Does a evmode hybrid chip work , or save gas for a prius , or is it a waste of money

Question

Does a evmode hybrid chip work , or save gas for a prius , or is it a waste of money

Answer 1

The EV mode modification IMHO is not worth it.

The traction battery in the current Prius can only move the car on its own for about 2 miles anyway, and you really don't want to deep-discharge the hybrid battery because it may shorten its lifespan.

That's why if you install the aftermarket EV-mode button, it may void your Prius's 8-year / 100,000-mile hybrid system warranty.

I'll wait for the 3rd-generation plug-in Prius with the Lithium-ion battery to come out.  That one will come from the factory with an EV-only mode with a range of 40 miles.

Answer 2

Keep your money.  Change your driving habits a little and you can save quite a bit of fuel for no investment whatsoever.

Go to CleanMPG.com and Ecomodder.com for hypermiling tips.

Answer 3

From what I have heard the EV button is mostly a toy to use when the gas engine is cold and you want to just move the car a few feet or maybe around the block and not have the engine come on to try to warm itself up.  For instance if you are in a parking garage on the top level you could hit the EV button and drive to the exit at the bottom then turn EV off as you pull out onto the street.  For any other uses such as if the engine is already hot using EV will lower your mileage as the engine driving the wheels directly is usually more energy efficient than driving the wheels with power from the battery then running the engine more later to charge it back up.

BTW no chip or kit is required to activate EV mode as all it consists of is momentarily grounding a specific (and otherwise unused) pin on the HV (hybrid vehicle) ECU.  If you wanted to you could run a simple length of wire from that pin out of the dash and whenever you wanted to activate EV mode you could just brush the end of the wire against the grounded outer metal shell of the cigar/cigarette lighter (power) socket or if you like clean and neat instead of quick and dirty the OE button that Prius cars in other countries have can be purchased online and it just mounts in an unused hole that has a blank cover over it next to the steering column.  It hooks to the the ECU pin and to the dash light circuit so it looks like it is supposed to be there.