Driving in electric mode?

[WOODWAYS6]

Hi if of course the Battery is charged enough .For around town driving should the car drive ok if in electric mode.If so would it wear the Hybrid Battery if done regularly? Thanks in advance.

[TonyHSD]

Normal Toyota hybrids non phev , aren’t designed to be used in ev mode. 
The ev button is there and can be useful in situations like you want to move the car from one parking spot to another, swap cars on driveway for example but not for driving in ev only.  There is no range in pure ev, the ev mode will not be possible unless strictly criteria a are met, Battery charge level, heating off, power needs ets. Just drive as normal and the hybrid system will switch better ev and petrol as it needs to. 

[Paul john]

3 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

Normal Toyota hybrids non phev , aren’t designed to be used in ev mode. 
The ev button is there and can be useful in situations like you want to move the car from one parking spot to another, swap cars on driveway for example but not for driving in ev only.  There is no range in pure ev, the ev mode will not be possible unless strictly criteria a are met, battery charge level, heating off, power needs ets. Just drive as normal and the hybrid system will switch better ev and petrol as it needs to. 

In 8 years of driving a Gen4 i must say i have never found a useful use for pure EV mode. 

[TonyHSD]

Just now, Paul john said:

In 8 years of driving a Gen4 i must say i have never found a useful use for pure EV mode. 

I agree but also depends on personal circumstances. 
I can find the use of ev button every day.
For example when going back home I always have my traction Battery filled up full because of long downhill descend, after that for the last 1/3 mile I switch to ev so I can finish my journey to the driveway in pure ev mode without need of petrol engine to start. I can do all that in ev mode without need to select it via ev button but I need to cross busy roundabout and then drive a bit uphill and when there are other cars around its not safe to drive too slow. Selecting ev mode gives me extra ev power to push the car only on electric.  
But yeah, in general it’s nothing that a Toyota hybrid really needs to have. 

[Red_Corolla]

15 minutes ago, Paul john said:

In 8 years of driving a Gen4 i must say i have never found a useful use for pure EV mode. 

Me neither - I find it only works when it wants to, and does so without having to press the button anyway. Doesn't seem like the button has any influence.

[Cyker]

I think I've gotten that button to work maybe twice in the time I've had it   I just ignore it.

The Battery in most of the hybrids is only 1.3kWh (In the new Yaris it's only 0.7kWh!  ), but that's because it's not designed to drive the car like an EV.

EVs usually have batteries that are 40kWh at the low end, and that gives maybe 100 miles of range.

The Battery in hybrids is only there to capture wasted energy and turn it into motive force.

I do wish the button was a CHARGE button instead, so I could force the car to charge the Battery at a more appropriate time; One of the most annoying things is when I'm in slow traffic and the car runs on the battery then runs out as I stop, and runs the engine to charge the battery while I'm stopped, which is very inefficient, then it finishes just as I start moving on electric again! The engine is much more efficient when moving AND charging at the same time.

 

[Harters]

14 hours ago, Cyker said:

.... One of the most annoying things is when I'm in slow traffic and the car runs on the battery then runs out as I stop, and runs the engine to charge the battery while I'm stopped, which is very inefficient, then it finishes just as I start moving on electric again! The engine is much more efficient when moving AND charging at the same time.

 

I agree with that too, I often used to find the same thing after being in a lot of crawling traffic.  Everyone else with traditional stop start had their engine off and 'Percy' would be running and revving up and down charging the Battery and just as you pull away it stopped 😆

Have to say, I have yet to experience my NX doing a charge process as it never seems to go any lower than half way down the Battery level gauge.  Not sure if that is due to extra regen from the rear motor or just that the engine runs more.

I still make use of the EV button though, just like I did before, but only to take it out of the garage without the ICE starting up.

[Hadrian1]

I have EV permanently engaged and don't worry about it. It'll drive in electric mode as and when it feels the need.