That is the issue I have as a non TCH owner posting in a TCH forum. I can only surmise that what a person in a Prius can do can also be done in a TCH. Maybe not always the case. I'm not sure WHY a TCH should not be able to get into 'no power' mode though. The system is the same, just a larger ICE and electric motor. The power split device design is the same as far as I know.
Please preface these statements with "in a Prius"

• The energy screen isn't instantaneous. It is certainly possible to briefly see no arrows but just be in between one of the combinations of power flow rather than in ''glide'.

• Getting into glide isn't as simple as just letting off the gas a bit. It WILL go into regen. It is the application of VERY LIGHT pressure on the accelerator afterward that gets you to 'glide'. This is also the way to try to coax it into EV mode, what you refer to below as 'assisted glide' (but if it is assisted, it isn't gliding). There is a fine line between the amount of pressure needed to go from regen to glide and from glide to EV. VERY FINE. Even the amount of pressure that will skip over EV and go straight to ICE or ICE and electric is TINY. Which is why it is such a PITA unless you have some downslope so the computers don't think you are asking for power.

Now I'm going to have to hit up my friend with the TCH to see if I can get it to glide or not. Could be awhile though. He works nights, I work days. Other than the occasional OT day (during the day) we aren't at work at the same time. Then, to make it even rougher, it is his wife's car. He only has it on days he drops her at work.

That might be some time, since over 1/2 MILLION Prii have been sold and the TCH just came on the market a few of months back. Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated Really, I'm just trying to make it easier for all Toyota hybrid owners to talk to each other
True, just make sure you know your source. If someone says "I found a mouse in my bonnet yesterday" are they talking about a hat or their car? A friend of mine DID find a mouse, a nest in fact, under her bonnet, only this is Vermont so it was under the hood (of her car, not her winter coat). English being the lousy language that it is (and the only one I speak) we can confuse ourselves without even considering American vs British!

EV (mode) athough there are others: golf cart, stealth. There was PLENTY of discussion on PriusChat on what to call the various forms/states of Prius driving! From your description, there is no difference between a Prius and a TCH travelling with electric motor power only (ICE spinning (but not providing power) or not, based on speed). But EV is most descriptive. If the car is moving with mechanical assistance and that power is coming from the electric motor only, the car is, for the moment, an Electric Vehicle. As long as you have power arrows ONLY from the battery to the electric motor to the wheels, you ARE an Electric Vehicle.

From my puny desk dictionary, the Oxford probably has a dozen more definitions: Glide vb 1: To move smoothly and effortlessly.
So 'glide' is well defined as "no motivational power source'. As an example: a glider - ie, aircraft without a motor. You have control of where it goes once it starts gliding but there is no power to overcome the effects of gravity and wind drag (just like our cars). The glider can use updrafts to gain altitude and therefore time in the air, we can use gravity (on a down hill) to speed up but eventually the gliding craft will come to a stop unless there is application of a power source (which the aircraft glider does not possess).

 

Very true. As I understand it, the computers try to balance the SOC and the use of the battery. If it is full or close to it (7 or 8 bars, green in a Prius) the computers will use it to drive the car via the electric motor more than if you have a lower SOC. It has NO idea if you will hit a steep hill in 1 minute. They want to make sure there is 'head room' in the battery to absorb the regen power. If the computers determine the SOC is 'too high' the ICE will turn on and (somehow) dump the excess. Conversely, if the SOC is down (1 or 2 pink/purple), it is much, MUCH less likely to use the electric motor in case you are going to hit a sitution where you need max power.

 

Bruce,

Your post about getting the Prius to glide being a PITA may suggest that it's the same in the Camry. With some practice I've gotten it to glide for about 10 seconds or so. Above 35 mph it's almost impossible; lift your foot a little and regen, put a little more pressure on the pedal and it's straight to EV. Below 35 it's a bit easier and I've kept the glide going until 25. It got me some excellent mileage (60+mpg?), however, it's a PITA as you say and worse yet not safe because of the amount of time spent looking at the display rather than the road.

I'll be curious as to how the two cars compare when you get the opportunity to test drive your friends TCH.

 

[QUOTE=bruceha_2000]EV (mode) athough there are others: golf cart, stealth. QUOTE]
No self respecting TCH owner would ever use the term "golf cart" mode. That suggests slow and under powered which the TCH ain't

Stealth is perfectly acceptable. We tend to use the term "E-mode" interchangeably with "EV-mode". I believe the Prius has an "EV" button which does not exist on the TCH. On the TCH, the only reference is a simple "E" on the FE display, hence "E-mode".

