The feature is not so hidden, but I'm not surprised that the "specialist" didn't know about it. It is described in the manual, you can easily locate it using the visual locator for the Mode buttons. Another thing is that CHG works at any speed, even when idling, but it is better to use at highway speeds because the ICE is at its most efficient.
Thanks for posting the video and sharing. I discovered this feature on my own on my 2017 Prius Prime while on a road trip. However, if one uses the hybrid battery charge mode, it comes at the cost of a greatly decreased mpg. Whenever the Prime does begin to charge its battery, I usually see normally 55-65 mpg drops to 30-40 mpg while monitoring the instantaneous mpg display. Also, your lifetime MPGe may suffer. This is tracked in your car's history and can be found in one of the display settings. I don't believe topping off the battery with this method would be as cost efficient as just charging it at home or at a charging station elsewhere, for the very reason you cited (loss of energy as heat). I don't have any numbers to back this claim, but the energy generated in a plant or by solar has to be more efficient than traction. In a bind, the hybrid mode will get you where you need to go anyway if you are ever in a pinch. One thing that has been useful for me is to switch out of Electric Vehicle (EV) mode to regular Hybrid mode whenever driving on the highway. Like all hybrids, it will periodically charge the battery anyway. The battery level typically stays around the same point as when you first get onto the highway. As soon as I get off, I switch back into EV mode. I actually initially started driving this way to use up gasoline in the tank. It is real difficult to do because I have a very short commute that I can drive to work an back twice on a single charge and because the vehicle is so darn efficient (is this a complaint?)! My primary concern about the gasoline is if it gets older than 6 months, will it destabilize and gum up fuel lines (like a snowblower or a lawnmower)? I don't feel comfortable adding fuel stabilizer into the gas tank because I simply do not know if it safe for the car. I tried to find some information about this online, and I saw something sketchy like the Prius Prime "knows" when to burn off all the fuel by switching into an all combustion engine mode out of which you cannot switch. I don't quite believe this..... So I started only filling about 5 gallons (less than 1/2 tank) at a time. Any thoughts on this? Thanks again for posting.
If it has that significant drop in MPG that must be because its using brake regen while still moving and not slowing down (added rolling resistence). The little generator not powerful enough to charge those batteries by itself?
No, if you switch out of EV mode, then yes, it will automatically charge to whatever level of battery when you switched, not a percent higher. Then all the possible charging is just lost. And still, if you are below the "critical level", like turning on AC and waiting in the car, then it will charge it back up to the critical level with motor. This is just ridiculous. If you really care about efficientcy, just get a regular prius. This is a joke.
Thank you for an informative and short video! I actually knew about this feature, and I've used it mostly on longer trips. But you have to take into consideration that the gas engine is running all the time in this state, you are not in hybrid mode.
I’ve driven a Prime for the last 3.5 years and didn’t know this! I just traded in my ‘17 for a ‘21 so I’ll be able to use this feature going forward. Very helpful!
Thanks for putting up this tip. Sorry, the dealers are not pushing this car yet. For a single-car family like ours, this is a great choice, EV in town, gas for trips and then about 60 mpg. Our SE MI dealer was reported to say to a national media outlet in 2017 Toyota does not sell this car, ouch. Cost less than the regular Prius with tax breaks! We use about 2 tanks of gas a year, even then sometimes less. Great town and county car.
Nice tip, thanks. Just bought one 3 days ago and didn't know about that. Update next day, tried the tip while doing a little local driving and it indeed works. I don't really have a place to charge it at home so I wasn't really worried about charging the extra battery. I upgraded to this vehicle from my '10 Prius I got 348,000 miles out of and it's amazing the technology changes. I will definitely keep that extra battery charged with this tip and give that ev driving a try on short runs. Thanks again!
Thanks so much, I specifically asked about this at the dealer and was told it would not do it. Anytime anyone is going down a long consistent downhill grade you should do this.
@@theamazoner4075 Crusing on the 'B' mode will damage the car over time! you should use it only when your on drop hill situation it act like compresion braking!
That is a great tip. I just purchased a 2019 Pime Premium. I kept my F150 for fun stuff, but with a 90 mile commute, one way, it cost me almost $200 a week in gas. I got the Prius specifically for this commute. I feel like your tip will come in handy. Thanks!
I leaned about this by reading the manual. It's extremely useful when you're going down a long grade, pop it in charge mode and between that and regen braking you can get to 80% in about 30 minutes from nothing.
Great video. Surprised by your last comment about EIB. I listen to EIB and I think the Prius Prime is one of the best vehicles made today. Thanks for the charging tip!
@@Jackiewicz64 We have 67,000 miles on ours and no problems. Very comfortable and quiet compared to our 2010 Prius which my son now has. Wish is got more miles on pure electric though. It surely is the best car that we have owned also.
Thank you Bob. I just bought a used 2017 Prius Prime Premium that only had the 'Owner's Manual Quick Guide,' so I'm trying to learn from PDFs and videos; thanks for the tip!
