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You cannot use the MFD or sound/feel to be absolute the engine is not running. In neutral the engine is very smooth and you will not be aware unless you have a scangauge.
Having said that the best thing to beginning hypermile in the Prius is to learn to glide. Once you learn to glide and pulse and glide then you can experiment with neutral.
Neutral typically works best when you have down slopes that will carry your glide over 40MPH. On the flat the difference is minimal. Neutral just disconnects the inverter and hybrid electronics from the MG's, especially MG2. You will still have the drag from the silent chain, reduction gears and power split device. An advantage to gliding over neutral is in glide there is a small 5 amp draw to MG2 that counters the friction of the above gear train. In neutral you'll still draw about 1-1.5 amp from the hybrid system for the DC-DC converter and more for the AC if its running. Neutral will not allow the engine to start and recharge the hybrid battery, nor will you get any regenerative braking energy back.
Above all else experiment, Larry has found somethings that work for him and he does very well. On my routes I never use neutral and my summer average, excluding my road trips, is in the mid 70's with a tank at 80.1 MPG. Best to go to cleanmpg.com and read Wayne Gerdes P&G article and go to PriusChat and look around. Oh, an engine block heater would help too.
Wayne
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2004 Oldsmobile Silhouette "Final 500" Mini-van
Lifetime MPG 21
Best MPG 34.5
2005 Toyota Prius Package 6
Lifetime Prius MPG 54.5
Best Prius MPG 80.1
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Now if Toyota would be a nice company they'd make a Prius with a manual transmission for some happy fun FE. Does the Prius come in manual in any other countries?
Linear Mode
