OK, so I have gotten close to empty the last two time's before refilling. (not by choice) The question I would like to toss out to everyone is... how many miles (on average) does everyone get on that last gasp of fuel? To tell the truth, I've been chickening out at 5 miles. Have others gone farther without having to walk the rest of the way?
Hard to say, 50 is probably safe 95% of the time, but occasionally you'll run out before that depending on your usage and how much was filled and terrain. Many have gone 100+, but that's definately risky.
so, for you posters stating the number of miles you have left before chickening out... how do you know (or are you estimating) the number of miles you have left? My other car, '03 Passat does have a "miles left" estimation on the instrument panel, but I haven't seen such a monster in my new Prius. Sorry to be dim... :huh:
CANVIEW give gas gauge reading in percent. average tank level when the last bar started blinking has been about 12-14%. in the winter, i figure about 5 miles per 1% so, 50 miles is definitely doable. HOWEVER, your mileage may vary. i will say one thing... my all time tank will be going down this summer as i will have a lot more confidence to go farther after the blinking starts. in my blog, i talked about when the gas gauge actually went to zero because i didnt do my math right. made it to the gas station without any problems but for the 4 miles that the gauge read 0%... i was a bit concerned...
I concur about 12% of the total tank when the blinking starts. I only ran it down another 15 miles but down and up a significant hill.. charge up to 76% at the bottom of the hill.
I thought that I read in the manual for my '05 that once the fuel gets REALLY low ther will be a message that comes on screen. I don't have the manual handy but can someone confirm this? I've only received the blinking rectangle and probably drove about 15 - 20 miles on it before refueling.
not really. there is a low fuel warning on the MFD that displays for about 3 seconds when the bar first starts blinking and for 3 seconds on every startup after that until filled again.
"Is there any further warning after the MFD message and flashing last square? " Yes. The engine stops.
I've been measureing how far I can go on the blinking bar (with trip B ), and it's been ~50 (90 miles yesterday) so far. Take into account that: o I get ~ 47MPG o it's ~60F here o almost spilling fillups o trip A has been < 500 miles I estimate I should be able to reach 530 total miles safely under most conditions without running out. But I only do this because I'm surrounded by gas stations on my commute, and I do not take the carpool lane when I'm in this state. ymmv.
Yes take a look at : http://priuschat.com/CAN-view-sales-t12236.html for some of the information. The CAN View gives you information on the inner workings of the car and that is growing. If you are interested go to http://www.hybridinterfaces.ca/ for more information. The % reading for the tank is just the beginning, but even that needs to be tempered by experience and observation.
Your mileage may vary....... Every fillup and tank is different. DON'T PUSH IT!! First prius, second tank; light came on and I went 60 miles before filling - no problem. First prius, fourth tank; light came on and engine quit around 5 miles, in the carpool lane 70 mph on a unfamiliar busy L.A. freeway. (floor it, merge right and yell "gas" to that wonderful NAV-- 2 min later we are guided, refueled and on our way) Second prius, light on, straight to station and put in 11 gallons! scary! Last week due to the cold i refilled at 1/4 tank and could only put in 3 gallons! Did my grocery shopping and .2 mile later put in 4.5 gallons ! I give up on measuring or bothering with any fuel details, Just keep her mostly full.
