What planet are you people living on?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Phoenix-D @ Aug 5 2007, 10:44 PM) [snapback]491065[/snapback]</div>

Exactly. The gas tank had less gas in it after you came down the hill than it did before you started. What you did was convert the energy from one form to another, which has to include the various losses associated with friction, etc.

The total loss of energy is = (total energy in the gas you used climbing the hill) - (net gain in energy stored in the battery at the end of the trip)

MPG isn't a measure of energy, it's a measure of rate of energy usage, in this case heavily averaged. It is easily conceivable that the rate of usage could be the same at any point in time, but you need to look at the gas gauge along with the battery SOC indicator to measure the amount of energy used.

- Doug

 

PriusTouring07 is a dumb a$$

He said like 5 times he wasn't going to reply because he made his statement, and he keeps coming back to try to talk more crap.

AC- I live in Dallas.. I use my A/C a lot. In the cool months, I haven't used the a/c and was getting about 500-550 miles per tank. Now its 100 outside and the A/C stays on all the time, and im getting about 400-450 miles per tank. go figure.

2nd, when you drive uphill that means the engine is using more power, torque, gasoline, etc. to get you up that hill..


Do some research, better research PT07 cause I think your alone on this issue.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KTPhil @ Aug 7 2007, 04:01 PM) [snapback]492100[/snapback]</div>

You are confusing his Prius with his DeLorean. His DeLorean, used in the movie Back to the Future, is fusion powered. His Prius, on the other hand, is the limited Perpetual Motion Machine edition.

B)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(clintbhs02 @ Aug 7 2007, 10:19 PM) [snapback]492202[/snapback]</div>

On the other hand, if you have a hill that you go up, then turn around and go back the same hill using no engine power, you will get twice the mileage you got going up the hill when you get back to the point of origin. The only problem is, a lot of downhills are not steep enough to allow you to not need engine power to keep your speed.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Peter@Beoworld @ Aug 7 2007, 09:41 AM) [snapback]491873[/snapback]</div>

Woops!... You have a better memory than I do. I'm sure there were other errors.... but hey! You got the reference... for that you win a.... a....uh...um..... One of these


Just goof'n on the forum. Hope you enjoyed reading the lyrics.

-Nda3rdcar

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IsrAmeriPrius @ Aug 7 2007, 11:32 PM) [snapback]492207[/snapback]</div>

Mr. Fusion powers the time circuits, but the Delorean has always run on regular unleaded, or have you forgotten?

 

That is all I gotta say about that.

 

Aw, come on, y'all, leave the dude alone. He's tickled pink with his Prius, and who cares why? I'll admit, the general tone of the first post may have ruffled some feathers, and his math may differ from others (hmm... wonder if it's 'fuzzy' math, like GW's afraid of, lol)... but what the heck; the guy's happy. If you think he's delusional, let him live with his delusions.

Let's just go on and enjoy our Prii (and delusions, if applicable)

 

We live on a winding mountain road approx 6 miles from bottom with a 2000 ft elevation change. I do have to slow down for hairpin turns and there are some dips etc. My mileage is always less than when I start up but it is not a straight run up and down. The battery is always fully charged well before I get to the bottom.

If the OP had 51 MPG to begin with, how many miles was that averaged over? If you reset to 0 MPG at bottom and drove up, then down would you end up with 51 MPG?

 

I'm contacting the OP, for assistance with my perpetual motion machine.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(robincx @ Aug 5 2007, 09:20 PM) [snapback]491036[/snapback]</div>

Take your Prius on a ride to Niagara on the Lake...one of the finest spots in the world.

 

I don't see enough of a difference in A/C to make me even consider being uncomfortable.. Only 1000 miles on the car, but it's been up to 95 here. Maybe because I do so much highway driving? Seems like I'm at or near max SOC most of the time.

I also wonder if the reason A/C has such a tiny impact is that when the cabin heats up the battery is less efficient so your MPG suffers.

