Other techniques besides P&G?

have you pumped up your tyres?

 

When I need to coast, I shift into "N". Otherwise, I drive on cruse control using the lowest speed of the vehicle I'm following . . . and I look for slow vehicles to follow.

Bob Wilson

 

and he has a large 'magnet'.

 

When you are doing P&G, the secret to it is this. When you pulse, use the maximum amount of the HSI Indicator without entering the Power Zone. Make sure you glide a LONG time over a LONG distance. Only then will begin to see the big numbers. In order to do that you have to be on a road where there is little traffic. Best habit is to go with the flow, and only P&G when no one is behind you. Depending on your route, your technique will vary as you make your trips along with traffic at that time. Here in Texas we use the MPH system unlike where you are. So you would have to convert the numbers I will throw at you.

Here are examples of speeds I use when doing P&G.

On a 30 MPH limit road I will pulse very quickly up to the target of 32 MPH, then immediately go into a glide and glide to at least 23 or lower.
35 MPH road - pulse to 38, then glide to 25 or lower.
40 MPH road - pulse to 43, then glide to 30 or lower.
45 MPH to 50 MPH - pulse to two MPH over limit, then feather the pedal until the HSI is just about even with the right side of the ECO logo on the HSI. When I do this the Prius will gradually slow down and the HSI indicator will gradually move to the left side of the middle line. By that time the speed has dropped three or four MPH, then I will quickly accelerate back up to the target and feather again. This technique is pretty much what SHM is all about. I look at the instantaneous read out and usually see somewhere between 75 to 95 MPG when doing the SHM.
At 55 or higher, depending on my mood I might use CC if the roads are flat. But if it is real hilly I will simply use the foot feed as the CC is too aggressive on steep hills and pushes the HSI into the power area too often wasting fuel.
Now if I am in stop and go traffic, I then EV without being in EV Mode. I am still doing P&G, but trying to use the least amount of battery possible. If I do need a boost of power, I won't hesitate to use the ICE.

I am also one who will NOT use the A/C unless it is real hot. If I am by myself, I will run with the windows down until it reaches 94 outside. If I am on the highway, then the A/C comes on and the windows go up. When I use the A/C, I don't use AUTO mode. I set the temp at 76 or 78 and don't run the fan wide open. Even on a 100 degree day, I am comfortable. The windows are tinted with 3M tint, so it does make a difference. Of course during the Winter the temp will be a little lower than 76 or 78...

Wayne Gerdes is the fore runner when it comes to P&G. There is a link in my signature file below that links to the article. Discusses all the different techniques and also explains how far one must pulse and how far one must glide to get certain MPG out of the Prius. I regularly see 50's, 75's and close to 100 on the five minute graph when P&G on the back roads. Plenty of them to use. The key to it is to not be in a hurry. I don't work any more, so driving is not a daily grind for me. I go to the doctors, grocery stores, and whatever else I need to do that day.

Sounds like your numbers are pretty good. Trip MPG really does not tell you much. The true tell all is over several tanks. Trip B on my Prius shows 55.7 MPG for just over 1450 miles. Best tank so far as per my fuelly is 56.8.



Best of luck to you,
Ron (dorunron)

 

Traffic lights, stop and go, are real MPG killers. You can't drive yourself nuts trying to do it but if you can time traffic lights it will help a lot.

 

You might read: Efficient driving for a 1,000 mile tank | PriusChat

Burned 10.9 gallons in this driving stunt using cruise control and shifting into "N" when the energy flows showed wheels-to-traction battery flow.

Bob Wilson

 

My strategy is to avoid running the ICE when it will be inefficient. On uphills if the CC will push the HSI into PWR I slow down until I can keep the HSI in ECO (CC forcing you in PWR is pretty rare.) The more frequent scenario is when the HSI is at or below the midpoint (level or downhill), in these cases I glide or try to use the electric motor. This is producing an indicated 3.5 l/100 km with minimal effort, I'm mostly on CC

 

This is a bit cliche but I've realised the best way to drive it is normally.

I actually realised it takes a lot of effort to beat the prius at the mpg game. I can using p&g keeping speed right down and gliding to much slower speeds than the posted mph limits.

