What kind of mpg have you been getting

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(iiwi @ Jan 15 2007, 12:24 PM) [snapback]375871[/snapback]</div>

The ten minute commute and the recommended tire pressure may be the cause of your "low" mileage. Ten minutes is just barely enough time for the car to warm up. I'm assuming the tire pressure you have is what is recommended by Toyota (35psi Front/33psi Rear). If you bump that up to 42psi in the front and 40psi in the rear, you'll get better mileage (and a rougher ride).

Check out this thread.

 

I used to get 47 mpg regularly when I had an hour commute each way to work.
(Which was why I got the Prius in the first place)

My current commute is only 15 minutes but I'm getting only 43 mpg now.
(I still love the Prius though)

 

I get only between 40 and 45 mpg on my '06 with 2800 miles. But, I drive only short trips and not that much freeway with the car. Only 2800 miles since the middle of July.
It is also hilly around here. Any time I get to drive it on longer drives my mileage goes up significantly.

 

Well, I HAD been getting around 45mpg on average. When I first bought my car last June, I had taken it for a long road trip, and my average gas mileage was in the 50s for the first few months. Then, with my very short commutes to the Metro station (either 1 mile each way or 5 miiles each way, depending on which station I choose to go to) and various local trips, I was getting around 45.

Recently, however, I've not been driving it much at all except to the closer Metro station. My poor car doesn't even have a chance to warm up. My last tank was only in the 30s. The lowest Consumption screen reading was something like 22.5!!! Still better than a Hummer...but really!!! I didn't think it could get that low. I took it out for a little run the other day and have brought it back up to 30. Whoopie.

 

When new my 2004 Prius averaged close to 50 mpg. Since then it has been getting worse and worse. After owning it around 18 months I bragged on one of these forums that I never saw mileage less than 44 mpg. Right now, after 34 months and 36,000 miles it's averaging between 38 and 39 mpg.

We keep hearing that there are virtually no 'failures' of the Prius battery pack. That's great, but I would bet that my battery pack yields an ever smaller share of the work toward propelling my car over time. In other words, there's every evidence that the battery pack is degrading.

This is the only car I have ever owned where the mileage kept getting worse over time.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ken Cooper @ Jan 16 2007, 11:53 AM) [snapback]376398[/snapback]</div>

I don't know, but that may be something that CAN-View (or maybe ScanGauge) can answer. I know CAN-View provides information on the internal resistance (of the highest resistance cell) of the traction battery cells. Mine is typically less than 0.5 ohm. Has anyone with CAN-View noticed that resistance going up over time? I have 38k miles on my '05 now.

Dave M.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dmckinstry @ Jan 16 2007, 03:44 PM) [snapback]376494[/snapback]</div>

Please elaborate on CAN-View and Scan Gauge. Does that mean that we can actually use one of these to tell how effective our Prius battery packs are?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ken Cooper @ Jan 16 2007, 07:53 PM) [snapback]376627[/snapback]</div>

At least the CAN-View (among other things) reports internal resistance, SOC%, charge and discharge currents, and a variety of other things. I wouldn't know how to interpret the internal resistance (althought mine has been as low as 0.21 ohms since I started looking at it this evening), without looking at it over a long number of miles or years to see if it changes significantly with time. I've only had the CAN-View working since about the 1st of January. I have no idea what the internal resistance looks like when new, or say after 5 years. It might be worth looking at though.

Anyone else out there know more?

Dave M.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(queenie @ Jan 3 2007, 01:25 PM) [snapback]370222[/snapback]</div>

Hew, I though that I was the only one who got 35-38 MPG. I live in Illinois and the weather is colder here. Mostly a daily commute (10-15 min max). My first ever tank was 37.8 and got 35.5 MPG close to the second tank. I envy other guys who got more than 50 MPG. I hope I get more after many fill-ups.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(zelium @ Jan 18 2007, 01:23 PM) [snapback]377190[/snapback]</div>

Hi Zelium,

I am familiar with Urbana, went to school there. Yea, distances are relatively short for a Prius. You might try an EV switch to run down the battery at the end of the trip. Or, you could always get a job in Danville .

Seriously, try radiator blocking. There is a good thread on this over in the "Modifications" section. That will heat up the car faster. As long as you stay off the highway, you could probably completely block the radiator air ports, for the short trips around Champaign/Urbana up to 50 F. If you have a garage, the block heater would be a good thing too. Why burn gas to heat up the engine, when cheaper IP power will do the trick?

 

I've never gotten the 50 MPG or even high 40's. My commute is short, my grocery stores are close, and my daughter's school is close. I "stack" trips, but that doesn't help much in the Prius, which gets its best mileage after you hit 40 MPH and then stop for at least a little while with the engine on. Timed lights, 30-35 MPH limits in my area, frequent short trips, and recent COLD (for us) weather made my last tank a 34.6 MPG tank. Twice a month I drive about 110 highway miles to my ex's to deliver/retrieve my daughter, and that's he only thing that keeps me in the low to mid 40 MPG in the summer. Winter mileage has been in the low 30's in town, bumped up to 34-36 if it includes a highway trip. Still waaaaaay better than my Volvo piece of sh**I traded in.

 

I've gotten an average of 49 MPG of combined driving over the last 3000 miles. My best tank has been 51.3, which is about 5 mpg better than when I got the car a year ago. I noticed an improvement of about 4 MPG once I switched to Mobil 1 synthetic oil, and I don't drive like a granny either. I drive between 65-75 mph most of the time. I really think my car's fuel econonomy is getting better and better everyday. The Prius to date has 25k miles on the ODO.

 

I've only had the car a week and am averaging about 50.8. just passed 600 miles and have added 3 partial-tanks of gas. Most of my driving is on highways. very few miles in city stop-and-go.

 

Ever since they changed to the winter gas formulation, I haven't gotten much above 48. Depending on temperatures, it's been between 43-48.

In warmer weather/summer gas I was getting 55 pretty consistently.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(CivicHybrid @ Dec 29 2006, 06:29 PM) [snapback]368380[/snapback]</div>

 

I've been driving my '07 for two weeks. After 400 miles she seems to be broken in and mileage has improved considerably. I have a 15 mile commute in the Chicago suburbs. It's fairly flat but follows a river. This is what I've noticed so far.

First 5 minutes of frequent stop and go in town: 20mpg in low temps (below 25F), 25 to 30mpg if 30 -45F.

30 minutes of mixed stop & go and 45mph "cruising" brings the trip average up to: 42 to 44mpg if below 20F, 48 to 55mpg if between 20 & 45F.

I get about 3 mpg better going downstream than up.

It's been fun to discover what she's capable of doing. I look forward to trying out interstate driving in about 2 weeks on a 5 hour trip to St. Louis. Will my commuter mileage go much higher when temps reach the 70's in the Spring?

All answers lead to more questions...

 

Over 2.5 years about 40-43mpg. 30-32 in cold weather, 45-47 in summer. 20K miles.

 

I get 37 (during winter) to 45 mpg...reasons : short trips, non-flat terrain, high speed & regular tyre pressure (prefer a smoother ride)..

i still like my prius..

-sengs

 

Winter is definitely a challenge for mine. I have around 6500 miles and we can't quite get anything higher than 40.x. My wife does probably an hour commute (mostly non highway) each way M-F, then we use the car for misc errands during the weekend. We probably average 50-55 during the summer.

I haven't adjusted the tire pressure yet. I may do it when I inevitably replace the stock tires.