Gas mileage in bumper-to-bumper traffic

Ignore them

 

Not much you can do if it's just stupidly slow-moving, and if you need air conditioning. The battery gets used up slowly as the car is on. (Put some music on I guess.) But if you know you won't be moving for a few minutes, then you could shut the car off and turn it back on when traffic moves.

 

MPG's will be lower due to less distance traveled. You're not idling the engine, so you know you aren't wasting fuel.
Just try to use the EV mode as much as possible and don't worry about what the MPG readout says during low speed
stop and go traffic.
How could MPG's be higher when you are moving slow, covering less distance ??? M=MILES P=PER G=GALLON.

Miles traveled is the key to your conundrum

 

Stay in the right lane. I have noticed that traffic moves smoother in the right lane. Big trucks seem to slow down the rush to rabbit start. Drivers in the right lane also don't seem to be in as much of a hurry. After all if you want to pass a slower moving car all you have to do is move to the fast lane. Let them be impatient in the fast lane.

I have also noticed there will always be someone looking at their lap (cell phone) that will be 6 car lengths behind the car in front of them before they notice the light has changed. You can easily move into their lane to move smoothly ahead in traffic. Leave the rabbit starts and stops to the SUV's that get 12 MPG.

 

No real need to do this - the engine shuts off automatically when you're stopped (unless the battery is low, in which case the engine will charge it some and then shut off)

 

Following a semi on the right lane is an easy way to deter tailgaters. They usually leave you alone. I get better mpg in rush hour traffic and not just because I have a PiP. I make sure none of my momentum is wasted on braking or regen.

 

Hmm....that's strange to me. In my standard Prius, I usually get phenomenal gas mileage in "traffic jam" like conditions.

If the engine is warmed up, and the battery decently charged it should be running on full battery in conditions like that which should return fantastic gas mileage. Of course it does all average out, as the more you use the battery, the more it will eventually recharge. But at least for me, I can go 40+ mph on the electric motor alone so the HSD seems almost "intelligently designed" to do fantastic in those type of conditions.

One of the aspects of Prius ownership I find myself appreciating is the ability to "enjoy" a traffic jam. Something much more relaxing about being stuck in traffic, if your engine isn't running and fuel isn't being burned.

 

Use the EV only for a little more oomph.... and like others have stated... get behind a semi... they take off slower.

 

No wonder you get stopped every day.

 

My grandparents live in rural Ohio and when I went to visit them one day they told me that I was experiencing their rush hour... there were 6 cars sitting at the traffic light... My grandfather told me that we'd be a the light for about 10 minutes because of the traffic.

 

I like the idea of changing your driving route. if the new route is a little longer and / or less traffic then your MPG may improve. What you are looking for is a route just a few miles longer but has fewer total stops. if you can average on your engine shutoff trip report screen an average speed between 22 - 30 mph then you should solve your problem. The key is a new traffic route with as few stops as possible. I live in the desert with little traffic. I have 1,685 miles total on my car in 11 months of driving. My average speed total for that distance (1,685) on my trip B meter is 22 mph. my total MPG is about 60.1 MPG. MY BEST RECORD WAS 124 MPG. You may ask how did he know he got 124 MPG when the digital screen only goes to 99.9. There is a simple math equation to compute it when cost per gal - cost per trip and distance of trip are displayed on the engine shut down trip report screen... The reason for the low 22 mph number is I live in a small desert town and simply have no need for high speed freeway driving. YES, I LOVE MY CAR!

 

I find if you can keep the battery from draining too much and coast/regen as much as you can in traffic you'll get your best mpg(as good as it gets anyway). For me i was finding the AC was draining the battery very quickly when stuck in traffic on a hot day so i started using eco mode and depending on the situation and how long i'll be in traffic/how hot it is out, i will just turn off the ac/climate control and open the windows. I've been in traffic with the ac on where the battery will repeatedly get to its lowest point(2 bars on the v) and the gas engine will come on just to recharge it, so the prius will idle in traffic just like any other car if your battery gets too low.

 

Shut the AC off, roll the window down, light a stick, turn on some nice tunes. Thats how i did it and got meself 30KM/L (70 ish MPG) covering 60km and half of it in deadlock traffic getting home from work the past 3 days.. a constant 65-70 MPG every time. I stick below 90kmh when it's clear, it's city roads so 90 is max legal anyway. Gonna get the vids up soon.

Travelled home in the morning (night shifts) and it was 23 c, so never use the ac at all. A stick of ciggy always gets the temper low every time someone is fighting for lanes. Got home with 30KM/L and average speed of 55kmh, 1 hour + of travel, all is good kekeke. Of course I nver could get a good average per tank.. i screw up my tank average from 28km/l down to 24km/l when i was rushing to pick my dad from the airport and was flying at 180kmh, the car only did 16KM/L (37MPG) when speeding over 100mph.

 

FAG SUCKER!!! Sorry... I can't help myself with the puns sometimes....

 

When I'm driving any vehicle in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I keep my eyes on the car four of five cars ahead. When he moves, I get ready to start moving. When he looks like he'll have to slow down, I make sure I'm coasting.

Rather than oscillating between 0 and 10 mph (gas/brake/gas/brake), take it easy and go a constant 4 mph. You'll save gas for the guy riding your bumper, too.