[kennyz]

I'm just loving the new hybrid! Can I say it Again...I'm just loving the new hybrid! Anyway.....I know that for parking lots and the like you can hit the EV mode and it'll keep with you till about 25mph and then drop out. I thought this was the max EV speed the car could operate in. But in very close observation it seems that there is a dead band if you will between 25~30 mph. What I've noticed is that if I'm on a fairly flat stretch of road, once I'm up to 45 mph ( max ) the car will drop back into EV mode and quite happily stay there provided one uses light throttle pressure.ive watched this quite closely on the energy monitor in the Eco app. The ICE shows not output, all power is coming from the battery to mg1/2. Anyone have any thought or experience with this? I know when I do this the mpg just goes up and up and up....lovin it!

 

[rdgrimes]

Don't confuse the manual EV mode with the normal EV mode, they are different. There's almost no practical use for manual EV mode and it may even be inefficient, but that's a different discussion. Max indicated EV mode is around 47 MPH, although there is some credible evidence that true EV function may go a lot higher. (just because the ICE is turning doesn't mean its using fuel).

You'll want to read up on "pulse and glide" driving techniques, common to Prius discussions and lots of info to be found in a search. The RAV4 HV offers a bit less to be gained from this driving technique than a Prius, but the gains are real nonetheless.