It's in the manual page 89, so it's not hidden. "Switching to the hybrid battery (traction battery) charge mode Press and hold the switch.Take your hand off the switch once the hybrid battery charge mode indicator starts to blink.The hybrid battery charge mode indicator illuminates when the switch to hybrid battery (traction battery) charge mode is complete. When the hybrid battery (traction battery) is fully charged*, the hybrid battery (traction battery) charge mode is automatically canceled and the operation mode will be switched to HV mode.The hybrid battery (traction battery) charge mode will be canceled by pressing EV/HV mode selection switch or EV auto mode switch.*: The maximum charge amount in the hybrid battery (traction battery) charge mode is approximately 80% of the fully charged capacity for the charging from an external power source."
I read the manual and this feature went unnoticed, until now (3 years). I was pretty mad that I couldn’t charge the battery from the use of the gas, specially when on the expressway.
I read the manual if I don't know something, but I agree with another user, majority of people don't read the manuals, and I would bet most people that have these cars have no clue what they can actually do with them, besides what's in front of them.
Thanks man I have the car for two years and that is something that I did not know. Seems like it would be useful when I’m waiting for my wife in the car or just sitting in the car waiting for something to start I could be charging up the juice.
@@Yavor54 Your video describes charging while running at highway speeds. Here you are supporting biko's idea of charging from a standing still situation. I like the idea of the standing still position because I camp and actually sleep in the vehicle. I could start the vehicle at the campsite while I'm cooking and have 80% charge when I finally go to bed and I can use this power to run the air conditioner
It’s a net plus between the two circumstances. Charging while on the free way eats up freeway MPG’s, however; that juice saved up on the freeway adds more MPG in the city than subtracted on the freeway had you not had that juice to push through accelerating.
What? You are a legend. I got last week a identical 2017 Prius Prime with solar panel roof (japaese market version) Cant wait to try this tomorrow! Thanks
Omgggg thnk u so much. I just went ahead n tried my prius prime. Its a masterminding thing to do. Now i dont have to leave my car at electric charging station to get extra mileage
Wow! Thanks for sharing this, I just got my Prius prime about a week ago and love it so far. I just wish you got more range out of the battery and you just showed me how. Thanks again.
You might want to have a charged battery at the end of the drive so you could use the HVAC system without the gas engine running. It would also be handy if you were going to use an inverter in a campsite after your trip, and didn’t want the engine to run at camp.
It took me about 20,000 miles to find this feature. What I learned to do was to switch back and forth from charge mode to EV mode. I would constantly watch the for the battery to stop charging and then switch to EV mode immediately . Yes it would decrease the fuel mileage while charging. This would increase my average by 5 to 10 miles to the gallon on a long trip.
Was in my manual quite clearly. I agree with what another person wrote, the conservation of energy would say it'll cost more to charge with gas than plugging it in
I bought a 2021 and my salesman told me about this feature. Just remember that you lose fuel economy when you charge your battery on the road. I haven't done it yet, but have seen the eco mode recharging the battery because of the little energy it's using and sends the extra back to the battery to be charged. I'm loving the car with the hyper mileage features
Literally bought that car yesterday and still finding out all the tips and tricks. The manual actually mentions this mode on page 91, but - seriously, who digs that deep to find nuggets like this? Thanks for this great tip! Manual: www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/om-s/OM47D71U/pdf/OM47D71U.pdf
Super feature !! thank you for confirming that!! I tested and it does work it does charge very rapidly and I can foresee that as a possible usage for my camping usage. It is always very useful to have a full charge battery when you arrive at your camping destination Great video again thank you so much Go ahead and buy a Prius Prime do not hesitate. This is my second prii. I had 15 cars in my life and those two Priuses are the best car I ever owned. 8,000 km so far on my Prius Prime 2020 and I average 112 miles per gallon. One thing also I am very confident is the reliability of that car I had to change only one wheel bearing on my 2010 Prius after 300,000 km of usage
Only one other guy mentioned this feature on TH-cam. So we are talking about the pure EV battery being charged right? The one that gives you 22 or 25 miles of pure electric? I think that’s awesome. You are right after driving on the highway you want juice for city driving. No need to plug in etc. I’m liking this car but like other EV cars I’m concerned about battery life. The cost of replacing etc. if you charge the EV battery everyday on this prime wont that shorten the life of the battery quicker? Degradation?
The battery computer protects the battery from being used in unhealthy ways and Toyota and Honda say their battery's will last the life of the car and those companies being very reliable they will make the batteries last a long time h
Hey bud. Interesting that you mentioned this. I don't own a Prime, but I've been thinking of getting one. I had heard of this feature before, perchance, when doing research on the Prime. One thing I read, but you did not mention, is that the charge mode is primarily designed to be used on long descents. By doing this the vehicle does NOT burn more gasoline. It engages more regenerative braking while downhill coasting. From the literature I saw, that is the primary utility of the feature. It's like a DAC mode in an SUV (many Toyotas have this), which uses engine braking on long descents to avoid wear on the brakes. But in hybrids, obviously, all of that energy can be captured.
