Archive for category Toyota Prius
Toyota Prius Hybrid Extended Review
Posted by in Toyota Prius on August 1, 2011
Handling and Performance
Now it’s time to take a look at what makes the Prius tick. With a 1.5-liter engine, the Prius uses both the engine and battery pack under the very seats of the car to create an eco-friendly, fuel-efficient vehicle. Before you start getting too excited about the Prius’s features, though, understand that this car is not a vehicle built for speed. While it is luxurious and convenient, this isn’t the kind of car you want to take out on your weekly street race.
The Prius is able to hit its top speed at around 106 mph, and in accelerating, the vehicle takes 10.9 seconds to hit 62 mph. The vehicle will keep up on the highway, but this is not a precision instrument. The handling prowess isn’t bad, yet if combined with a need for speed, you may want to reconsider. The tires are also fairly skinny, but the tread on them attempts to keep an overall strong grip while saving on fuel. The car clings to the road very well, but there is nothing of specific notability about the handling or speed in the car.
The quality of the actual ride, however, is wonderful. While at lower speeds, the vehicle runs smoothly, while quickly, utilizing the electric motors to generate enough power. Then, stead ling accelerating, the gas-powered engine begins to give more clout to the vehicle while still charging the batteries. Another positive feature of the hybrid engine is the silent driving feature, although, it’s still important to be extremely alert and cautious on the road, as the silent driving may lull you into a false sense of security.
Because of its main feature as a hybrid vehicle, the gas needed for this vehicle is greatly reduced, and the engine shuts itself off during traffic stops. To be fair, accessories such as air conditioning and your radio do get their power from the battery pack, so while the engine will move the car and recharge the battery, it is important to note exactly the kind of power consumption you are looking at.
Finally, the Prius is a very light vehicle. The hybrid has a gasoline tank made of resin, and instead of the heavy steel used in conventional vehicles, aluminium is used to maintain a lightweight vehicle.
Fuel-Efficiency and Eco-Friendliness
The Toyota Prius hybrid was developed specifically to be an eco-friendly vehicle, and with so much time to perfect the design, don’t be surprised that this particular vehicle can boast to be one of the best vehicles in low consumption of gasoline. The car is also able to claim that the production of other greenhouse gases is extremely low, and the emissions are near negligible.
As for the fuel consumption for the Prius, you can expect to get around 65 to 67 miles per gallon in urban areas. The EPA has stated that the car can get up to 45 miles per gallon on the highway. Why is this the case? The light weight of the vehicle, as well as the drag coefficient is able to make the car much faster and more efficient.
Initially, there was concern that the batteries of the Prius hybrid would be an environmental concern, which prompted Toyota to begin a program where in they recycle the old batteries. The fears of environmentalists allayed, dealerships are paid anywhere up to $200 in the event that they have consumers turn over used and old hybrid batteries.
The important thing to remember is that the main reason that the Prius is so popular is because of the impact it has as an eco-friendly and green car. This car has every reason to be popular for that reason, too, seeing as how by using this vehicle, the contribution to improving the environment is amazing.
Other Features
Now that you’ve had a chance to look at the different features of the Prius’s exterior and interior, it is important to note that there are even more new and different features that make the Prius unique. Not just for the efficiency of the vehicle, there are new technological features that are, quite frankly, pretty cool. Let’s take a look at some of them: Read the rest of this entry »
High Mileage Tips for Toyota Prius and Camry Hybrid Vehicles
Posted by in Toyota Prius on August 1, 2011
Many Toyota and Lexus vehicles use the Hybrid Synergy Drive system to obtain extraordinary mileage. You can use a few simple techniques to get even more mileage from these cars.
First, a basic understanding of how they work. A (slightly modified) gasoline engine works like any other car. Mated to the engine is a pair of electric motors that double as electric generators, one large and one small. All three (gas engine, small motor, large motor) are connected together along a single, common shaft. This shaft spins a heavy belt that turns the wheels. There is no transmission.
When you press your foot on the throttle, there’s no cable that connects to the fuel in the engine as in other cars. Instead, the throttle pedal tells a computer how far down you’re pressing. That computer decides how much gasoline to feed to the engine, and how much electricity to transfer from the traction battery to the electric motor to meet your request.
If you drive hard, of course your mileage will suffer. If you drive conservatively, your mileage will improve, just like any car. But you can take advantage of the computers in these cars and get even greater mileage.
Software learns your general driving habits and senses your current situation. One system alters how long the engine’s valves are open and closed, tailoring them to deliver power, economy, or somewhere in between. By consistently driving in a way that leans toward the ‘economy’ settings, software will encourage the valve timing toward economy (high mileage).
When you take off from a stop, if you accelerate very gently, you can remain in electric mode and use no fuel. Don’t obstruct other vehicles.
Other software recognizes when you may be in slow or stop-and-go traffic. It will attempt to use the electric motor more than usual (and less fuel) since you’ll likely be stopping soon.
To deliberately force this infinite-mileage situation (since you’ll be moving, yet use no fuel), take your foot completely off the throttle for two seconds. This shuts off the engine. Next, gently press the throttle enough to match your current speed, then very gently press just a little more to maintain your speed or accelerate very slightly. You’ll continue without using fuel, as long as you don’t demand much more acceleration, you’re not going uphill, and the traction battery doesn’t get too low. The lower the battery gets, the more difficult it will be to stay in electric-only mode.
The electric motor alone has enough power to accelerate very gently at almost any speed. If you want more acceleration, the gas engine kicks in to provide extra power. If you don’t force it into electric mode, the engine generally continues to burn fuel, lowering your mileage.
Don’t worry about running the traction battery down; whenever it gets low for any reason, the gas engine runs to charge the battery back up.
Mileage suffers during cold weather. Winter-blend fuel gives all cars lower mileage. Also, running the heater draws heat from the engine, making it run even when you’re stopped to provide you with heat. Blocking part of the grille in front of the radiator makes the engine run warmer. Some people use split pieces of foam that’s used to wrap hot water pipes. Don’t forget to unblock it when the weather warms up or your engine could overheat. Read the rest of this entry »