PIP High Mileage Driving Techniques?

Hi Ultraturtle:

I think you'll be the 3rd Pip in GA!

On my trip home from VA Beach, i took US roads at a slower pace thru small towns. Gave me an unhurried chance to play with the features and get used to the car.

I'd say a lot of the long distance techniques from prev generations apply for getting good mileage.

I made it a point to leave about 2 ev miles on the display, keep the speed off-freeway to 55. Over the first 500 miles, i could see the ev go up to 2.6 and back down to 2. That over largely level coastal plain of east NC.

I ended up w 61.1 mpg calculated on that first tank, with ac going most of the time.

If u have the time, stay off the freeway. If u cant, try going as slow as traffic allows without getting runover.

Use the cruise control too when safe.

Congrats!


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Once EV is mostly gone, it's essentially a Gen III, although in my opinion with slightly better regen capability (probably due to Li-Ion). If stopping for an hour or so, hunt down an outlet to charge, as topping off the battery is what's going to get you up into that high mpg category!

I agree with saving 2 or so EV miles for your next off freeway stop etc.

Enjoy!

 

Hey,

We're the GA PiP Pioneers!.
For long distance, all the typical stuff applies.
As soon as I leave the dealer,
I plan on inflating my tires to 42f/40r
Topping off the tank so I know the first tank baseline is really full
As with any Prius, speed is crucial for great gas mileage. 65mph or less is gonna give the best result, (I bet 60mph will return 70+MPG in this car) but in the end its all personal preference, safety, time, etc.

See ya on I-85.

 

GA has never been hybrid friendly when it comes to tax incentives and HOV lane access. Traditionally if the car used any gasoline, it didn't qualify for alternative fuel status. But I will look again in regards to PiP !

 

This may require some interaction with your state legislator and the GA EPD.

We might have to show them the display on the Plug-in that says 120mpg!

The OCGA (Official Code of GA Annotated) 40-2-86.1 sup para L-7 states:

(7) (A) A special license plate to be issued for alternative fueled vehicles, which license plate shall be similar in design to the license plate issued to all other residents of the state except that the commissioner shall place a distinctive logo or emblem on the license plate which shall distinguish the vehicle as an alternative fueled vehicle eligible to travel in travel lanes designated for such vehicles under paragraph (4) of subsection (a) of Code Section 32-9-4. The words "alternative fueled vehicle" shall be imprinted on such special license plate in lieu of the county name decal. The funds raised by the sale of this license plate shall be deposited in the general fund.

(B) As used in this paragraph, the term:

(i) "Alternative fuel" means methanol, denatured ethanol, and other alcohols; mixtures containing 85 percent or more or such other percentage, but not less than 70 percent, as determined by the United States secretary of energy, by rule as it existed on January 1, 1997, to provide for requirements relating to cold start, safety, or vehicle functions, by volume of methanol, denatured ethanol, and other alcohols with gasoline or other fuels; natural gas; liquefied petroleum gas; hydrogen; coal derived liquid fuels; fuels other than alcohol derived from biological materials; electricity including electricity from solar energy; and any other fuel the United States secretary of energy determined by rule as it existed on January 1, 1997, is substantially not petroleum and would yield substantial energy security benefits and substantial environmental benefits.

(ii) "Alternative fueled vehicle" means:

(I) Any vehicle fueled by alternative fuel as defined in division (i) of this subparagraph; or

(II) A hybrid vehicle, which means a motor vehicle which draws propulsion energy from onboard sources of stored energy which include an internal combustion or heat engine using combustible fuel and a rechargeable energy storage system; and, in the case of a passenger automobile or light truck, means for any 2000 and later model, a vehicle which has received a certificate of conformity under the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. Section 7401, et seq., and meets or exceeds the equivalent qualifying California low-emission vehicle standard under Section 243(e)(2) of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. Section 7583(c)(2), for that make and model year or, for any 2004 and later model, a vehicle which has received a certificate that such vehicle meets or exceeds the Bin 5 Tier II emission level established in regulations prescribed by the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under Section 202(i) of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. Section 7521(i), for that make and model year vehicle and which achieves a composite label fuel economy greater than or equal to 1.5 times the Model Year 2002 EPA composite class average for the same vehicle class and which is made by a manufacturer.

 

My mistake. You wrote tag, I read tax......
Here is the alternative fuel tax rebate issue. Clearly no Hybrids....

Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) Tax Credit
An income tax credit is available for 10% of the cost to purchase or lease a new dedicated AFV or to convert a vehicle to operate solely on an alternative fuel, up to $2,500 per vehicle. Qualified vehicles must meet emissions standards defined by the Georgia Board of Natural Resources. Eligible alternative fuels include natural gas, propane, hydrogen, coal derived liquid fuels, fuels other than alcohol derived from biological materials, and electricity. Any portion of the credit not used in the year the AFV is purchased or converted may be carried over for up to five years. This incentive does not apply to hybrid electric vehicles. (Reference Georgia Code 48-7-40.16)


What benefit is there to a AFV tag?

 

And here is current tag interpretation.....not applicable to Plug-ins, but that could change...


According to representatives at the Air Protection Branch of the Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the only vehicles that qualify for the Alternative Fueled Vehicle License plate in the state of Georgia are those rated as "Zero Emissions".


The low-speed Wheego Whip does not qualify for this tag, but the full-speed Wheego Whip LiFe does qualify. The i-MiEV will also qualify for this,however hybrids do not meet the requirements.Plug-in electrics with gasoline range extenders like the Volt currently do not meet the State requirements, however, having been added on December 1, 2010 to the ?alternative energy and advanced technology vehicle? list by the Federal government, Georgia?s stance on the Volt could change in the near future.

Benefits of Qualifying for the Alternative Fuel tags:

Unrestricted use of the HOV lanes in Georgia, regardless of the number of people riding in the vehicle
No annual emissions test required
Possible qualification for additional tax credits from the state of Georgia
Spread the word about Alternative Fuels
Help Reduce Smog in Atlanta

 

It would almost be nice if the title of this thread could be changed!

 

Very good point. Does this criteria restrict a regular Prius?

We should apply for the tag.

I could really use that kind of unrestrictedf HOV/HOT lane access.

 

+1 on that!

 

The obvious one, of course, is to reserve EV mode for city driving and use HV for highway, if that can be arranged during the commute. But, I am sure most people know that one.

 

After playing around with different strategies on my commute, I've come to some tentative conclusions. First, it's important to deplete your EV range as arriving home with EV range is using gas unnecessarily. Second, EV range should be used first for surface streets, second for highway steady state driving, and lastly just turned on all the time if you have EV range to burn.

I think that accelerating up to highway speeds in EV mode burns lots of range for little gas savings. So my current strategy is to switch to HV mode to accelerate to highway speeds, then back to EV mode for highway cruising (if there is more EV range than can be used on surface streets).

 

i'm p&g ing in ev. i don't think it does anything. might even be detrimental. can't help it tho, 8 years of driving a gen II.

 

I wouldn't expect pulse and glide to do anything in EV. I believe the point of the pulse was to put all ICE power to the wheels, which avoids battery charge/discharge losses, then the glide is to keep the engine off (while again avoiding battery charge/discharge losses). In EV mode, there is no ICE power to efficiently use for the pulse, and the engine is already off.

But I understand coming from a Gen2 as well. I was doing it initially too. And I'm having difficulty w/ pulse and glide in HV mode w/ the Plug-in.

 

it's nearly (if not totally) impossible on the gen III. i think the car does it for you, that's one way they improved the epa numbers over the gen II.