The ButtonWhen the 2004 Toyota Prius was released, and people managed to get one and take it home (these cars flew off the shelves, so to speak. Laying hands on one wasn't all that easy), they noticed a mysterious button on the dashboard that didn't seem to be attached to anything.
ev button The dealerships didn't know anything about it.
Toyota wasn't talking.
So what's a Prius owner gonna do with a question nobody could answer? Go to the Internet, of course.
They quickly discovered that,
except in America, pushing the mystery button allows you to drive your car entirely in "electric" mode. American Priuses didn't have this option, (and the picture you see here is of a "non-US" model) because supposedly you could cheat on your emissions test if you hit the switch and kill the gas engine. (Please. If you hit the switch and the engine died, the car proctologist could TELL from the lack of engine noise: end of test. Besides, what PRIUS is going to fail an emissions test, for heaven's sake? American Priuses didn't have the electric-only option because the American auto/oil industry lobbyists wouldn't have it.)
A couple of months later, some enterprising Texan engineer managed to reconnect the EV button on his Prius. Neat! Now, for short trips, he didn't have to use the gas motor at all, or if stuck in traffic or whatever. The gas engine recharged the batteries when it switched over.About that same time, people started noticing how much space was available in that Prius for extra batteries. Our intrepid engineer found out he could get 50-some mpg by adding another battery. And then some of those past and present electric car drivers from CalCars and Plug-in America started asking themselves: What would happen if you just step over the line and, well, CONVERT the car to electric-optional drive, with PLENTY of battery like you really mean to drive a little without gas...
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