News from Green Car Congress:
[What a great idea, Gary! - OEVA]
The California Cars Initiative (CalCars), a non-profit startup dedicated to jump-starting the market for plug-in hybrids (PHEV), is building a prototype Prius (the Prius+) capable of functioning as a plug-in hybrid and running in full EV (electric vehicle) mode for longer distances than possible with the original Toyota equipment.
As designed and programmed, the Prius has a driver-selectable EV (electric vehicle) drive mode. When toggled, EV mode turns off the combustion engine and the Prius functions as an all electric vehicle—particularly good for starting up and neighborhood travel. The default EV driving mode can be used for about one mile with a maximum speed of about 34 mph. EV mode is not currently activated for Priuses bound for the US, although it is on models in Japan and Asia.
Not being activated is different than not being enabled. The EV mode program logic is still in the ECU—it's only the button and the wires that are missing. Shortly after the Prius' arrival in the US, then, enterprising technically-oriented owners began hacking or modifying the Prius to enable EV mode. What started out as a customized D-I-Y (Do-It-Yourself) hack (example here) has become a more formalized aftermarket product.
In EV mode, the software will automatically restart the engine when the battery needs to be recharged, if acceleration is required, or if the vehicle speed exceeds a threshold of 35 mph. In any of those conditions, EV mode switches off and the Prius operates as usual.
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