Hybrids, the debate starts here.

Own a hybrid? Don't feel left out; heres a little corner just for you.
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ChrisB
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Postby ChrisB » Sun May 27, 2007 5:34 pm

Well Marks just left and what can I say 8)

What a fantastic vehicle, how hes able to drive it when theres all that stuff going on in the TFT screen I just dont know, I spent the whole time watching it do stuff :oops:

Is most weird when the engines doing its own thing and the revs dont match the road speed etc etc

The creep is very similar to an auto and as demonstrated with the foot on the brake pedal this does switch it off , BUT it did'nt like the gravel on my drive much and would sit there apparently using power but not actually going anywhere :lol: but then our drive is more like a beach due to a slight over use of pea shingle :D

Very nice overall design, I was surprised at how tiny the ICE engine was, it certainly does seem small and lost in the engine bay compared to your normal motor.

I took Mark out for a spin the Berlingo which after the Prius felt very low tech and clanky :oops:

I have to say if you get a chance to go in a Prius then take it as its certianly an experience.

It was a shame it was such a horrible day, the rain never really let up so we couldnt do a lot of fiddling under bonnets etc or stay outside much at all and driving conditions where pretty poor as well. I even had to light the bonfire up in the berlingo so we where nice and warm.

Once again a big thanks to Mark for taking the time out to show me round his Prius and to show what a small world it actually is we discovered that he actually works at the same place as my wife, just a different department .........how funny is that :lol: :lol:


ChrisB
I reject reality and substitute my own !!!!!!

PeteB
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Postby PeteB » Sun May 27, 2007 6:18 pm

ChrisB wrote:Well Marks just left and what can I say 8)

Is most weird when the engines doing its own thing and the revs dont match the road speed etc etc

ChrisB


Even more so when you first start up from cold - the engine goes through a rapid warm-up cycle, while you drive on electric (unless demanding a lot of power), and during this time behaves as if it were totally separate from the hybrid system. I believe it sets the ignition timing to make a lot of heat, but would be inefficient for motive power. This heats up the catalytic converters and gets the engine ready quickly for normal use and heating the cabin if required.

If you buy a Prius in a country where they have extremes of cold in the winter (as in the US and Canada), the car comes with an accessory that sucks all the hot water out of the engine when you switch off and stores it in a heavily insulated container. When you come back and start up, during the 7 seconds before the engine fires it pumps it all back.

Regards

PeteB

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aminorjourney
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Postby aminorjourney » Sun May 27, 2007 6:52 pm

PeteB wrote:
If you buy a Prius in a country where they have extremes of cold in the winter (as in the US and Canada), the car comes with an accessory that sucks all the hot water out of the engine when you switch off and stores it in a heavily insulated container. When you come back and start up, during the 7 seconds before the engine fires it pumps it all back.

Regards

PeteB


Wow. You learn something new every day. Kate's Mom and Dad have a Prius - I'll have to look the next time I'm stateside!
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marktime
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Postby marktime » Wed May 30, 2007 12:04 pm

Hi Chris, don't you hate it when work gets in the way of the internet!!

I know I probably didn't show it but I was every bit impressed with your Berlingo as you were with the Prius.
We talked about motor power ratings and I didn't know the answers on Sunday, well I have done some research and can now say that the Prius' 1500cc ICE develops 76 bhp (57Kw) @5000rpm and the electric motor 67 bhp (50Kw) @1200-1540 rpm. We need to quallify that a bit because we know from the US Prius 'how it works' site that there are really two motor/ generators so there is a bit of smoke and mirrors going on. I can understand there only being one motor shown on the MFD as it would be far to busy if they were both shown and I guess the secret just goes on from there.

For info the Honda Civic Hybrid brouchure quotes their 1400 cc ICE and electric motor combined develop 115bhp @6000 rpm they make no attempt to seperate the two. This is 28hp less than the Prius' total if what gets to the road is equal to the sum of all inputs?!


Mark

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ChrisB
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Postby ChrisB » Wed May 30, 2007 1:49 pm

Hi Mark , yeah work eh ...who needs it :lol:

Wow a 50kw motor on the Prius :shock:, that does surprise me, but then as you say we know its not exactly how it looks :wink:

Glad you enjoyed your time here and hope I didnt bore you to death toooooo much with my ramblings.

Loved the prius and I am defo going to look me one of those out in the second hand market to play with 8)

ChrisB
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aminorjourney
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Postby aminorjourney » Wed May 30, 2007 8:07 pm

Coo - Chris, are you going to do a plug in conversion perhaps?
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield

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marktime
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Postby marktime » Fri Jun 01, 2007 6:14 pm

I promised photos previously so here we go.
Image

This is the energy display, as described earlier it shows the battery (and it's state of charge), the ICE and electric motor/ generator.
All the animated links are blank because the car was stationary.
As the battery is well charged (green) when we pull away the arrows will lead from the battery to the motor and on to the wheels.
Chris observed 'look even the wheels are moving'.

When we back off / slow down the arrows will run the other way recharging the battery.



Image

This is the consumption display, the bar graph shows the consumption acheived over the last 30 mins in 5 minute intervals. The bar on the far right would show the actual 'instantaneous' MPG.
The bottom line shows the average MPG since the last reset and the miles driven since the tank was last filled. I reset the MPG when I refill so it shows 66.4 MPG over 122 miles. The 10 gallon ish tank will take me about 600 miles in summer conditions, less in winter.
The little green car symbols each represent 50Wh of energy regenerated. From slowing / braking. The 325Wh that can be seen are about right for my style of driving, if I drive harder (accelerate hard, brake late) there will be lots more little cars, 500 600 or more Wh. Opinion is divided but I think the regen shown is actually surplus rather than required to charge the battery, I can often come off the motorway with 30 mins of nothing regenrated but the battery is full!

Mark
Soft as Graphite, Hard as Diamond, Black as Coal & clear as CO2, It's a Carbon thing!

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aminorjourney
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Postby aminorjourney » Fri Jun 01, 2007 6:33 pm

Drats!

The best I've ever managed (when Kate lets me drive) is 56.2 mpg. That was yesterday. How on earth do I get another 10 mpg out of it?!?
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield

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ChrisB
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Postby ChrisB » Fri Jun 01, 2007 7:09 pm

Nice one Mark , next time we get together remind me to grab some video of the screen doing its stuff, so those who have not seen it actually in action can really understand what the thing actually does.
I actually meant to when you came down but as the weather was so naff and I was so flabbergasted with it I totally forgot :oops:

I can see a whole new thread appearing with the title..........

How high can you get the mpg on your Prius :lol:

Not to mention...........

I've got more little green cars on my display than you :lol:

I'll be looking forward to both threads ......of course we will be expecting photographic evidence :wink:

ChrisB
I reject reality and substitute my own !!!!!!

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aminorjourney
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Postby aminorjourney » Fri Jun 01, 2007 9:30 pm

Well Chris, our Prius will be there on Sunday so you can always get some video from us too. I'd like to compare the different models of Prius :)
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield

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