Will be interesting to see what it's like when I swap A/C for heat in a few months.

 

Krypton

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriusTouring07 @ Aug 10 2007, 09:08 PM) [snapback]493852[/snapback]</div>

PriusTouring07,

I would be willing to take bets on both A/C and hills.

Here are the conditions of the wager:

For the HILL wager:
1) The MFD is the indicator of MPG.
2) We start with a Prius that is at 75MPG with 5 miles driven since the MPG was reset.
3) We start with a 2 bars of charge on the traction battery.
4) We mark th starting point at the bottom of the hill
5) You drive to the top of the hill, then turn around and drive back down the same side of the hill to the exact same spot.
6)The distance from the bottom of the hill to the top should be at least 1 mile
7) The difference in elevation at the bottom and top of the hill shoud be at least 500ft
8) I can't afford $10,000 if I lose, so we need a slightly smaller wager in case I've forgotten any significant variables in the equation.
9) I'm betting that at the bottom of the hill the MPG will show less than 65MPG (a reduction of 10MPG!)


For the A/C wager:
1) The MFD is the indicator of MPG.
2) We start with a Prius that is at 75MPG with 5 miles driven since the MPG was reset.
3) We start with a 2 bars of charge on the traction battery.
4) We use the Auto A/C at the coldest setting.
5) You drive exactly 2 miles with the cruise control set at 45 MPH.
6) I can't afford $10,000 if I lose, so we need a slightly smaller wager in case I've forgotten any significant variables in the equation.
7) I'm betting that at the end of the drive the MPG will show less than 65MPG (a reduction of 10MPG!)

Still willing to take that bet?

 

A way to test the guys A/C MPG Theory

fill up the tank, turn it on, let it sit until the gas runs out...

THEN..

fill it up, turn the car on with the a/c on and let it sit till the gas runs out...

Time both tests and im sure you will get your answer. TopGear from BBC did this to test it out, on a Peugot in England and the A/C does cut down on your MPG

Get a non Hybrid car... sit parking turn on the A/C. It will be warm till you start moving and the compressor kicks in. Now while still parked press slightly on the gas pedal, and you will notice the A/C gets cold.. hmm now its pulling the power from where?

ALSO

The Hill theory..

YOU BURN MORE GAS, using more torque, power, ENERGY getting up the hill than you would save coasting back down the hill.. GO BACK TO PHYSICS CLASS!

Explain to me when I drive on a flat highway to work I get about 55MPG, but when I take the "other" highway with the bridges and hills I get about 45??? hmm?


I dare you to find another prius and drive side by side out in the Nevada desert on cruise the same speed. One with A/C one without, and see who goes farthest.

 

Anyone see, or remember the movie "what planet are you from"?? Quite funny if I remember..... B)

 

Reading this thread has been hilarious!

Although the OP finally acknowledged that he was incorrect in his implication that net energy was being created by going up and down hills, it is true that some of the energy used to overcome gravity going uphill was recovered on the way down, thanks to the electricity regenerated and stored in the HV battery. This is the magic of the Prius hybrid design. What he failed to acknowledge that less of it was put back there in Kilowatt-hrs than was burned in BTUs in the gasoline consumed when climbing the hill.

That is why the MPG figure read from the MFD can be misleading. What would really make sense to this old engineer is Miles per Kilowatt-hrs consumed. In fact, the Prius ECU closely tracks energy consumtion in Watts so as to determine when the ICE needs to replenish the HV battery. You can find out much more by reading the following URL:

http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/Hybrid13.pdf.

P.S. Loved the post about the Fusion Powered Prius - lol!!! :lol:

Ron.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ron Howell @ Nov 10 2007, 06:53 PM) [snapback]537786[/snapback]</div>

This can be true for any given instantaneous MPG value. But since the engine can fully charge the battery in a few minutes the cumulative MPG value is pretty accurate an hour or so after it has been reset: by then whatever amount of energy is stored in the battery is only a small fraction of the total energy that has been consumed.