I live in San Francisco and live in the Glen park district where my house sits on top of a steep hill, it's slow going, and the sound the engine makes isn't appealing but it makes it just fine.

I have had an issue, already, when going into reverse though, that I wasn't aware of. It seems that when in reverse the car only operates off battery. No matter how hard I press on the throttle, the engine never kicks in. I've had problems with lurching when trying to park, or 'unpark' and I notice the drain on the battery is substantial... I'll sometimes lose four bars before my parking is complete.

In the event my battery did drain - would I not be able to move at all? Is there no way the engine will kick on for reverse?

 

There is no reverse gear in the TCH. To go in reverse the electrical motor must spin in reverse. The computer feeds negative voltage to MG2, applying negative torque to the wheels. If the battery is low, the system can simultaneously run the engine and draw power from MG1, although this will reduce available reverse torque at the wheels.

 

Very interesting and good question... I'm sure some of the more knowledgeable guys will chime in.

I'm familiar with your area as I grew up in the Hayward/Oakland area

 

have had an issue, already, when going into reverse though, that I wasn't aware of. It seems that when in reverse the car only operates off battery. No matter how hard I press on the throttle, the engine never kicks in. I've had problems with lurching when trying to park, or 'unpark' and I notice the drain on the battery is substantial... I'll sometimes lose four bars before my parking is complete.


Not an issue at alll that is normal operation, You cannot pass gas in reverse lol

 

Read my post right above yours.

 

LOL...You must have responded as I was typing.

 

Thanks for the quick and informative reply.

So, assuming I have a relatively full charge, will the engine not kick in at all? Is there a way to force it to?

My only concern is that on a very steep hill it almost seems to lurch, fighting the pull forward from gravity. In a parallel parking situation, this would result in a decent fender bender that I'd prefer to avoid.

 

There is no real reason the ICE can't run when in reverse. It just doesn't provide any power to the wheels but can charge the traction battery.
Start the car, wait for the engine to start and then back out of your garage. The ICE runs to warm up and charge the battery, the MG2 is run in reverse to power the wheels.

 

The ICE can not propel the car in reverse and there is no way to spin the ICE in reverse. The only way the engine would be on is when it is warming up or charging the battery through MG1.

 

Is this an issue that is also experienced in the Prius?