 

The golf cart term was by someone who linked 'stealth' to military and wasn't comfortable with that. I would say 99.9% use EV or stealth.

The Japanese and European Prii come with an EV switch standard. We can't even get it as an option in North America. I guess they are afraid we will sue them for some invalid reason (as is the (U.S.) American way). However, some intrepid owners messed about in the technical manuals (and their cars!), figured out what wires had to be connected to tell the computer to force EV, just like the 'real thing' The software is there, we just don't get a button (or a light to tell us we ARE in EV).

There are several variations, from DIY with Radio Shack components to one using the headlight flasher to the (most common) EV switch from Coastal Electronics which links into the CC cancel function to ordering the OEM switch from Japan (for the same price as the Coastal Mod) and making your own wiring harness for an OEM look version of the original Radio Shack efforts.

 

Perhaps you have a suggestion for what to call this TCH operation and we can get the others to see if the phrase can catch on? Maybe just a " TCH Glide"?

EV (mode) athough there are others: golf cart, stealth. There was PLENTY of discussion on PriusChat on what to call the various forms/states of Prius driving! From your description, there is no difference between a Prius and a TCH travelling with electric motor power only (ICE spinning (but not providing power) or not, based on speed). But EV is most descriptive. If the car is moving with mechanical assistance and that power is coming from the electric motor only, the car is, for the moment, an Electric Vehicle. As long as you have power arrows ONLY from the battery to the electric motor to the wheels, you ARE an Electric Vehicle.

It's not the EV mode I'm trying to define. Above 42 in the TCH the ICE is on so with a feather touchon the throttle the battery will still drive the car but since the ICE is idleing the FE gage shows 60 mph, not "E". Technically the battery is moving the vehicle so even though the ICE is on what would you call it.

 

Um, unassisted EV mode? Diesel Locomotive Mode? (they are actually hybrids - like our cars! - moved by electric engines, the HUGE diesel ICE is there to provide the electricity). For real, maybe "ICE-on EV"??

I'm sorry, I didn't realize we were not talking about the same state! Prii do not have an 'E' designation. I take it in the TCH it tells you that the ICE is stopped? Many Prius owners would love to have an "engine run" light. We have to 'feel' for the ICE shutdown, not always easy.

I've seen what you describe when I have the cruise on and the hill slope is just right though I've not ever tried to force it. I would think it very difficult to hold as any tiny pressure change on the accelerator at that point is going to result in ICE power. It must be even more of a fine line than holding 'glide' below 42 MPH. Best of luck to you and your leg cramp

BTW, the ICE doesn't need to be running above 42, just turning. It can be shut down (i.e. no gas, proper valves open) at 70 MPH on an interstate hill while you regen in 'coast (foot off the accelerator and brake)' and still be turning. There are some major smarts in the programming that figure out which of the many combinations of ICE and electric motor ON/OFF/TURNING modes to use depending on battery SOC, temp, ICE temp, requested power from the driver, speed etc.

 

BTW, the ICE doesn't need to be running above 42, just turning.

I've heard that but can't verify it. When below 42 and no throttle the FE gage drops to "E" mode unless the ICE is on. Above 42 the FE gage goes to 60 (mpg reading). If that means it's not running but simply turning then it's pretty incredible when I can apply slight pressure to keep speed or on levels and stay in the 55 to 60 range at times. It seems like if the ICE was not running, even above 42 it would stay in the E mode.

I believe I have read though that above 42 the ICE is indeed in idle, thus the 60 reading. Can't say that I understand it.

 

Having a metric FE gauge, I can say there are times about 42mph where the ICE is not using any fuel, and times when it's using fuel to idle that might not be apparent on a 60mpg max scale. Since my FE guage starts at 0 (same place as 60mpg) it is a little better at showing these unusual extremely high mileage situations. I've seen this in more or less identical situations (down hill at highway speed, gentle cruising, etc) above 42mph where sometimes the gauge will point straight on to "0" which I interpret as the ICE turning without fuel and other times where the gauge will hover around 2 to 3 L/100km (117 to 78mpg) indicating what I believe is idle. Since the US gauge max's at 60mpg (3.9L/100km) you probably would not be able to see these shinanigins occuring.

 

I have the NAV. Just this morning I saw the screen (while at the 60 mark) show the engine charging the battery (nothing to the wheels) then the arrow disapeared (indicating NO ICE), all while showing 60 mpg. I don't know why they couldn't have included that information on the NAV.