All you need is heightened awareness

It's only 3 things for me

1) get up to speed quite quickly, using pwr zone for higher speeds and back off as you reach speed

2) very very delicate throttle use to maintain speeds. CC if it's dead flat and for hills maybe a squirt of throttle on the flat and maintain a steady load even if speed bleeds off

3) slowing down by trying to drive without brakes. Read the road, check traffic behind, begin to bleed off 1-2mph before you can even see the junction sometimes, move into a glide when it feels right and switch to regen braking if you need to. I usually have to braking from higher speeds eg 50mph and above.

All together and I'm exceeding the manufacturer average of 71mpg UK.

I just did a 110mile motorway commute last night. I achieved an incredible 67.5mpg. I actually just drove normally and was hitting 73-77mph on cruise but 55mph truck drafting helped as traffic built up. Averaged nearly 100mpg over about 8 miles.

Keep the awareness up, be gentle with throttle and glide to junctions as much as possible. Only other thing I do is don't cheat the ev under 40mph. Don't force battery on. Don't try to exhaust it unless it can't be helped like being stuck in slow traffic.

Oh and I also allow the car to warm up for 1 min if I'm setting off on faster roads from cold.

Actually the other thing was, keep a steady speed when following traffic, if that means a bigger gap. It's bad to keep slowing down and speeding up. Also don't be tempted to glide when over 50-55mph because wind resistance is so great.

 

There is something to be said about just driving the darn thing
When I drove it carelessly from the dealer in Dusseldorf Germany to Brindisi Italy and then to Greece I got around 5.4 l/100km or 43.5 US mpg, but I was flying on avg 120-140 kph, traffic permitting, and absolutely no attention was paid to fuel economy. Considering we left the dealer in Dusseldorf on Tue 4:30pm, stopped to see Germany humiliate Brazil 7-1 (we made more food, beverage and gas stops) and then made it to Brindisi on Wed 6:30pm just in time to get some food and get on the 8pm ferry to Greece, I was pleased to see the still reasonable fuel consumption. That was with 36 psi all around, rain throughout Germany, and cold! When we flew from Greece Tue morning it was 35C... we hit 9C through some sections of Germany/Austria at night! It was strange to have to turn on the heater in the middle of summer.

 

To the OP, if you're getting around 3.6~3.7 liters per 100 km, I'd call it good. Is this calculated? Either way...

I'm happy with summertime tanks coming in around 4.3~4.4 (calculated), lol. Our's has the 17" tires, that's a factor I guess.

 

I p and g everywhere in my normal daily driving. Now when I leave to go to work in the morning I will jump on a 50 mph road from my subdivision and have to accelerate as much as I want cause the engine is cold and won't get good MPG anyways so I get some heat in the engine so I can get good mpg on the next road I turn on and will start to P and G. Only time I don't is when I have to get on highway or interstate roads, then MPG concerns go out the window and I am driving at whatever speed I feel comfortable with and cruise control on, I would rather get 48-50 mpg at 77 or 78 mph, than go for 60 some mpg at 60 mph on the interstate. I have done both and the cost savings just isn't worth it to me compared to the time savings over many hours of driving. It's like $5-6 diff over a 500 mile trip at approx 3.50 per gallon

 

Correct me if I am wrong. Aren't your gallons over there across the pond from me larger than over here in the USA? That would help to explain why your numbers are much higher than those of us over here. Sounds like your numbers are great, and IMO your techniques are great too. I too believe in "Driving Without Brakes". Scanning the roadway ahead and making adjustments really does make the numbers go up. What really kills the MPG more than anything is the A/C compressor even if it is electric.

Ron

 

I P&G in two situations: city driving with lots of lights, and rural driving with rolling hills.

In the city I accelerate to low 40s mph and then glide to the next light;
In rural driving I use petrol power to get up the hill, and glide down. In this case the speed does not change but the P&G effect is the same.

So long as my speeds are below 45 mph and the weather is nice I expect fuel economy over 70 MPG_US in our Prius v(agon) if traffic is light. If there is very little to no traffic I manage about 80 - 85 MPG in round trips over 15 miles and one engine warm-up.

 

Yes sir, imperial gallons are larger and my averages are equivalent to your 56-59mpg. However my highway mileage is lower, more like 54-55mpg US.

 

You are doing very good.

 

Enjoy that sort of behaviour while you can. If you get hooked on the mpg game, that'll become impossible to do.

You guys are still doing good, especially running AC.