I got my 2012 Plug In Prius last January. After a full charge, the display would show 11.8 electric miles.Recently I saw this number drop to 9.2 electric miles after a full charge. I have driven 3250 miles.Today, the system was telling me that after a full charge, the electric range was only 8.7 electric miles.I know the electric range may vary depending on may different factors, and the capacity of the battery will decrease over time (although not 2.5 electric miles in 3 months ) but Im concern about this since the readings the system shows are taken immediately after charging, right before even drive it.Any advise ?
Thanks guys. So, basically, its not abattery issue, but just he way the computer calculates how long would that charge will last... interesting... If so, should I expect that number to vary from time to time? right?
Same confusion here. Mine seems to have bottomed out at 9.6miles. Going back up slightly. I'm still able to make my 9.8 mile commute in EV mode with a charge on both ends. Will be interesting to see what summer temperatures and more experience on my part brings.
Also, you're in a cold weather state- the cold temps really make a difference in charge/range duration. When I got my PIP last Oct- my EV range was in the 12 mi range, as soon as the temps started dropping- so did my EV range. It went all the way down to 9.3 mi over the winter. Since the weather started warming up a bit around here- my EV range estimate has progressed back up to 10 mi again, I expect it to get back up to the 11-12 mi range once temps don't dip below 50 deg at night.
Don't blend. If you do, the electricity used together with the gas engine is not counted toward EV mile. Switch to HV mode, if you need to accelerate quicker. This way, the gas engine will replenish the battery charge (to maintain the level at the point of mode switch).
This is a graph of a Gen 1 Prius over time so you can see the effects of weather. http://john1701a.com/prius/documents/Prius-2001_MPG_Graphs_Lifetime.pdf As you see, his mileage forms a kind of sine wave with temperature, gaining in the summer and losing in the winter. With a dozen years of experience to guide us, we can promise better mileage with warmer weather, but pity poor John1701a, who has purchased the first year Prius and the first 5 months he owns it the mileage gets worse every month. It is amazing he had not sold it by January 2002. (My mileage is improving each tank as spring comes to Mississippi. I will have a minor dip in the heat of summer as my AC use 'wins' over warmer weather)
I think it is important not to get caught up in a bookkeeping game. One can "game" the EV/HV statistics reported on the display by switching between HV and EV mode in the "right" situations, but these games (in general) don't effect the actual miles per gallon of gasoline. They just let you feel good by seeing impressive numbers on the display.
That makes sense with respect to trying to game the display of EV miles available. The more (or less) miles you can go on EV for this trip, the more (or less) miles the display thinks you can go the next time. However, for mileage when considering use of the large PIP traction battery, its most effective to use EV on the flat and downhill and use HV (ICE running) uphill. Once the battery is low enough that you only have the "basic" Prius HV/EV operation, the computer takes care of deciding when to use each mode at which time you can apply the other well known "tricks".
After reading this, I got in my car for the morning commute. My EV capacity was 9.6 miles. I got on the freeway and drove 13.1 miles until the engine started. Traffic was heavy, so my speed stayed around 45 MPH. Overall, I drove 38.3 miles at 99 MPG.
I'm starting to think there are 2012 lemons out there. Not the kind you can return but the kind that don't perform as well. After a month in New England the worst EV read I've gotten was 12.1 after charging fully. Good driving had me getting an actual 13 - again at worst and this was in daily temps of 25-39 degrees. Now spring is here and my reading is 12.4-12.8 with my actual being usually 14 or so. I'm not btw switching between EV and HV - ever as almost every trip I make is local and within range. now at 85% EV and thats skewed as the dealer put 20 gas miles on