Go ahead and buy a Prius Prime do not hesitate. This is my second prii. I had 15 cars in my life and those two Priuses are the best car I ever owned. 8,000 km so far on my Prius Prime 2020 and I average 112 miles per gallon. One thing also I am very confident is the reliability of that car I had to change only one wheel bearing on my 2010 Prius after 300,000 km of usage
Rav4 Prime does this too! Useful in countries where in certain urban areas during certain times emissions are restricted (e.g. London, Paris). Not efficient use of gas (you're powering the car AND charging the battery), but if you're driving in from the countryside, you can charge your battery so that you have good battery capacity by the time you get into the city.
It's in my Prius English manual and tests in Europe did mentioned it back when the car was introduced :) Also, it's best to use ICE charging while driving downhill when the ICE would operate just above the idle line and hence wouldn't be tasked to both drive AND charge.
Since you know the car very well, would this work? If the car is in ready mode and the AC set to 73 during a hot day, could it also be plugged in and be charging up at the same time?
Yes, it also beats having to stop at a charging station, or install one right away at your home. This is one reason why I'm buying this Prius besides all the other incredible features. I'll literally never have to buy gas going to work, unless I go on the freeway. Or, I can take the freeway home, so the battery is charged for the next morning, if I don't want to plug in at home. Such a fantastic option to have. All Hybrids should do this by default, just makes more sense to have as many options as possible.
I knew it! Since I get my Prius i was thinking why this car can't charge the battery when I drive in highway when I'm doing 70 mph and engine is running all the time anyways but as you say they not let us know about this function not even in owners manual thanks bro!!
I used to wish my Volt did that until I researched it a bit more. It’s more inefficient to charge the battery with your engine as compared to using that gas to power the wheels directly. The Volt’s generator sends electricity directly to the wheels whenever possible and only charges the battery as necessary because it gets better MPG that way. There’s energy loss converting between the energy stored in gasoline to energy stored in battery. I’m sure there’s useful reasons to charge. Like running AC while car camping to prevent short cycling the engine all night. But most drivers won’t be aware of that energy loss.
This works on my 2017 Gen IV, as well! It does use quite a bit of gasoline. It’s interesting, it will also charge while idling. I left it running for about an hour in the driveway, and that charged it up to around 8mi of range, or roughly 1/4 of my full battery range.
I'm looking to improve my MPG in my new 2021 Prius Prime. I am trying to figure out all the drive modes and screens. Where is the best tutorial on it all?
The (now discontinued) Honda Clarity Plug-in could do this too. It had about twice the range, but would only engine-charge to 57% (according to the owners manual) which would equate to roughly 20 miles, or similar to what the Prius did with 80% of its 25 miles, which is also 20 miles. Anyway, the Prime is not the only car to do this, and its well documented that both the Prime and Clarity do this.
question before I buy.. can I charge the Prime outdoors & can I use an extension cord? my reach from driveway to AC outlet is approx 20-30'.. thank you Joe
The Chevy Volt can do this too. Prime is not the first to do this. Yes yours does! Mountain mode will recharge it to about 50-60%. Want to charge all the way? Pop the hood while driving, engine will stay on. Not sure of charging speed with hood unlocked.
Your Volt should have a button for "Mountain mode". That will charge the battery as you drive on gas. IIRC, the purpose is to get some charge back in the battery before you get to the steep mountain roads where the gas engine alone can't hold speed but would be able to when combined with the electric motor. Of course Chevy didn't admit that the Volt's gas engine has a direct connection to the transmission until they were outed. Kept claiming it only ran on the electric motor. Well yes, unless you "request" more power than the electric motor could dish out.
I though the Volt was a true petrol-electric drive. As in the engine only acts like a generator that then powers the electric motors that actually move the vehicle when necessary. Dump trucks and other super heavy vehicles use this system.
@@DAN007thefoxx1 That is what GM was claiming until people looked under the covers enough to find out that there was a direct connection from the ICE to the driveshaft. NOT used most of the time but it was there for the "really need more power" times.
I’ve always wondered about this if, for example, you had to take a long trip would you have to run a wire from your hotel to the car. Thanks for the clarification.
yUou rock....i had to try it....i think before i stumbled onto it but did not realized at the but thank for confirming it......i'm so stoked about this.
Duh.... I knew this already.... because I happen to have read the manual. I do this exactly as described in the video. Turn on CHG Mode when necessary if I am going to be doing highway driving and turn it off near the highway exit.
2 things: Would you know what the most efficient speed to drive at charge mode with? What speed would charge mode not make any discernible difference to MPG? I'm guessing +90 mph.
