First day with my Prius Plug-in

Hi guys, I'm still new to this and want a PIP as soon as they are available locally. I just started keeping real track of MPG and I am lucky to get 44mpg. and thats going 60-65mph on the highway. Heat turned off unless I am at a red light ( I run it only then, freeze the rest of the ride to keep the engine from coming on too much) But I cheat every stop sign, piss off every driver behind me etc. So what am I doing wrong by not getting the 48-52 everyone else is getting with a non PIP ? is it the cold weather ? hasn't been to cold here. very mild winter and high 30's and 40's So will I need to wait for 70-80* weather to see those results ? Draft every big rig and have the hood painted every year ?

 

run the heat when you're on the highway, the engine is running anyway and you not taking advantage of it. a lot of people get around 44 in winter, but you can do better if you want to, just read thru some of the many fuel economy threads here. all the best!

 

Yep, although the 'gallons saved' has a sig digit, so the MPG is between

96/1.65 --- 96/1.75
or about 55 -- 58 mpg.

If these numbers are from an area that is still cold then Tracksyde is doing GREAT. Otherwise he is just your average excellent hypermiler
Btw, he is averaging 13.3 miles/3 kwh charge
And his MPG (not the e garbage) is 87 -- 91.7

Who needs a fancy car computer for data, when he has us to track every rpm ?

Addendum: I calculated two different MPG numbers
The first range of 55 - 58 is mpg in pure petrol miles
The second range of 87 - 91.7 includes ("free," as in no petrol use) electric miles.

Use the first number for petrol efficiency
Use the second number for averted petrol consumption, compared to another car.
Use 219 wh/mile for pure EV efficiency

 

If we don't use the "e garbage" and just look at miles over gallons my volt is getting 110 MPG, and any Leaf is getting more than 1,000,000 MPG.

 

Well, YMMV, because both of those are range-limited figures. As range increases, mileage falls. With Leaf, it falls off a cliff at 80 to 100 miles. I'm not sure where the crossover occurs between Volt and Plug-in Prius, but it would be an interesting (and fairly simple) math problem. My calculation is that, in 100 miles, Prius consumes 1.7 gallons, while Volt consumes 1.89 gallons and Leaf comes to a stop. In 200 miles, it's Prius 3.7 gallons, Volt 4.59 gallons.

 

Of course it does.

I'm just saying what was said to us many times over the past year (and validly so) that you have to be careful about the temptation to just talk about the MPG without looking at the electrical consumption that took place to help you get there.

Also for the 110 MPG, I don't get that in EV mode (that would be about 93 mpge) thats my annual average looking at the 20,000 miles traveled and 182 gallons of gasoline consumed, that looks great until you also think about the 4.8 MWh I also consumed driving over the past year.

edit: for the curious my 1 year anniversary with the Volt is March 30th and I'll post more specific data points then.

 

I have a different question. Wikipedia says that the " gallon equivalent" of electricity is 34.02 KWH. If you pay 10 cents per KWH (and here it's 12 cents), that's $3.40 for enough electricity to go 93~95 miles.

In fact, with my 12 cent rate, I pay $4.00 for the equivalent of a gallon of gas, which gets me 94 miles instead of 50 miles. Is that right? I'm not playing devil's advocate, I just want to know if I have the numbers right.

 

He is getting 72 MPGe (261 miles / 3.62 gallon(e)) with 36% EV miles.

That's much higher than the average Volt owners at 63 MPGe with 71% EV miles.

 

Guys I have nothing against the Volt or Leaf in particuliar, but I am getting tired of having threads dedicated to certain subjects "polluted" with things like "yes but my car XYZ is better than yours". I think that there are dedicated threads for comparisons like that.

The subject here is about the first days with a PiP. That is what PiP owners and future owners come here for, not to read about other cars' performance.

So :focus: please!

 

Well, the first day is over. How about today?

 

Lol.

 

I agree, I was not trying to be comparative of performance but comment on the proper common language to discuss his first days performance is:

and is not:

Most people who come here may not understand the distinction but I think its important to get everyone on the same page from the beginning to avoid confusion later. It will make comparisons easier if even comparing between different Pip owners' experiences.

 

Don't turn off your heater. It will continue to pump out heat until the coolant temperature drops all the way to 114°F in ECO mode, even with the engine off.

Switch from Auto to Manual if you want greater control. Having an aftermarket gauge (like ScanGauge) makes it easy to see how much heat is still available. It also clues you into when to turn the heater on, since you only get cold air until about coolant reaches about 150°F, since the venting system itself needs to be warmed up first.
.

 

That sounds about right.. I pay much less (marginal night rate is .049 midpeak is .09), but don't forget about the fixed costs (which I allocate based on total share of the $$ in the bill) and taxes. (gas prices include tax).

But yes miles per dollar are often better than miles per gallong.. (and if you are around the average than MPGe is often a decent approximation to cost equivalent as well as energy equivalent, at least for EV).

 

The EPA says 360 wh of energy are paid for on a customer's electric bill to travel one mile. Your kwh (1000 wh) costs 12 cents. So the calc is 12*.36 = 4.32 cents a mile

93 miles will cost 93*.0432 = four dollars ... and a penny.

 

I added this to my earlier post:

Addendum: I calculated two different MPG numbers
The first range of 55 - 58 is mpg in pure petrol miles
The second range of 87 - 91.7 includes ("free," as in no petrol use) electric miles.

Use the first number for petrol efficiency
Use the second number for averted petrol consumption, compared to another car.
Use 219 wh/mile for pure EV efficiency

 

Kill-A-Watt

Tracksyde, Which Kill-A-Watt model do you have?

Last week I ordered and received today their model P4400.
From p3international.com. Shame that it's Made in China.
I got it on Amazon, $19.99 with no shipping cost.
Simply to use.
Hopefully, my PIP will arrive next week.

Do others have a Kill-A-Watt, what model or what other device to measure kwh?

 

Re: Kill-A-Watt

I've got a Kill A Watt that I've had for several years. I just pulled it out of the cabinet. It's a Model P4400. Since it's been a while since I bought it, I don't remember what I paid for it, but I believe it was around $20. My PiP will arrive in about 3 weeks, so I plan on using the Kill A Watt. The only problem is there are several public Level-2 charging stations around and I plan on using them. I don't know if they record the power usage. I'll find out soon.