Anyone get to 500 mpg?

I think @noonm has achieved over 500mpg on more than 4K miles on the trip meter.
Any issues with EV driving with the Low Fuel Light for a long period? | Page 3 | PriusChat

 

We’ve had ours for almost 6 months and it would be 999 if it wasn’t for the need to burn off some gas so we can meet the requirement for adding fresh gas periodically.

 

Bought a 2020 Prime on Aug 26 or 28th 2019. Now at 19,656 Miles.
First gas fill up on sept.13, 2019 @ 9.679 gallons ($22.69)
Second fill up on OCT 6, 2019 @ 9.691 gallons ($23.44)
Third Fill up on Feb 17, 2020 @ 9.78 gallons ($22.39)
Fourth Fill up still pending. Only @ the first bar on the gas indicator

I started filling up less after october because by mid october I installed a 220v charger at work.
I still occasionally run the engine. about once every 2 weeks for about a mile drive on the highway each time.
It should have more miles but I didnt drive for work for a month because of Covid 19. I usually average 33,000k mile a year.
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I’m owned my car for 2 1/2 years now. Little over 16,000 miles. I’ve only burned 13 1/2 gallons of gas total filling up at the gas station twice.

 

This thread fits our siuation pretty close which has led my to ponder about oil changes for the ice. It does not seem reasonable to just base changing the oil on the odo milage when 90% is EV. I would apprciate your thoughts.

 

Welcome to PC. This topic has come up before. Check this thread for various opinions on the oil change interval for PRIME. Prius Prime oil change frequency? | Page 4 | PriusChat

My recommendation is to stick with Toyota recommended maintenance schedule for engine oil/filter changes, which is 10k miles or 12 months interval, at least for the duration of 5 years/60K miles the power train (includes engine) is covered by the warranty. Toyota states that deviating off from the schedule will not automatically void the warranty, but they could ask the maintenance done on the car. So, why would you skip just oil change when you still have to perform other annual maintenance any way.

After 5 years/60miles, do whatever you want. It still won't save you that much, if you extend it to every 2 years ($25/yr saving assuming $50/oil and lube) or every 4 years ($37.5/yr saving).

 

I just noticed an interesting statistic.

I last changed my oil on December 20. It cost $37.85 for 5 qt. of oil, a filter, and a crush washer.

Since then, I bought gas on December 27 and March 6 for a total of $43.90. (I still have a quarter tank left after almost 2,200 miles.)

I have't added up the electricity yet, but it's pretty surprising how close the gas & oil are to being the same. I'll guess that electricity is about $100 but that's a flat out guess based on 5,000 miles from Dec. 27 to now at 5 m/kWh times $0.10 per kWh.

 

Toyota doesn't want to pay for a system like GM and Honda has that tracks engine performance to calculate oil life., and they just a one size fits all approach for all the car models they sell.

Going by engine hours should be how it is done for PHEVs, but the public has been taught it is miles. It might be too much to relearn that with car charging.

Like with using less gas, there are reasons beyond saving money.

 

If someone is that adamant about using less petroleum based products, then maybe he/she should start looking around house to see what can be replaced with non-petroleum based alternatives. Unfortunately, I can not live without reliance on them no matter how hard I try.

Products made from petroleum | Ranken Energy Corporation

 

I was thinking spillage. Did my oil change yesterday, messed up, and got about a cup of old oil on the ground. Fewer changes, lower chance of spills over the life of the car.

 

Thanks folks, I do intend to follow Toyota guidelines of 10,000\12 mo. as long as warrenty applies at least. But I got to wondering what others were doing.The dealer windshield sticker is at 5000 which in our case seems a bit soon, heck we have been running the ice for the last 3 wk because gas in the tank is over 4 months old. I think I'm going to start putting stable in it just for insurance.

 

Many of those are the things that petroleum should be used for, rather than simply burning it and pipe-lining the carbon content directly into the atmosphere.

There is also the matter of scale. A motor vehicle's annual fuel use is easily measured in tons. About what do those other uses add up to, annually per household?

 

When driving around in electric only for several months in a row I got to 999.9MPG. My milage is currently less because I'm burning off a tank of gas that is over a quarter of a year old and I don't want to allow it to go stale or allow my engine seals to dry out.

 

I would be close to 500 if not for a single long trip that burned gas the whole way and brought my average down. I know this because I bought 6 gallons to fill the tank before a camping trip - and have nearly 3000 miles on the car. I received the car with a full tank and that 6 gallons is the only gas I’ve purchased. I have been driving around since the trip with 1/4 tank, waiting for the next trip before I will fill again. I figure why carry around the extra gas if it is just extra weight and the gas will get old?

 

I wouldn't recommend that when it is colder. I have been told that this could lead to condensation in the tank contaminating the fuel.

 

In my own experience gas saved in a partially filled but sealed container over the winter always worked fine in the spring. I do not know this with certainty, but I think condensation affecting gas in cold climates may only occur when the gas is stored in a partially filled tank that is open to the atmosphere - or possibly in a tank filled with humid air and a tiny amount of gas prior to being sealed up. Either way, I’ll probably always carry at least a quarter tank because I want some range above what EV offers.

 

Told by who?

Unlike conventional cars, PHEV tanks are sealed. Air gets in only when the powertrain controllers allow it to:

How designing the Chevy Volt's sealed gas tank brought automakers, CARB together

 

My boyfriend. It's entirely possible that he is wrong. This is our first plug in hybrid. How exactly is the Prius Prime tank sealed? It looks like a normal fuel cap. Are you absolutely sure that no air is getting into the fuel tank?

 

Emission standards cover fuel evaporating out of the tank and engine, not just what comes out the tailpipe. So the tanks of all cars are pretty well sealed. A loose or ill fitting gas cap will turn on the check engine light. Air can get in and out to allow for changes in the volume of gas, but it isn't a regular turn over continually bringing in fresh, moist air, like it was with older cars.

As for condensation, most cars have plastic tanks now, so any moisture won't be rusting out the top of the tank. Then the fuel from the station already had some water in it. A little bit won't hurt, and the ethanol in most fuel will take it out.