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after 2 months of driving my Prius, I notice that my battery has never gone down past 4 bars. I notice that I cannot force electric-only acceleration after I drop down to 4 bars of blue, the engine insists on recharging.
is this normal?

My average SoC: 4 bars (blue) (right under half-battery mark) to 1 less than full (green) (7 bars?) and I'm only getting average of 50mpg (FMD). :(
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Your problem isn't a problem at all. That's how the synergy system works. Read the manual. The state of charge for the batteries isn't supposed to drop below 80%, IIRC.

40% - 80 % is the sweet spot

if you feel you want to use more juice install the EV button if your soldering skills are up to the task

at least this way you can reduce the EV envy :) but your warranty maybe voided depending on how anal toyota is, and your mileage may vary.

The state of charge for the batteries isn't supposed to drop below 80%, IIRC.
Actually, that's about the max. The battery display is a bit misleading in a sense. It's the maximum usable range of battery charge, not the actual charge. See this (http://privatenrg.com/#Full_SOC) for a good discussion and graphics on the relationship between the display and SoC.

As to the original question, I generally keep mine at about 55-60% (5-6 blue bars) sometimes dipping a little lower or nudging higher depending on conditions. I agree it's not a problem.

On the other hand, you likely can improve on 50 MPG -- in part by (somewhat counterintuitively) avoiding the battery and not trying to routinely force EV. Read up on the Prius articles here for more.

Phil's suggestion about an EV button is a good one after you've got the basics down and if you're not concerned about warranty issues. But I'd get good at the basics first. It's easy to misuse the button and worsen your FE.

On the other hand, you likely can improve on 50 MPG -- in part by (somewhat counterintuitively) avoiding the battery and not trying to routinely force EV. Read up on the Prius articles here for more.

I've read (and used the pics from) the P&G article (by xcel) and have to admit I'm a slow learner. Perhaps others can shed some light for me on them...

For one thing, the SUVs hovering 2cm from my rear bumper doesn't seem to enjoy my attempt to accelerate at even the 16mpg range and still keep the energy distribution picture the same (ICE to wheel and batery) so maybe I just need to compromise on that. I end up having ICE and electric motor going to wheel, with flickering between some going to battery or some coming from battery.

Then, once I get up to speed (41mph) and ease up on the accelerator get to the no-energy diagram or the 'pack assist' battery-to-wheel, I see my speed bleed pretty soon (a block or two) down to the mid 30's, by which point, I'm either about to get rear-ended (highly not preferable) or pushing on the pedals again to go back up to 41mph.

On the flipside, I drove as if I had a normal car the other day and ended up getting trip-average 48mpg, so maybe I'm just living in the wrong city/area and having the wrong commute.

You said 'don't actually use the battery'... does that mean accelerating with battery power only (when no one's around) isn't advisable either?

I'll check the manual again, as Skylab request me to do.

Maybe someone can put a video guide on youtube showing speed and fuel-efficiency monitor display.
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Don't worry. I'm a slow learner too. If I can do it, you can! ;)

I would guess that in OC traffic is pretty heavy and drivers impatient. Just use P&G when you can.

I go for safety first and then a balance between fuel economy and courtesy. At one end of the spectrum might be a 35 MPH speed zone with heavy traffic and no chance for folks to pass me. There I stick close to PSL and tighten up my P&G range (ie., minimum and maximum speeds) so as not to impede traffic or incite road rage: a pulse up to 40 and glide back down to 33-35. I watch for upcoming terrain changes that might facilitate P&G. Gentle inclines may actually help keep speed constant: pulse up and glide down.

At the other extreme is light traffic in 25 MPH or 35 MPH speed zones with ample passing opportunities. With no lights or stop signs, that becomes P&G heaven. I pulse up to about 25-30 and glide down to 15 or so. If someone falls in behind me and doesn't pass, I consider that they may intend to turn right somewhere ahead. If I have a left lane to move into, I move into it to let them by. Otherwise, I'll maintain speed (if close to PSL) or even speed up (if substantially below it) to give them the opportunity to make their turn. Speaking of videos, see this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw92E2RQahI) from a TV report last year, where I did this at one point.

Planning the route and timing your trips may help. Look for alternative routes that better facilitate P&G, but that don't increase total fuel consumption of course. If feasible, consider leaving a little early or a little later to avoid peak traffic. It will take some trial and error.

Aim for accelerating slowly enough that you're not pulling from the battery. Another rule of thumb I suggest is to watch the relationship between instantaneous MPG on the MFD and speed. Keeping the two numbers relatively equal is a near-ideal acceleration rate, although the impatient driver(s) behind you may not tolerate it. You can pick up the pace if you feel you need to, but as long as the iMPG stays at least half the vehicle speed, you're likely still not pulling from the battery and you're avoiding excessively high ICE RPM.

Practice your glides to perfect a "no-arrows" execution and, therefore, avoid any pack assist. Energy taken from the battery must be replenished with the ICE, with conversion losses along the way: ICE --> mechanical energy to turn the motor/generator --> electricity --> stored chemical energy, with the process reversed to actually use that energy. Better is to use ICE power only for propulsion and take maximum advantage of kinetic energy. The only time I deliberately use the pack is in low-demand situations of short duration when running the ICE likely is inefficient. Examples: moving around the driveway or short distances through a parking lot, or briefly extending a glide.

Finally, back to the issue of traffic. Sometimes, especially in higher speed zones, you might decide you have to go with the flow. But you still can use P&G techniques. You have to accelerate to the prevailing speed anyway and you'll eventually slow back down. Might as well do both as efficiently as possible. Especially in your deceleration, anticipate and practice how far in advance to begin your slowdowns so as to avoid any regeneration, especially braking. I look at it this way: Every time I hit the brakes I've wasted a little fuel. Sometimes it can't be avoided of course. But situational awareness and practice will reduce the waste.

Hi Bhchan:

___As for SoC, she likes to seek 56%. Wayne Brown wrote the book on the SoC graph so hopefully you have what you need to know from his work!

___By all means follow Jim’s lead on this. Proper and useable pulse rates let alone even if you can use P&G is very traffic dependant. If someone is crawling up the old back side (Proctologists), you have to forgo FE and get moving.

___With a 48 mph drive, you should be looking at what we call SHM or Super Highway mode. With a ScanGauge, you try and run at a very low 1,248 – 1,3xx RPM while maintaining IGN 14 and a TPS setting of 18 while extremely gently DWL. It can be held from 48 to 53 mph without to much issue other than a climb or std. acceleration. After setting up your Prius that is.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

so, after another week of trying... is it normal to get less MPG while learning all those skills?
my current tank, i'm actually getting less (42mpg) than before (48 to 51 mpg) :(

and with the weather being warmer now, shouldn't it be better?

hoping it's just a matter of pain before the gain here

(changes so far: route change to drive slightly further, but stay on the interstate longer should = better mpg than going off interstate and into 30mph streets with lights and stop signs, right?)
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Stay off the interstate as much as possible. Read up on the warmup stages s-1 thru s-4. Know how and when to get into a glide mode and you should be able to top 60 MPG without any extra equipment.

What part of Orange County are you from. If it is near the coastal plain and your commute stays out of the hills, then read up and learn and you will start putting up 85+MPG tanks with over 1000 total miles.

I envy your terrain.