Confused: Why does estimated EV miles keep dropping?

Dan, it may not be the battery, although that is possible.
The range listed is an estimate based on how you drive.
In addition, cold temps can have an effect.
If you could post some additional information about yourself there are a number of people here that would be happy to help.

 

Den, I am really sorry to hear that you are having trouble with the EV range and the dealer. There are many factors which can lower your estimate. Do you live close to the highway and begin your commute on the highway each day? Do you live close to a canyon and begin your commute uphill each day? Has the weather been getting colder in the last 2 months since you purchased the car?

Have you tried resetting your trip computer to zero before each trip and see how the actual range compares to the estimate you are seeing on the screen?

There is something called "rebooting" which you can do at your own discretion. The warning with this is that it may reset your radio presets and various other data that has been collected since you got the car. But it will also reset the way your EV range is calculated, and will use the default calculation. The one that showed you 13 miles when you first got the car. To do this you unhook the negative cable from the battery for a short period of time, and then reconnect it.

It will get your estimate back up, but if your specific driving pattern demands more power either for uphill, high speeds, or other reasons, it will fall back down. But at least you can know that your battery capacity is still the same as when you bought it.

 

I think you should research how the car works before you make inflammatory posts like this. It is understandable that you are disappointed in what you perceive to be a problem with the car but a quick search of this forum or a simple question could have informed you that you have nothing to worry about OR it would have provided you with the tools you need to seek corrective action.

 

It's all in how you drive Your car. If you Drive with a heavy foot, the range will decrease. I Have over 6,200 miles and had a charge range a couple of days ago of 16.7 miles.

 

Sounds like a simple solution to me & that nothing is really wrong. This is just the same as any comparison from different drivers with the same car getting different mpg ratings.

 

Dan I agr

Dan I agree. I love the car but having the same issue. I have tried to drive slow etc. no help

 

My estimated range dipped down into the 10's. At one point, it had returned to the 13's. Now it's back into the 12's.

That EV value is based entirely upon your own particular driving conditions experienced. And now that it's getting cold out, the odds of seeing high numbers are more likely.

In my case, the drop came from a trip up north. There was lots of inefficient driving (highway with bikes on the back) and no opportunity to recharge. The system adjusted accordingly to take that into account. New owners don't understand that, especially in this case when so few miles have been driven. They assume something is wrong.

The advice we have to give to those new owners convinced that the system isn't working correctly is to have them focus on MPG results instead. After all, Prius PHV is a plug-in hybrid, not an EV. Even when the engine runs, you still get great efficiency. My lifetime after as of 11,500 miles is 81 MPG. What's wrong with that? So what if it isn't all electric? That isn't the goal.

 

Try to learn how to drive efficiently. Driving slow isn't the only technique. Sometimes what you think is the most efficient way to drive really isn't.

My guess is the people who cannot get the higher numbers would also get low mpg numbers in a non-PIP.

 

Den,

As others have posted, the "EV range" is a dynamic estimate of how far you might be able to travel using the battery. It is NOT a battery gauge. In my case, I get a wide swing in the "EV range" depending on the past few miles of travel. If I just drove downhill, getting 6 miles per kWh, my "EV range" goes up. When I turn around for the return trip and go uphill, I get about 3+ miles per kWh and the "EV range" estimates go down faster than the odometer.

If your first 10-15 miles each day is uphill, your "EV range" estimate will decrease, but your battery is probably not faulty and the distance you actually travel on EV is probably the same today as it was 2 months ago (unless it has gotten significantly colder).

If you are like many folks, your daily weekday drive is the same route. Are you running out of EV at about the same place today as you were two months ago?

If you want to learn more about what to expect, try using this tool to understand how much EV your driving route can take, and see the effect of downhill versus uphill travel.

jurassictest.ch/GR/

In summary, the battery is not faulty, the estimating of EV range isn't perfect.

 

Den, as others have said the gauge estimates EV range based on your driving environment and style. For example, I did a hypermile, efficiency run in my Volt yesterday and was able to drive over 61 miles on battery! This morning I was "rewarded" with a 47 miles estimate on my battery gauge which typically is 42-44miles.

Other than my Volt, it's been my experience that I need a very, very tenderfoot to even get close to EPA estimates in any other car I've owned. As they say, YMMV (your mileage may very).

 

Den, please do report back if the explanation and the tips helped you.

 

I put in theses variables for my route to work 35.48 mph
2.7 kw usable 3.06 @ kill a watt with .9 miles before charging
curb weight 1435
range: ampera, 11.80 miles 13.67 miles
leaf, 10.56 miles 12.4 miles
imiev, 10.56 miles 11.80 miles
tesla, 11.18 miles 12.4 miles
think city, 9.941 miles 11.18 miles

 

God, another one of these threads?!

Im surprised we havent seen a thread titled:
"Help, my car keeps using fuel! I thought this was an electric car!!! Wth!"

LMAO!!

 

you forgot to putin

 

the leaf comes closest to my summertime EV range, so I use that. in my jurrasictest scenario.

 

Yes, going by more recent thread submissions, I think this is a real sentiment amongst some new owners.

 

This will happen over and over and over again for the next year or so... since new owners make assumptions.

The real-world data will help a lot. Shifting focus over to results... MPG ...simply takes awhile.

It will settle down eventually.

 

I do not believe anyone has congratulated Den for getting a PiP. Congrats, Den. I hope this discussion enable you to enjoy your PiP better and tap its full potential.