Consistently low mpg - Battery issue?

im in florida and with the heat I find the batteries to have issues northern states don't have.. under 35 mpg on a prius is a joke ..I get worried when I see under 42mpg and I have an 08.. I think you are on the right track with a weak battery but if its under warranty id call Toyota customer service and let them authorize a replacement. its not going to get better as it ages.

 

A weak 12v battery shouldn't matter much. The inverter provides all of the 12v power once it is in Ready or Ig-on.
A weak traction battery is another matter.

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your battery is close to dead. and when it is weak, needs to be constantly recharged by the hybrid battery which needs to be recharged by the ice running more.

many reports here of people replacing a weak battery and seeing increase in mpg's.
replace yours before you get stranded somewhere.

 

Beachbummm

Comparing the MPG of a lighter hatchback Prius to the MPG from a station wagon shaped, heavier, differently geared v is apples and oranges and not very helpful to the determination of what may be different about the OP's experience with his v.

 

You could be right about the traction battery.
I am no expert, so I am just throwing this out. Those numbers are close to cold weather numbers, or the ICE is not warming up. Is it possible the coolant thermostat is stuck open. It wouldn't matter on a long trip, where you are getting good miles, but on short trips, the engine never quite warms up, so the car doesn't kick into electric drive.

Just a thought.....

 

Here are a couple of shots of my dashboard on a routine trip - outside temperature was 88F. The first picture is immediately after powering on the car - notice the battery at 2 pips and the ICE is on.

3 minutes later, I am leaving my building's garage. The battery shows 3 pips and the car is in EV mode.

In typical city driving, I rarely see the battery at more than 5 of 8 pips. Also notice, my tank mpg of 36. This is the same tank where my wife logged 48 mpg on a mostly-highway excursion in the first 80 miles.

 

was the AC on when she logged 48mpg?
that's the biggest draw on the battery but it still should not drop that much with it on..
think a trip to the dealer for testing would be in order, might get a free replacement battery

 

great pics, it's definitely your commute, no worries.

 

I had my Prius v serviced yesterday, and asked to have the traction battery checked. The service advisor said the battery was OK, and only gave me this one page report for the tests that were done. I had hoped for something more detailed. Should I be content with this?

 

Did you ask what the first line meant. Update = yes. Did they or did the test indicate it needed to be done? Any recalls done?

 

They said nothing about this sheet when I picked up the car except to say that the battery tested OK. I was hoping someone here might be able to fill me in on what the service advisors at Servco Toyota didn't tell me!

 

how much did they charge you for the battery health check?

 

Fortunately, nothing. But I got pretty much what I paid for...

 

maybe they don't know how to do battery health test. otoh, it wouldn't be worth paying for one, since the computers monitor the battery voltage parameters, and report with a trouble light when they go awol.

 

I had a thought for a test that you could do. I've noticed with our v that mileage is not great for the warm up period but once it is warmed up, the mileage is very good. Our 2015 Level 3 v displays the mpg since the last re-start. Could you do a test where you drive the car for 15 minutes or so (enough to get it warmed up good) and then turn it off and restart so your mpg indicator resets and see what the mileage is then? That would tell a lot about how your hybrid system is functioning and whether something is really wrong.

 

It is normal for the battery to be around 2-3 when left idle (not moving) for long periods. It will only start charging to a higher level when you are driving.

I tend to agree, it seems your trips are so short, you never come out of warm up.

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