Thank you Bob for your generous self-less service to the world of Prius hypermiling! This forum would not be the same without you!

Regards!

 

I wonder whether there is a thread which explains all the abbreviations that the people in this forum (and in other similar hypermiling forums) use ..

Regardless, one quick answer to your questions is ICE = Internal Combustion Engine ...

Similarly, there are a few that I can throw your way ..

P&G = Pulse and Glide
FE = Fuel efficiency
MFD = Multi-functional display
MPG = Miles per gallon (This probably everyone know, right )
IMPG = instantaneous MPG
EV = Electric v...(someone help? .. basically this means the mode of the vehicle when it is running purely on the battery power)

Any more, anyone?

Cheers!

 

EV Mode - a feature only available in Europe, Japan, and modified US Priuses - allows driver to force the ICE to turn off. Not the only way to turn ICE off while driving however. Doesn't work above 34mph.
EV Mod - modification that enables EV Mode on US Priuses - there are several types.
MG1 - inner (core or sun) electric motor "Motor/Generator 1"
MG2 - outer (ring) electric motor
PSD - Power Split Device, the gear set that contains MG1, ICE and MG2
HSD - Hybrid Synergy Drive, buzz word for Prius engine
HCH - Honda Civic Hybrid
TCH - Toyota Camry Hybrid

 

To clarify, there was also:
TSD - Toyota Synergy Drive, the NHW11/NHW10 Prius drivetrain

The difference is the HSD has a voltage doubler in the inverter and uses a higher voltage to the MGs. This gives it more power and allows using a lower battery bus voltage.

Bob Wilson

 

I've never heard of TSD.
Instead, THS - Toyota Hybrid System
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Prius

Ken@Japan

 

Thank you, I stand corrected.

Bob Wilson

 

I read the method in the article. It seems tedious at first, but easily learned. However, it also seems like the repetitive thing that computers are much better at. Has anyone tried breaking into the computer and reprogramming the cpu to do this drudgery? Or suggested to Toyota to redo it's cruise control to do this?

 

Pulsing and Gliding effectively involves planning ahead; for example, accelerating to only 32mph or 37mph before Gliding because you can tell a stop is coming. For the Prius CPU to take on such a task it would have to have a lot more input available to it than it does now - discussions of where to get such input exist here and on PriusChat, but the extra info needed is not trivial.

Although some techniques with the Prius can be a little difficult, the fact that all of these tricks can be done with basically a pedal and 2 switches (Cruise Control and the Shifter) is actually quite impressive and simple. For a more complex but automated approach, search here and PriusChat.

 

I agree that a person has a lot more info. at hand to make the BEST use of the P&G. A cpu would not get near as good a result as a person without much more info. But, the basic P&G is moderate accelleration in a ~5-10 mph range to below 41mph, leave off gas, very light accelleration to trick computer into forgetting about regen and coast down 5-10 mph. can be done by a computer. But, we can assume that there will be stretches of low speed roads without sharp turns and stops. If someone puts on cruise control, the road is fairly uniform and low traffic. Front and back proximity sensors are current technology, just not installed in many cars, also, so some info. can easily be made available. My point is that the basic P&G can be made available to the common driver some of which may not be interested in focused hypermiler concentration. It will help improve the average mileage of the whole Prius fleet.

And, as in all new tech sometimes we learn stuff by doing the small steps we can do now designing with the future in mind and then add the future stuff when it is ready. This helps work out bugs is the process and software gradually. It also allows the user get used to the concept more gradually and gives the manufacturer opportunity to show they are continually improving. It also reduces the risk of doing all of that work and then having a problem that would scare users away. That would be a real crime. I would do the P&G manually to see what I could do in mpg, but not all the time because sometimes I am working out other problems as well. Some of my most creative thinking comes when I am driving.

P&G has been around in some form for a long time. I used to do it in my old manual shift car all the time in the countryside. Put it in neutral or clutch in down hills and coast up the next, as speed slowed accellerate just enough to top the next hill and do the same. Try to see how far I could coast before a stop signs. Turned out not to help much in down hill situations, as I found out later, because in a pure ICE car the engine runs faster and uses more gas at an idle than when engine is enguaged (slowed and no load). Occasionally today I still try to do it to see how far I can get because some places I can get 4 miles free wheeling down a long big hill (i.e. no cops on the steep parts).

 

I drive in electric only mode as much as possible see my sig for my current overall average and my current tank average is 59.9 at 280 miles.