Drive silently through a residential area late at night without hesitation

Quiet running is one of the benefits of electric motors powered by HYBRID SYNERGY DRIVE - for instance, early in the morning or late at night through a residential area. You can even move quietly in and out of a parking garage, where sound is often amplified.

Quietness: How it works

Drive only on the electric motor in the low to mid-speed range.

HYBRID SYNERGY DRIVE allows the driver to select driving using only the electric motor in the low to mid-speed range. The electric motor, drawing power from the battery, is a very quiet power source, so driving this way is remarkably quiet compared to a petrol engine.

EV Drive Mode

Drive with the petrol engine off.

In the low/mid-speed range, petrol engines do not use fuel efficiently, so HYBRID SYNERGY DRIVE runs the car using only the power produced by its electric motor.

Some HYBRID SYNERGY DRIVE models are equipped with the "EV Drive Mode" to let the driver select driving on the electric motor only - in other words, driving with the petrol engine off.*1
(Under 55 km/h; range: a few hundreds of meters)*2

  1. EV drive mode is automatically cancelled if any one of the following conditions occurs:
    • Battery charge drops below specified level.
    • Vehicle traveling speed exceeds 55 km/h.
    • Accelerator pedal opening angle exceeds pre-defined angle.
  2. The figure indicated is for Prius. The range of travel will depend on the condition of the battery powering the electric motors. This option is not available on some of the hybrid systems.

Prius Quietness Technologies

Enhanced quietness with EV driving, optimized silencer/damping placement.

In addition to providing EV driving, various other measures have been taken to dampen transmitted engine/tyre noise and deliver the amazing level of quietness inside and outside Prius.

  • Engine noise has been suppressed by providing different kinds of silencers at appropriate points.
  • Application of damping coating behind the dashboard panel and parts of the floor panels has ensured effective sound-proofing.

Did you know?

Is it really feasible to produce a car that offers advanced performance features while also preserving the environment?

Ordinary power trains waste energy at stoplights, during braking, and at all other times when the engine is not running at optimum speed under ideal load conditions.

By reducing energy wastage and applying energy more efficiently, a hybrid system can simultaneously double fuel economy, slash emissions and deliver "fun to drive" performance.