I have not run comparative tests to determine what the most efficient speed would be to recharge the main batteries. I can tell you that you "feel" the drag on the main motor in charge mode and you have to press the pedal down more to maintain speed. Also, even while stopped, the motor will charge the main batteries. Speed-wise, I'd guess that it would be around 60mph. Wind resistance rapidly becomes the main force the car is working against as you climb from 55 to 65mph. In regular mode, If I stay under 65 and don't accelerate going up hills (I keep my pedal at the same spot) I can get 64MPG on the Prime. On a 100 mile trip, if I then use up the 28 miles of electric drive, my average MPG is 84. It's a hyper-effeicient car. Even though my Chevy Volt gives me 60+ miles of electric capacity, its 42MPG motor/generator makes the car 30% less efficient overall. On that same 100 mile trip I can only get 66 MPG combined efficiency. Driving technique has a plus or minus 20% effect on Prius MPG. Drive it like a F150 and you'll get 43 MPG. Go into a strong headwind at 75MPH and you'll get 45 MPG. Realize that we aren't only talking MPG here. You are extending the life of the car's drive train because the motor is using less total RPM to cover the same miles. That said, you'd have to really abuse a Prius to get less than 200,000 miles before ANY parts wore out.
Thanks Bob, I thought if you put it in EV Auto on the freeway, the car would automatically use the engine to recharge the battery on its own...no need to select CHG mode...have you tried this?
If you use EV mode on the freeway for more than 25 miles or so, the battery runs all the way down, and it will automatically switch you to Hybrid. Switch to hybrid mode once you get onto the freeway and it will periodically charge the battery automatically.
I thought all PHEVs did this automatically by default. Efficiency wise guess it makes more sense to do it through a charger since ICE isn’t that efficient
Thank you sir.. just got mine (advanced ) today.. 5/30/19.. I had hoped for /wondering if.. About this feature /capability.. Since I had gotten used to this regen feature in my 2013 Prius C ( traded in today ) Thank you very very very much..
![โรงเรียนห้ามรัก โดนจับได้ตาย...!! [เอิร์นไดเม่]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4u02Sbr556Q/mqdefault.jpg)
My new 2020 Prius Prime is giving me 103 mpg since I bought it and I don't suffer from "low battery anxiety"! The best vehicle ever!
Is this with the MPGE mode? Or overall?
Nice! How's the bench seat in the back? All the previous models seat only 4 because of the middle console in the back row.
We just wanted to say THANK YOU! That was like learning our Prime had a magical power! That is a game changer. We appreciate your video so much 🙏
The feature is not so hidden, but I'm not surprised that the "specialist" didn't know about it. It is described in the manual, you can easily locate it using the visual locator for the Mode buttons.
Another thing is that CHG works at any speed, even when idling, but it is better to use at highway speeds because the ICE is at its most efficient.
Thanks for this tidbit of charge mode optimization!
Thank you Sir ! I just bought my Prius prime a week ago. I didn't know about this. That helps a lot.
Thanks for posting the video and sharing. I discovered this feature on my own on my 2017 Prius Prime while on a road trip. However, if one uses the hybrid battery charge mode, it comes at the cost of a greatly decreased mpg. Whenever the Prime does begin to charge its battery, I usually see normally 55-65 mpg drops to 30-40 mpg while monitoring the instantaneous mpg display. Also, your lifetime MPGe may suffer. This is tracked in your car's history and can be found in one of the display settings. I don't believe topping off the battery with this method would be as cost efficient as just charging it at home or at a charging station elsewhere, for the very reason you cited (loss of energy as heat). I don't have any numbers to back this claim, but the energy generated in a plant or by solar has to be more efficient than traction. In a bind, the hybrid mode will get you where you need to go anyway if you are ever in a pinch. One thing that has been useful for me is to switch out of Electric Vehicle (EV) mode to regular Hybrid mode whenever driving on the highway. Like all hybrids, it will periodically charge the battery anyway. The battery level typically stays around the same point as when you first get onto the highway. As soon as I get off, I switch back into EV mode.
I actually initially started driving this way to use up gasoline in the tank. It is real difficult to do because I have a very short commute that I can drive to work an back twice on a single charge and because the vehicle is so darn efficient (is this a complaint?)! My primary concern about the gasoline is if it gets older than 6 months, will it destabilize and gum up fuel lines (like a snowblower or a lawnmower)? I don't feel comfortable adding fuel stabilizer into the gas tank because I simply do not know if it safe for the car. I tried to find some information about this online, and I saw something sketchy like the Prius Prime "knows" when to burn off all the fuel by switching into an all combustion engine mode out of which you cannot switch. I don't quite believe this..... So I started only filling about 5 gallons (less than 1/2 tank) at a time. Any thoughts on this?
Thanks again for posting.
If it has that significant drop in MPG that must be because its using brake regen while still moving and not slowing down (added rolling resistence). The little generator not powerful enough to charge those batteries by itself?
The charge mode is useful on car camping (AC/heat) and city drive. In Japan, they sales the plug-out inverter’s outlets for 110v camping appliances.
No, if you switch out of EV mode, then yes, it will automatically charge to whatever level of battery when you switched, not a percent higher. Then all the possible charging is just lost. And still, if you are below the "critical level", like turning on AC and waiting in the car, then it will charge it back up to the critical level with motor. This is just ridiculous.
