There's no need for what you describe. It runs electric when it can, depending on the terrain, how much charge is in the battery and the condition of the battery. It will start on electric, but will never run very far on battery alone. No more than a few miles. You can expect 60mpg. On a long hill you get a big charge. On a steep hill you switch to 'B' on the stick and use the hybrid drive to retard the car. With a hybrid, the system is constantly recharging or using the battery. It's at its worst ascending steep hills and at its best descending them.