Auto (the left button, which is pretty worthless) -- when at speeds > 40-45 mph (> 65 km/hr), and in EV mode at lower speeds. HV mode will maintain the battery level essentially the same; EV/HV Auto will drain the battery quickly.
My general rule is to drive in HV mode (the right button) -- not EV/HV Auto (the left button, which is pretty worthless) -- when at speeds > 40-45 mph (> 65 km/hr), and in EV mode at lower speeds. HV mode will maintain the battery level essentially the same; EV/HV Auto will drain the battery quickly.
I definitely agree with this as a general way of maximizing drive modes (EV mode is certainly less efficient at higher speeds than at lower), however, if the OP has a charger at work (hopefully free?), full EV should easily work both ways, even at legal highway speeds, and no gas would be consumed (I also assume this is the goal). As we know, certain conditions will cause the ICE to come on, however, generally, most, if not all of this commute could be done in EV mode (again, assuming charging at work). I can say with nearly 100% certainty, a single charge won't handle 40 miles of mostly highway driving. Enjoy!
Everyone has a different opinion. I noticed one responded that the Auto HV/EV mode is worthless. That is the only mode I use. As stated in the manual (See below), I use it because at times I do need to go from 0-60 in 5.7 seconds. I had it in EV mode and needed quick acceleration once and that didn't work real well, I forgot it was in EV only mode. In EV mode I believe it's like 0-60 in 8.5 seconds or something like that. BUT, I am not a hypermiler trying to set records for the best MPG. Currently, I'm averaging 82mpg in winter type of conditions 32 degrees or less. So, I would recommend just try all the modes when you get the vehicle and see what works for your drive and your goals.
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Agreed - everyone has their opinions and different thoughts and goals. Auto EV/HV has its uses (give the ICE a chance to warm up, otherwise you likely won’t get that extra ooomph that first time - I’ve noticed the R4P gives the ICE a chance to warm before having it send power to the wheels - unless the traction battery is too low, I believe), just like every other drive mode. I love that this vehicle has so many options, and I can use them as I see fit. Enjoy!
I see only one case where "Auto EV/HV" has any advantages over HV mode: I suppose that for shorter trips outside the all-electric range of the battery, but < 100 miles at a time, "Auto EV/HV" might give you the best mpg. And, again, for such shorter trips between, say, 40 and 100 miles, HV won't give you all that much worse gasoline savings over "Auto EV/HV". Remember also that if you touch no buttons at all, you'll be close to "Auto EV/HV" mode by default, as the car will default to "Auto EV/HV" essentially when you turn on the defroster or Sport mode or when you run out of battery. But for longer trips, "Auto EV/HV" is useless. As for having to go from 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds vs. 6.7 seconds, say: it's very rare that there would ever be a safety issue in a difference of a second or two, if you're driving properly (yes, if you're not driving properly, all bets are off).
I rarely, if ever, use Auto EV/HV. In my experience, assuming you have EV range available, it uses EV almost the entire time, unless you push the car hard enough, then the ICE kicks in, but it mainly seems to run in EV (assuming you have EV range, of course). Also, the car defaults to EV mode, not Auto EV/HV (at least mine does). When you run out of EV range, it automatically switches to HV mode. The front defroster kicks the ICE on immediately and keeps it running, though I haven't run the front defroster long enough to know what it does after awhile. Anyhow, again, I really like all the options, some more than others. Enjoy!
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As we all know, 20 miles each way is 40 miles total; which is less than the R4P’s 42 mile rated electric range. Admittedly if cold outside, or if one is hauling down the highway, climbing steep mountains or similar, we are going to get closer to low/mid 30 mile range, but in many automedia reviews when they first got their hands on it, they were getting an average of 40 mile range. I would drive it in EV mode until you ran out. If that was pulling into your garage at home at night, great! If yours ended up going into EV/HV (primarily ICE) mode a few miles short of home (then your getting in the latter mode about 35-42 MPG on gasoline (with regen), great also.
The Rav4 Prime is a winner!
The Rav4 Prime is a winner!
I don't find this to be true. If you don't touch any buttons, you will stay in EV mode. Hence, if you forget to push "Auto EV/HV" mode and want to hustle up, it will not jump up to the 5.7 seconds in 60 miles type of acceleration. I'll pass on the driving properly comment. If I had a wish, it would be that you could get the R4P to default to the mode you personally want without initially touching any buttons. Again, I'm not trying to convince anyone on what MODE you should drive in. Your choice! For me, after 1,600 miles, I have found the "Auto EV/HV" mode is the best for my location and my improper driving
I don't like EV mode only. I guess if I did, I would have bought at Tesla?Just bought a used 2023 RAV4 Prime greatly appreciate your practical advice. It’s a bit confusing trying to figure out how to use the various modes.
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I notice no one offered up the suggestion to use the NORMAL mode, me included! We may be overthinking the subject, just saying. But, it is fun to play around with the different modes, to gain a bit of extra efficiency, but lets not lose sight of the fact that if a new buyer does NOTHING but hit the NORMAL the car will still deliver fantastic economy. With all the different choices of modes we have, combined with our vastly different driving needs/commutes, I can see a newbie getting overwhelmed with how to drive it! It sure is an entertaining car to drive,lots of buttons....