If you really care about efficientcy, just get a regular prius. This is a joke.
Yes, after 6 months, the gas is stale & will cause expensive issues. Car Care Nut channel explains this. He's a master Toyo hybrid mechanic.
Just run the car for one week on ecco mode and use up the gas....this is not rocket science.....
Thank you very much sir! Just bought this car and learn something new literally everyday. Much appreciated 👍
Another nice addon you might like, I'm currently adding to mine.
th-cam.com/video/H7C_BNFgrKk/w-d-xo.html
Are you keeping it still or sold?
Thank you for an informative and short video!
I actually knew about this feature, and I've used it mostly on longer trips. But you have to take into consideration that the gas engine is running all the time in this state, you are not in hybrid mode.
I’ve driven a Prime for the last 3.5 years and didn’t know this! I just traded in my ‘17 for a ‘21 so I’ll be able to use this feature going forward. Very helpful!
how do that work out ? please share you experience .
@@lucthien601 I knew about this from another youtube video. It's ok but MPG drops like crazy.
I'm thinking about getting a 17' Prius Prime. May I ask why you are trading the 17' for a 21'? Is it worth just spending the extra to get a 21'?
works on the ‘17, as well
Thanks for putting up this tip. Sorry, the dealers are not pushing this car yet. For a single-car family like ours, this is a great choice, EV in town, gas for trips and then about 60 mpg. Our SE MI dealer was reported to say to a national media outlet in 2017 Toyota does not sell this car, ouch. Cost less than the regular Prius with tax breaks!
We use about 2 tanks of gas a year, even then sometimes less. Great town and county car.
Nice tip, thanks. Just bought one 3 days ago and didn't know about that.
Update next day, tried the tip while doing a little local driving and it indeed works. I don't really have a place to charge it at home so I wasn't really worried about charging the extra battery. I upgraded to this vehicle from my '10 Prius I got 348,000 miles out of and it's amazing the technology changes. I will definitely keep that extra battery charged with this tip and give that ev driving a try on short runs. Thanks again!
I just upgraded from having a 2016 Prius for 3 years for work, and I got a Prius prime! Thank you for the amazing video
Thanks so much, I specifically asked about this at the dealer and was told it would not do it. Anytime anyone is going down a long consistent downhill grade you should do this.
Why it wastes fuel and u can get the same affect without the engine by putting the gear selector to B you will charge the battery at the same time
@@theamazoner4075 That only charges the hybrid battery but you are right about the fuel. Plus your MPG drops big league.
@@theamazoner4075 Crusing on the 'B' mode will damage the car over time! you should use it only when your on drop hill situation it act like compresion braking!
That is a great tip. I just purchased a 2019 Pime Premium. I kept my F150 for fun stuff, but with a 90 mile commute, one way, it cost me almost $200 a week in gas. I got the Prius specifically for this commute. I feel like your tip will come in handy. Thanks!
You have a ninety mile commute? Do you live in a suburban neighborhood and work at a remote lumber yard deep in the mountains or something?
I leaned about this by reading the manual. It's extremely useful when you're going down a long grade, pop it in charge mode and between that and regen braking you can get to 80% in about 30 minutes from nothing.
Great video. Surprised by your last comment about EIB. I listen to EIB and I think the Prius Prime is one of the best vehicles made today. Thanks for the charging tip!
I bought a brand new Prius Prime Advanced in 2017. Did not know about this feature until watching your video. Will give it a try. Thanks.
We recently bought a 2017 Prime Advanced and so far it has been the best car ever. So much fun to drive and learn. How is yours still doing?
@@Jackiewicz64 We have 67,000 miles on ours and no problems. Very comfortable and quiet compared to our 2010 Prius which my son now has. Wish is got more miles on pure electric though. It surely is the best car that we have owned also.
Thank you Bob. I just bought a used 2017 Prius Prime Premium that only had the 'Owner's Manual Quick Guide,' so I'm trying to learn from PDFs and videos; thanks for the tip!
Same here
How is your experience with prime 2017 model?
Yes! I discovered this thanks to TH-cam! I love this feature. Just got my new/used 2017 prius prime and i love it.
Dang! That’s awesome! I sure didn’t know that. Have owned my Prime for about six months now.
It's in the manual page 89, so it's not hidden.
"Switching to the hybrid battery (traction battery) charge mode
Press and hold the switch.Take your hand off the switch once the hybrid battery charge mode indicator starts to blink.The hybrid battery charge mode indicator illuminates when the switch to hybrid battery (traction battery) charge mode is complete. When the hybrid battery (traction battery) is fully charged*, the hybrid battery (traction battery) charge mode is automatically canceled and the operation mode will be switched to HV mode.The hybrid battery (traction battery) charge mode will be canceled by pressing EV/HV mode selection switch or EV auto mode switch.*: The maximum charge amount in the hybrid battery (traction battery) charge mode is approximately 80% of the fully charged capacity for the charging from an external power source."
molan A lot of people don’t even read the manuals this is a great video don’t ruin it!!!!!’
