Attached are some of my best MPG trips. I find that turning the ac down or completely off works best. Also before I know I have to brake, I drain the battery a bit followed by acceleration before I long break. Accelerating before you brake increases the efficiency because the engine has already begun the charging process for you. So basically I try to make sure that I'm not in EV with cold brakes before i brake charge the battery.
So you use EV, drain the battery, accelerate enough to get the gas motor to kick in while you're braking? Do you take off in EV, or let the gas engine get you up to speed? Excellent numbers!
No no. Say I'm driving a four mile road hypothetically. For the first two miles i Get to EV mode as much as I can to drain about half the battery. ( obviously when you accelerate you have to use engine) in the 3rd mile I use the gas engine to accelerate just as you normally would drive. Which get it up a bar or two. On the last mile I brake and the Chargers are already warm and ready to go. I try to make sure I'm accelerate charging for at least 20 seconds for it to be worth it. I don't accelerate just because I'm going to brake soon
Thanks! The car has been above and beyond my expectations. It's fun learning how to take advantage of the hybrid system.
At what ambient temperatures and what type of varying elevation are you achieving these values? what is the average speed per trip?
Sure, so just to clarify this is not a good technique for highway driving. This is a technique for city and stop and go traffic, you should be able anticipate possible stops and accelerate accordingly. I'm pretty good about doing the speed limit 45,50, 55 when other cars around and I accelerate normal. The main key is when you are gas charging your battery through acceleration to find the throttle point that is low enough to keep the engine on but high enough to stay out of EV. The Atkin cycle engine will run at its most efficient rate and also charge your battery at the same time! (Amazing) This spot is right below the EV range on the Eco bar display. (I'm sure you know what I'm taking about.) I find that doing this you can keep a steady increase in acceleration and You will find that after keeping the throttle at the right point the Prius will charge your battery to peak performance levels (the system runs most effeceint with a %90 battery.) and will switch to EV mode once ready. Once in EV mode I start the brake charging. You can decide what top speed you accelerate to. Obviously the lower the better but traffic conditions don't always permit. Using this acceleration technique allows you to accelerate faster to even above speed limit until the system hits its peak battery level. Also, With the new Prius you are able to drive in all EV mode and much higher speed 55-65. I use this to discharge the battery when I know for sure I'm not stopping soon. And I'll discharge to around half or what ever the traffic permits.
Usually 70-90 recently here in south Florida. There are no hills. City Traffic on average is 25- 35 MPH depending on the day. I wouldn't say I'm a slow driver, just cautious and understand when lights are going to turn.
Believe these or not I've been driving around all day and below are my trips Using this method from today only. You will see the temperatures between 70-80
I can say yes, it's been 5000 miles now and it has gotten better. Could be the way I'm driving though
Also, After you're done braking and you have the ability to immediately Accelerate, use the gas instead of EV because this will just continue the charging cycle while your brakes are hot. There could be stored regenerative energy that has not been used because electricity is transferred to the battery in cycles not continuously. So it's best to continue engine charging after breaking unless your charged up completely. You can tell the difference by watching the energy monitor Ev after full battery.
This is really a high MPG - was the engine warm? did it warm up at all when you took it for the last trip? 77F/25C is a pretty comfy temp to achieve a record fuel consumption - wish I lived in a place where it is over 70F/20C most of the year...
70s are a cool day for us. Mostly 80s. It makes a huge difference when you can crack a window and not run the ac
The engine wasn't completely warm. I started the trip after the car was sitting for 2 hours. (Played nine holes) The battery was charged up