So how best to phrase this: if an automatic EV switch exists they need to design a test that includes it, but a manual EV switch is banned because no test the EPA is willing to run can be designed?KTPhil said:Short answers:
1) Excluded from US cars because of EPA regulations requiring testing under all conditions; EV buttom use can't be controlled by the car so all possible combinations would require testing. Same reason you can't get an ignition advance lever on a car like the old Model T had. ;-)
However, given the length of the test cycle, not coming to mind right now but maybe 19 minutes, there aren't that many points in it to say "Let's kick in EV here" that make a difference. Sure, the EPA could argue that every picosecond difference in when it's used will make a difference in the results, but were they actually presented with a 2004 Prius equipped with an EV switch, or was it pulled before they saw one? Unwillingness to test an option isn't a good reason to ban it...KTPhil said:The problem is testing all the possible conditions. Do you use it all the time? Do you use it only when slowing down to a red light? Using it early in the test cycle will change how it bahaves later in the test cycle, since the battery will be depleted and warmer. The number of variations is large. And for what benefit? Those tinkeres like us already know about it.
I'll go to my death assuming Prius owners are smarter than average, and wanted a different car...Lastly, Toyota wants to make driving a hybrid just like driving a regular car. There are many features designed to "fake" a normal car, like drive by wire programming and the brake stroke simulator. Adding a button unique to a hybrid is drawing attention to how this car is "different," and to many buyers, different is bad.