I read the manual and this feature went unnoticed, until now (3 years). I was pretty mad that I couldn’t charge the battery from the use of the gas, specially when on the expressway.
I read the manual if I don't know something, but I agree with another user, majority of people don't read the manuals, and I would bet most people that have these cars have no clue what they can actually do with them, besides what's in front of them.
You are probably right, and usually nobody reads the manuals.
Well, that was one of the top three reasons i bought a prime. Thank you
Thanks man I have the car for two years and that is something that I did not know. Seems like it would be useful when I’m waiting for my wife in the car or just sitting in the car waiting for something to start I could be charging up the juice.
I know...can you believe they didn't make this amazing feature obvious?!
@@Yavor54 Your video describes charging while running at highway speeds. Here you are supporting biko's idea of charging from a standing still situation. I like the idea of the standing still position because I camp and actually sleep in the vehicle. I could start the vehicle at the campsite while I'm cooking and have 80% charge when I finally go to bed and I can use this power to run the air conditioner
@@wewilllearn that actually makes some sense
It’s a net plus between the two circumstances.
Charging while on the free way eats up freeway MPG’s, however; that juice saved up on the freeway adds more MPG in the city than subtracted on the freeway had you not had that juice to push through accelerating.
I have one that will be delivered this morning.
Really looking forward to driving this amazingly efficient car.
Thanks for the information!
after 2 YEARS I come across this video. Now suddenly my prius is that much better
What? You are a legend. I got last week a identical 2017 Prius Prime with solar panel roof (japaese market version) Cant wait to try this tomorrow! Thanks
Thank you! I am in the process of buying this car and appreciate you sharing this awesome news with all of us! 😀
This is in the English manual. Page 83 of the 2017 prius prime manual downloaded from toyota website.
Omgggg thnk u so much. I just went ahead n tried my prius prime. Its a masterminding thing to do. Now i dont have to leave my car at electric charging station to get extra mileage
Wow! Thanks for sharing this, I just got my Prius prime about a week ago and love it so far. I just wish you got more range out of the battery and you just showed me how. Thanks again.
Thanks for the tip, picking my Prius prime up tomorrow!
You might want to have a charged battery at the end of the drive so you could use the HVAC system without the gas engine running. It would also be handy if you were going to use an inverter in a campsite after your trip, and didn’t want the engine to run at camp.
That was sick Mr. Bob!!! Thank you!!! We have even same color by the way!.
You're both white?
It took me about 20,000 miles to find this feature. What I learned to do was to switch back and forth from charge mode to EV mode. I would constantly watch the for the battery to stop charging and then switch to EV mode immediately . Yes it would decrease the fuel mileage while charging. This would increase my average by 5 to 10 miles to the gallon on a long trip.
I charge it during my driving on the highway about 60 percent, and I used EV mode for driving in local, it can be keeping the engine lasting long
Was in my manual quite clearly. I agree with what another person wrote, the conservation of energy would say it'll cost more to charge with gas than plugging it in
I bought a 2021 and my salesman told me about this feature. Just remember that you lose fuel economy when you charge your battery on the road. I haven't done it yet, but have seen the eco mode recharging the battery because of the little energy it's using and sends the extra back to the battery to be charged.
I'm loving the car with the hyper mileage features
Thanks for this! Waiting on my 2022 Prime - Limited. I'm thrilled to know this feature is there!
Literally bought that car yesterday and still finding out all the tips and tricks. The manual actually mentions this mode on page 91, but - seriously, who digs that deep to find nuggets like this? Thanks for this great tip!
Manual: www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/om-s/OM47D71U/pdf/OM47D71U.pdf
Super feature !!
thank you for confirming that!!
I tested and it does work it does charge very rapidly and I can foresee that as a possible usage for my camping usage. It is always very useful to have a full charge battery when you arrive at your camping destination
Great video again thank you so much
Go ahead and buy a Prius Prime
do not hesitate. This is my second prii. I had 15 cars in my life and those two Priuses are the best car I ever owned.
8,000 km so far on my Prius Prime 2020 and I average 112 miles per gallon.
One thing also I am very confident is the reliability of that car I had to change only one wheel bearing on my 2010 Prius after 300,000 km of usage
Wow! This is just amazing!!! Thank you very much for sharing, Bob!!! May God bless you!
Thank you much for sharing this info. I spend more than 2 hours charging my prime at Charge point sometime.
Only one other guy mentioned this feature on TH-cam. So we are talking about the pure EV battery being charged right? The one that gives you 22 or 25 miles of pure electric? I think that’s awesome. You are right after driving on the highway you want juice for city driving. No need to plug in etc. I’m liking this car but like other EV cars I’m concerned about battery life. The cost of replacing etc. if you charge the EV battery everyday on this prime wont that shorten the life of the battery quicker? Degradation?
