Toyota's Prius in Europe gets a button we don't
Ever stare at that spot on your dash that has a piece of plastic where a button should be? Ever wonder what that button would do if it were installed? More and more Prius owners are finding out that that empty spot on their dashes is occupied on Euro-spec Prius models by a button that switches the hybrid into electric-only mode while driving locally at low speeds.
While North America Prius cars can be powered solely by their electric motors at low speeds, anyone who has driven the king of hybrids in the States knows that operating in EV mode for extended periods is nearly impossible. Any adjustment of the throttle is immediately interpreted by the onboard computer as acceleration, which instantly calls upon the gas engine for assistance.
Toyota claims that this feature was disabled for the North American market because U.S. law mandates a minimum 8-year warranty on the hybrid drivetrain, which includes the battery pack. By disabling the option of operating solely on battery power for extended periods the company can better assure a longer life for the car's battery pack, despite the fact that much better fuel mileage is being sacrificed.
Fear not, though. The Prius has already proved to be immensely hackable and computer geeks have already discovered how to enable that missing button's function in North American models. This article from CNET also shows how far Prius hacking can go, including one that allows the nav system to be operated at speed as well as while the vehicle's in Park.
BTW - We're not entirely certain that button we circled above is the missing one in question. Any enlightenment our Euro readers could shed on the button and its exact whereabouts on the dash would be greatly appreciated.
[Source: CNET and Foursprung]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jonathan 3:54PM (6/01/2006)
I think what you circled might be a dial to adjust headlight angle.
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Jason 4:07PM (6/01/2006)
I see the Europeans also get higher quality photography then we do.
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mpeng 4:16PM (6/01/2006)
this post just shows how little you guys remember about your own autoblog posts. search plug in prius...
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Robert Brodrecht 4:41PM (6/01/2006)
If I remember correctly, it was this EV-mode hack that allowed CalCars to make their plugin Prius.
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mofo 4:58PM (6/01/2006)
Maybe the button triggers the ejection seat for when the steering fails.
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Onell 5:56PM (6/01/2006)
That's the original pushbutton used to activate the hazard signal and reboot the ECU program!
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Howard Kerr 7:50PM (6/01/2006)
This is the original "mystery" button as no one can agree on what it does.
I am curious as to what law requires that the batteries of a Prius MUST last at least 8 years. Does this fall under an obscure amendment to an emissions control law? Emissions controls as supposed to last for 100,000 miles now, I don't know what the time cutoff (how many years) is supposed to be. What's interesting for all the folks that drive Priuses because they are so green...Toyota doesn't seem to care how long the batteries in European Priuses last. I say SEEM, because I imagine most Euro-Prius owners don't put as many miles on their cars as U.S. owners do.
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Stoneman 9:14PM (6/01/2006)
That is the Windows XP CTRL+ALT+DEL "three finger salute" button.
Stoneman
http://www.stonemanautoreview.com
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Jans Riemersma 10:14PM (6/01/2006)
Duh, a toyota.... The button that is circled is for dimming the interior and in-dash lighting as on every other late-model toyota.....
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MooseBlaster 10:22PM (6/01/2006)
Yep, that definitely looks like the headlight adjusting control.
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Mad Cow 1:54AM (6/02/2006)
As Johnathan and MooseBlaster pointed out, that is a headlight adjustment dial. For those of you in the US that have never seen one, it has usually 4-5 different height settings that adjust your headlights up and down by a couple degrees. I'm asssuming it's manditory, because I haven't seen a new-ish car over here without one. I think the point is to be able to lower your beam in city driving, so as not to blind other people as much, but have a great feild of view out in the country bu turning it up, without your high beams on. This is in addition to the high/low beams switch.
As for the buttons to the right of the dial...no clue, never droven a Prius.
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Jerry W 3:42AM (6/02/2006)
On my UK spec Prius, the EV button is indeed in the exact spot indicated by the wobbly red circle. The headlight adjustment is to the right of the steering column.
The dashboard layout of the Prius is surprisingly different in different countries. In Japan the button is up on the dash itself.
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james 3:59AM (6/02/2006)
http://www.toyota-europe.com/Images/t7_pri06_car_gal_19_800_tcm280-359675.jpg
problem solved.
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Redneck Texan 8:40AM (6/02/2006)
Is there a button on all Toyotas that reads these are crap!
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Dirk Dundenburg 9:18AM (6/02/2006)
Headlight angle adjuster. VW's have it in Europe as well. Apparently, the drivers there are good enough to know when to compensate for vehicle loading so as not to blind oncoming drivers unlike here in North America.
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Mike Delaney 9:51AM (6/02/2006)
I've wanted a Prius since they were advertised, but now my faith in Toyota has waned, since the "SUV" was made "green". What a joke Toyota. Its just a ploy to sell more SUV's to the American's who don't really care about the earth. I'm still waiting for an all electric with motor boost for more miles per gallon in the long run. Its possible, just not being sold here in the U. S.
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GM WHO? 10:25AM (6/02/2006)
#14
No, but I'm sure there is an emblem on the back of whatever your driving to indicate how underdeveloped your brain is. Now save us all the pain of you procreating and take your dick out of your sister!
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icerabbit 11:56AM (6/02/2006)
That is the common (or even mandatory) front headlight adjustment dial, which in my limited experience has always been at the left knee with toyotas, vw, ... Very handy to not blind other traffic.
It is one of those things like the no-dead-corner rear view mirrors and the rear fog light that are not present on American cars.
That last one just baffles me time and again in inclement weather. I cannot understand what the rationale is that US cars do not have a rear fog light, let alone two.
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icerabbit 12:09PM (6/02/2006)
Btw. One should never be able to adjust the headlights up, to get a greater field of view as Mad Cow suggests.
Proper use of the adjustment dial, is that your headlights are calibrated / aimed with a full tank of gas and the driver. If your headlights are calibrated with it on any other level than default, you will not pass technical inspection.
From what a mechanic told me, if your headlights are re-calibrated with an empty tank, and you go to technical inspection with a full tank, that degree of difference may cause you to fail inspection.
The purpose of the button is that, when you throw a few bags of sand in your trunk or you drive your vehicle with 4 passengers, you can lower the beams to compensate for the load changing the angle at which your lights shine.
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icerabbit 12:12PM (6/02/2006)
PS: And the European Prius should have another (hidden) button the US Prius doesn't have, namely the rear fog light(s).
I haven't driven a Prius but it should be either an old school separate button or like in the VW system built into the headlight dial. Turn to low beam. Pull knob one click out of the dash.
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