Be advised, if you end up on an upslope that the ICE can not negotiate on it's own (without battery assist) you could find yourself in a bit of a bind if the traction battery becomes depleted. This situation might be rare but could happen. Just be advised.
I've also noticed that at slow speeds (<15 mph) I can negotiate very steep >20% inclines on battery power alone. Kind of an interesting experience.



Its my understanding that as long as the ICE has fuel and the capability of running, unless a failure of the computer system, that it will keep the traction battery charged as a #1 priority. Am i wrong??

 

Pick an incline too steep for the 4cyl ICE to negotiate on its own but when combined with the battery powered MG2 it can.
So as long as you are going up this incline (say to the top of Pikes Peak along the route of the Cog Train if such a route even existed) the TCH will need to combine the power of the ICE and MG2 to keep moving. The traction motor powers MG2 and since the ICE is preoccupied with keeping the car moving it isn't recharging the battery. If it was then you'd also stop. Eventually the traction battery will become depleted and the ICE won't provide enough power to continue (because if the incline is too steep for the ICE alone). You'd need to stop and let the ICE recharge the traction battery and then continue. No big deal.
IMO this describes an unlikely situation. I live in flatland but there may be areas of the country with near infinite steep upgrades that "could" cause issues with the TCH (or Prius or HCH or HAH ...) that might depend on BOTH power sources to negotiate the steep terrain.
This is not a likely but nonetheless not impossible scenario.
Actually many conventionally powered vehicles can have issues with steep inclines eg. campers, underpowered cars towing trailers etc.

 

I certainly do understand that senario, and yes it could happen, who is going to be first to test this lol.

 

As you say, an unlikely situation. The only time I've ever encountered a road that tough was in Fisano Italy. We were driving an Apha Romeo 33 which had less horsepower than my lawnmower. The uphill grade was about 30 degrees in spots but it seemed like 70. That's when I learned the real importance of first gear in a manual transmission. But the car did make it. I'll take my TCH and Georgia roads anytime.

Al

 

I don't believe that this can happen, even if the high-voltage battery is low. The ICE powers both the wheels and MG1 together. Some of its power goes mechanically directly to the wheels, but the rest goes to drive MG1 as a generator, whose electrical power feeds MG2 as a motor, which adds its power directly to the wheels. It's by varying the interplay of the ICE, MG1, and MG2 that the variable-speed transmission is simulated — there's no conventional variable-speed (belt-and-cone type) transmission at all. The needed effective "low gear ratio" for climbing steep inclines is achieved in this way. There's no need for battery power here. If battery power is also available, the car can climb the incline faster, but climb it it will in either case! I think you're raising an illusory problem here.

Stan

 

If creaping up an incline is acceptable. I think it was assumed that the OP wanted to maintain the speed limit. In which case my hypothetical scenario still applies. There will be inclines where the ICE can not maintain the speedlimit without assist from MG1 .
Use the ludacris (sp?) 89 degree incline if you need to.

 

I was definitely talking about maintaining cruising speed while in cruise control going up said incline. For example I have a '98 Civic (1.6L engine) that when going up said incline using cruise control I will lose about 6-8 MPH. I have to push on the gas to make it downshift and pick up the RPM's in order to get it back up to speed. I have to keep my foot on the gas in order to maintain speed until I reach level ground. This is very annoying and I don't want another car like that. I also have an '06 CRV that has a 2.4L in it and it can maintain cruising speed when going up said incline. It does have to downshift (without me putting my foot on the gas) but it will maintain speed.

It would seem to me that the 2.4L ICE in the TCH would be able to keep cruising speed even if the traction batter depleted. Is this a wrong assumption?

To give you an example of an incline I'm talking about. I'm talking about going up 1000 feet in elevation over a 7 mile stretch...

 

I think you'll be just fine.

 

I regularly go up a 3000' 11 mile climb...on my bike (not motorcycle).

The TCH is fine on long climbs. Mine was purchased in Las Vegas and driven to Denver. There were some mountains along the way.

 

I'm not crazy about the cruise control. I prefer the cruise on my old '96 Grand Am SE. It gave full throttle when I used the resume after disengaging. I like that a lot. Not the best for FE though. And it was excellent at maintaining speed. The TCH slowly regains the speed it was set at. (good for FE) but too slow for my liking.

and the TCH loses some speed even on small inclines on the highway. I often set it at 120 kph and it dips a little as I go over minor hills. I'm not pleased with that.

- there's my two bits.