The battery computer protects the battery from being used in unhealthy ways and Toyota and Honda say their battery's will last the life of the car and those companies being very reliable they will make the batteries last a long time h
It’s crazy that a lot of people doesn’t know because if you read your owner manual, it’s in there
Clarity phev has this feature n its well known. Glad to see the prime has it too, cuz they dont sell clarity in Bangladesh
Hey bud. Interesting that you mentioned this. I don't own a Prime, but I've been thinking of getting one. I had heard of this feature before, perchance, when doing research on the Prime.
One thing I read, but you did not mention, is that the charge mode is primarily designed to be used on long descents. By doing this the vehicle does NOT burn more gasoline. It engages more regenerative braking while downhill coasting.
From the literature I saw, that is the primary utility of the feature. It's like a DAC mode in an SUV (many Toyotas have this), which uses engine braking on long descents to avoid wear on the brakes. But in hybrids, obviously, all of that energy can be captured.
Go ahead and buy a Prius Prime
do not hesitate. This is my second prii. I had 15 cars in my life and those two Priuses are the best car I ever owned.
8,000 km so far on my Prius Prime 2020 and I average 112 miles per gallon.
One thing also I am very confident is the reliability of that car I had to change only one wheel bearing on my 2010 Prius after 300,000 km of usage
Rav4 Prime does this too! Useful in countries where in certain urban areas during certain times emissions are restricted (e.g. London, Paris). Not efficient use of gas (you're powering the car AND charging the battery), but if you're driving in from the countryside, you can charge your battery so that you have good battery capacity by the time you get into the city.
It's in my Prius English manual and tests in Europe did mentioned it back when the car was introduced :) Also, it's best to use ICE charging while driving downhill when the ICE would operate just above the idle line and hence wouldn't be tasked to both drive AND charge.
i knew that thanks. my tip is researching prior to buying good tip for those that do not read the manual
Thanks Bob, Happy New year 2022!
Since you know the car very well, would this work? If the car is in ready mode and the AC set to 73 during a hot day, could it also be plugged in and be charging up at the same time?
BOB you are awesome!
Yes, it also beats having to stop at a charging station, or install one right away at your home. This is one reason why I'm buying this Prius besides all the other incredible features. I'll literally never have to buy gas going to work, unless I go on the freeway. Or, I can take the freeway home, so the battery is charged for the next morning, if I don't want to plug in at home. Such a fantastic option to have. All Hybrids should do this by default, just makes more sense to have as many options as possible.
I knew it! Since I get my Prius i was thinking why this car can't charge the battery when I drive in highway when I'm doing 70 mph and engine is running all the time anyways but as you say they not let us know about this function not even in owners manual thanks bro!!
Thanks a lot been driving my 2021 pp since 2021 and 80 thousand miles in I now know a new feature
Have you had any issues with your car? I’m looking into a used 2018 currently.
Very useful Tip! Thank you! Now I can have a little e kick when I get to my destination.
I used to wish my Volt did that until I researched it a bit more. It’s more inefficient to charge the battery with your engine as compared to using that gas to power the wheels directly. The Volt’s generator sends electricity directly to the wheels whenever possible and only charges the battery as necessary because it gets better MPG that way. There’s energy loss converting between the energy stored in gasoline to energy stored in battery. I’m sure there’s useful reasons to charge. Like running AC while car camping to prevent short cycling the engine all night. But most drivers won’t be aware of that energy loss.
That's the best tip I have ever gotten. Thank you!
I am in the process of purchasing the 2021 model I can't wait to drive it!
This works on my 2017 Gen IV, as well! It does use quite a bit of gasoline. It’s interesting, it will also charge while idling. I left it running for about an hour in the driveway, and that charged it up to around 8mi of range, or roughly 1/4 of my full battery range.
I'm looking to improve my MPG in my new 2021 Prius Prime. I am trying to figure out all the drive modes and screens. Where is the best tutorial on it all?
thanks I wouldn't have known without this video.
Yes! Thank you this is something I have been searching for.
Wow! I pick up my Prime XLE on Saturday...will definitely be using this feature!
I’m blown away 😳. I’m excited to buy my Prius prime now
It’s in the manual. Do people not read their manuals?
Thank you for posting, i have mine for just over 2 years, lease, nice to learn something new
thank you for sharing. i was wondering if this car could go without charging at all. this answered it.
Thanks for the video. I am looking into buying a Prius Prime next year.
I never knew about this, thank you so much. I have a 20212 prius prime.
The (now discontinued) Honda Clarity Plug-in could do this too. It had about twice the range, but would only engine-charge to 57% (according to the owners manual) which would equate to roughly 20 miles, or similar to what the Prius did with 80% of its 25 miles, which is also 20 miles. Anyway, the Prime is not the only car to do this, and its well documented that both the Prime and Clarity do this.
Just bought my prime today, thankyou for that information.
question before I buy.. can I charge the Prime outdoors & can I use an extension cord? my reach from driveway to AC outlet is approx 20-30'.. thank you Joe
The Chevy Volt can do this too. Prime is not the first to do this. Yes yours does! Mountain mode will recharge it to about 50-60%.
Want to charge all the way? Pop the hood while driving, engine will stay on. Not sure of charging speed with hood unlocked.