As soon as you consider buying any vehicle with a plug for charging (whether PHEV or BEV), you need to educate yourself on what a plug-in vehicle needs. EVs have different ranges for driving on electricity than ICEVs (= internal-combustion-engine vehicles) have for driving on gasoline/petrol, and those electric ranges vary much more wildly than do the ranges of ICEVs on gas (speed, temperature, acceleration all reduce your electric range more quickly than is reduced -- generally -- with gas/petrol range). But EVs are much more efficient at lower speeds than are ICEVs, and that's the key here; regenerative charging of the traction battery pack is a big thing via braking or slowing down or even taking one's foot off the accelerator pedal.
So with a PHEV like the RAV4 Prime, it's quite simple: Charge the car whenever you can to stay near 100% full (meaning at home, normally).
The car starts in electric-only mode (if there's sufficient charge in the battery pack, and it's not super-cold outside) by default. This is great because it means that, if you park in a garage, you can leave (and enter) the garage without ever getting exhaust fumes into the garage (and potentially also into your house from there).
Just keep it in electric-only mode until you get to a highway where you want to drive > 40 mph, and touch the EV/HV button to get it to go into "hybrid" (HV) mode (which will use both ICE + electric but generally keep the battery at the same level through regen). Then push the same button again to go back into electric (EV) mode when you're back off the highway and driving < 40 mph again.
That's all you really need to know to make maximum use of your PHEV. (The charging function, for which you have to push the EV/HV button and hold it for a few seconds) just lets you charge up the traction battery off the ICE (using some gasoline, but not a lot) so that you can drive in electric-only in slow, stop-and-go traffic on long road trips where you can't charge the vehicle easily. Not too complicated.
(We never use any of the other drive-mode buttons there on the lower center console -- Auto-EV/HV, ECO/PushNormal, Trail. We don't need them. The EV/HV button is by far the most signifcant and important button there, in terms of getting the maximum use of your PHEV system while driving. This button and what it allows is what sets the RAV4 Prime apart from the RAV4 non-plugin "hybrid".)
2022 Rav4 Prime SE, 2016 Leaf with upgraded 40kwh battery, 2014 Prius, 1965 F100 Inline 6
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I don't tend to try and game the system too much either, BUT...
In the winter in particular, the "waste heat" of the gasoline engine is kind of attractive. In fact, your Prime will turn in the ICE engine pretty much whenever you need defrost/defog. If you hit that button, even in default EV mode, you will kick the ICE on.
So, if I am driving and I know based on experience that the windows are going to fog in the prevailing weather conditions, I like to hit the HV button right off. Why?
Cause you are going to heat up that ICE engine eventually -- might as well do it right off the bat and get some nice free waste heat sooner rather than later.
The heat pump is all fine and good -- but the waste heat from an ICE is still phenomenal in general. And wasting my EV miles on trying to heat the cabin makes no sense when I am going to heat up the ICE anyhow....
In the winter in particular, the "waste heat" of the gasoline engine is kind of attractive. In fact, your Prime will turn in the ICE engine pretty much whenever you need defrost/defog. If you hit that button, even in default EV mode, you will kick the ICE on.
So, if I am driving and I know based on experience that the windows are going to fog in the prevailing weather conditions, I like to hit the HV button right off. Why?
Cause you are going to heat up that ICE engine eventually -- might as well do it right off the bat and get some nice free waste heat sooner rather than later.
The heat pump is all fine and good -- but the waste heat from an ICE is still phenomenal in general. And wasting my EV miles on trying to heat the cabin makes no sense when I am going to heat up the ICE anyhow....
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Over the years, 2022 Prime XSE, I've found that driving on the highway in EV mode is somewhat hazardous due to a huge reduction in horsepower (maybe only 140hp). And highway driving reduces EV range quite quickly. By only using HV mode on roads with speed limits of 50mph and higher I'm able to get high EV ranges after charging. I have a level II EVSE with exactly 350 charge cycles to date. My lowest EV range after charging in very cold temperatures was 47 miles, highest 55 miles. It's a real pleasure driving in EV mode in city driving, so smooooth, quiet and instant torque from a stop, and I don't need the horsepower in city driving.
Tom
Tom
If I want to be in EV mode on the highway, I use AUTO EV/HV. The gives me the 302 HP I might need and saves me gas if I'm making a relatively short hiighway trip. Works for me.
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If I'm driving on the highway in EV & cold weather, and the battery runs down & power goes to the gasoline engine, am I going to a high rpm on a cold gas engine? That would not be good for a cold engine.
Toyota has you covered. When first starting the gas engine when driving in EV mode, the power output of the gas engine (ICE) is limited until it warms up.
The car continues to drive using battery power until the ICE is warmed up (usually 80-90F). The ICE runs at about 1300 rpm during this warmup period and may provide a small amount of propulsion power to help warm the ICE up.
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