I'm pretty sure that anytime you're "accelerating" you're not in EV mode and so the engine is definitely running. It's ****ed hard to get the car to gain speed (at least, on the level) in EV mode, and it isn't going to be more than a few mph if you do. So I think you might just not be clear on when your car's in EV and when the gas engine is running. The tach won't tell you. (Especially since with the CVT there's virtually no correlation between actual road speed and engine rpm. Pretty fun watching your rpms drop while your car speeds up, which the CVT can make happen seamlessly.)

Any time you're moving away from a stop, the engine is on -- as you say, when you release the brake at autostop, the engine *always* restarts (if it ever doesn't, you're going to need a mechanic); and when you're idling without autostop, the engine is *by definition* running (since it's not stopped) -- of course you hear the engine and your gas mileage is affected by fuel consumption in these instances.

That's different than when your car is in EV mode, not consuming any fuel. You can hear the difference between when your engine is *turning but not running* (in EV mode) and when your engine is *running* (as in, consuming fuel and generating emissions) by doing this:

Take your car out in your neighborhood and put all the windows down so you can hear a bit of what it sounds like from the outside. (Try to drive next to some parked cars so more of your own car's sound will bounce back at you.) At 20 or 25 mph, release and then feather the throttle 'til you're in EV (charge/assist showing 1-4 bars of assist, instant mileage indicator pegged at 100 mpg -- if you don't have this combination of indicators, you're not in EV mode) and listen to how the car sounds. Then *gently* take the car out of EV by pressing a little harder on the gas, just enough to make the engine refire while running at about the same speed. Hear the difference? There's always noise from the engine compartment even when the engine is only turning, not running. But it's a different character, and you totally lose exhaust noise when the engine is only turning in EV.

Sorry for the length here.
--d

 

You explained it well! Thanks , Doug

 

Here is the most down to earth Article written by a Member of www.CleanMPG.com

Read this and I think it will get you up to Speed on your HCH II.

Click on Link Below:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/artic...h-ii-1306.html

Hope this helps:

Terry (tiger)

 

You can't take off from a stop in electric mode. It's a feathering-of-the throttle procedure when moving under certain circumstances. You may have had it happen and not known it. The procedure is explained well in other threads, but it's not neccasarily conducive to enhanced economy, as the depleted batteries have to be recharged with some penalty. But it is fun