ALL CAPS BUT WOW I ACTUALLY DIDN’T KNOW. Thank you! I think I’m getting this soon
I owned a volt and it does do it, not the same way but you can recharge the battery to 50% on a voit with the engine running
Your Volt should have a button for "Mountain mode". That will charge the battery as you drive on gas. IIRC, the purpose is to get some charge back in the battery before you get to the steep mountain roads where the gas engine alone can't hold speed but would be able to when combined with the electric motor. Of course Chevy didn't admit that the Volt's gas engine has a direct connection to the transmission until they were outed. Kept claiming it only ran on the electric motor. Well yes, unless you "request" more power than the electric motor could dish out.
I though the Volt was a true petrol-electric drive. As in the engine only acts like a generator that then powers the electric motors that actually move the vehicle when necessary. Dump trucks and other super heavy vehicles use this system.
@@DAN007thefoxx1 That is what GM was claiming until people looked under the covers enough to find out that there was a direct connection from the ICE to the driveshaft. NOT used most of the time but it was there for the "really need more power" times.
I had NO idea that you could do this… I’m going to go try it on my 2018 Prime…
I’ve always wondered about this if, for example, you had to take a long trip would you have to run a wire from your hotel to the car. Thanks for the clarification.
It's really on good if u have to run the engine anyways
is there any way to switch off or change the color of the ambient trim lighting in a 2024 Prius prime XSE premium?
Thank you so much! Just bought one yesterday. Very useful info. 😊
yUou rock....i had to try it....i think before i stumbled onto it but did not realized at the but thank for confirming it......i'm so stoked about this.
read your owner's manual
Duh.... I knew this already.... because I happen to have read the manual. I do this exactly as described in the video. Turn on CHG Mode when necessary if I am going to be doing highway driving and turn it off near the highway exit.
Sweet! You rock! Thanks for the tip.
I just drove cross country and I wish I knew that
Great video
Wow thats pretty awesome and yeah I did wonder if it did this on 2017 Prius Prime. Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Thank you for showing us that trick.
So this charges the regular hybrid battery or the big battery that’s normally charged only by plugging in??
the more you use the prius all the hidden features come alive :D there is another few hidden features i found
Thank you that was very helpful it would be really great if you did a video on the cost to do such a charger
Wao...i need to know one thing...do this car has battery hold feature??...using batteries later after full charge?
Push the same button without holding and it will go into hybrid mode
Maybe I didn’t hear correctly but if it’s not going to give you more MPG on electric mode then what is really the point of doing this ?
2 things: Would you know what the most efficient speed to drive at charge mode with? What speed would charge mode not make any discernible difference to MPG? I'm guessing +90 mph.
I have not run comparative tests to determine what the most efficient speed would be to recharge the main batteries. I can tell you that you "feel" the drag on the main motor in charge mode and you have to press the pedal down more to maintain speed. Also, even while stopped, the motor will charge the main batteries. Speed-wise, I'd guess that it would be around 60mph. Wind resistance rapidly becomes the main force the car is working against as you climb from 55 to 65mph. In regular mode, If I stay under 65 and don't accelerate going up hills (I keep my pedal at the same spot) I can get 64MPG on the Prime. On a 100 mile trip, if I then use up the 28 miles of electric drive, my average MPG is 84. It's a hyper-effeicient car. Even though my Chevy Volt gives me 60+ miles of electric capacity, its 42MPG motor/generator makes the car 30% less efficient overall. On that same 100 mile trip I can only get 66 MPG combined efficiency. Driving technique has a plus or minus 20% effect on Prius MPG. Drive it like a F150 and you'll get 43 MPG. Go into a strong headwind at 75MPH and you'll get 45 MPG. Realize that we aren't only talking MPG here. You are extending the life of the car's drive train because the motor is using less total RPM to cover the same miles. That said, you'd have to really abuse a Prius to get less than 200,000 miles before ANY parts wore out.
Oh my God. I'm sitting I'm my prius and did not know this. It really works
Thanks Bob, I thought if you put it in EV Auto on the freeway, the car would automatically use the engine to recharge the battery on its own...no need to select CHG mode...have you tried this?
If you use EV mode on the freeway for more than 25 miles or so, the battery runs all the way down, and it will automatically switch you to Hybrid. Switch to hybrid mode once you get onto the freeway and it will periodically charge the battery automatically.
I thought all PHEVs did this automatically by default. Efficiency wise guess it makes more sense to do it through a charger since ICE isn’t that efficient
You're awesome thank you I'm buying a blue one tomorrow I've had a 2012 forever 300.000 miles on it not a problem
Thank you sir.. just got mine (advanced ) today.. 5/30/19..
I had hoped for /wondering if..
About this feature /capability..
Since I had gotten used to this regen feature in my 2013 Prius C
( traded in today )
Thank you very very very much..
Energy conversion losses are not I^R losses. I^R losses are power losses due to the resistance in cables. This is what causes voltage drop.
Wow!! Thank you!! I will try it ASAP.