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Prius PHEV to Gain Driver-Selectable EV Only Mode, Full Regenerative Braking

1622 Views 3 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  ToyotaPWR
When Toyota's Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle finally makes it to market next year it will come with two new features that weren't on the prototype we first drove last October. The first of the tech additions will be a driver-selectable EV mode, while the second will be a full regenerative braking system. Allow us to explain.

First up is the selectable EV mode, meaning that the driver will be able to choose when they want to use the estimated 10 miles or so of electric-only range. While other systems use the EV range immediately and then switch to a type of hybrid mode, the Prius PHEV would allow owners to get out on the highway in a normal hybrid mode and then switch to EV mode once they got close to the city where the traffic congestion is worse.

Second is the ability to full recapture electric energy under braking. In the prototype model we tested the regenerative brakes could only be used to sustain the hybrid drive system once the EV mode had depleted. The new version will, however, allow for continued (and possible full, but extremely unlikely) regeneration without having to plug it in. This could significantly expand the distance you're able to travel in EV mode depending on the terrain like if you're daily drive includes a long downhill run.

More: Prius PHEV to Gain Driver-Selectable EV Only Mode, Full Regenerative Braking on AutoGuide.com
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This would mean the car would never die if you had regenerative brakes all you would need to do is find a tow truck get a tow and hit the brakes! or if the regenerative braking works well, the EV mode could stay-on forever!
That would be amazing! Regenerative braking, is way better than having to sit there waste time and wait for you car to charge!
This is awesome, Prius just got better with the PHEV. So from my understanding of this, seems like it's almost unlikely that we will be stuck with a dead car in need of charging.

This just makes the Chevy Volt look like a big waste of money since the range on that is nowhere near the Prius PHEV.



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