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battery keeps helping even with one pink bar?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Hatfield, Apr 19, 2005.

  1. Hatfield

    Hatfield New Member

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    Based on my running out of gas experiences in this thread, I thought that having two pink bars was bad news, since I hadn't seen the SOC get that low before.

    But I hit a new low this weekend. I was up at Mammoth Mountain this weekend, and the Prius ICE really seems to labor at high altitude. What's interesting, though, is that driving the four miles from the town (approximate elevation 7500 feet) to the main lodge (9000 feet), the SOC dropped to one pink bar, yet the arrows seemed to indicate the battery was still supplying juice to the MGs. I guess at some point (no bars?) the battery gives up trying to help and lets the ICE do all the work.

    Interestingly enough, driving back down, probably half the time in D and half the time in B, this 1500 feet over 4 miles was enough to bring the SOC from one pink bar to all green bars! Both the one-pink and the all-green states happened twice, so I guess that's normal. I wouldn't have guessed the battery could be replenished so quickly.

    I was playing a gig up there, so my Prius was loaded down with several hundred pounds of music equipment. I experienced my worst tank ever driving up (39.5 MPG on the screen, 37.9 calculated by hand). Gravity works both ways, though, and since topping off in Mammoth I'm on my way to my best tank ever (54.5 on the screen).

    Anyway, those are my random high-altitude observations. :)
     
    #1 Hatfield, Apr 19, 2005
  2. yoda

    yoda Member

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    Prius loaded with audio equipment going UPHILL and still in the high 30's for MPG?

    I'm sorry - I just wouldn't call that "low" or even something to complain about. More like something to brag on!

    Yoda
     
    #2 yoda, Apr 19, 2005
  3. KTPhil

    KTPhil Active Member

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    How do you like the "new" town of Mammoth Lakes? I haven't been there for a couple of years.
     
    #3 KTPhil, Apr 19, 2005
  4. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    Since the prius tends to make electricity while burning it, i'm sure there is a " no help" point. All the center motor has to do is sit still while the gas engine spins around it ( planetary gear system ) All i know is, while at top speeds, the battery will drain rather fast, and the ICE achieves a 15mpg. Not bad for a bare minimum. :) was there a question there?
     
    #4 V8Cobrakid, Apr 19, 2005
  5. Hatfield

    Hatfield New Member

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    Oh, no, I didn't mean to sound like I'm complaining. Far from it. I was only recounting my weekend adventures and I apologize if I sounded critical.

    I've never asked as much of the Prius as I did this weekend, so I'm not surprised the MPG took a hit. And as you point out, the Prius on a bad day beats most other cars on their best day.
     
    #5 Hatfield, Apr 19, 2005
  6. Hatfield

    Hatfield New Member

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    KTPhil,

    My parents used to have a place up at Mammoth, so I've been going there ever since I was a little kid. I remember when "seven and eight" opened. But, there was about a 10 year gap when I didn't go at all, and before this most recent trip I hadn't been up there in 3 or 4 years.

    When I was up there in about 2001 they had started building a monorail to the main lodge. That has since been scrapped, and now they have a gondola running from the "village" area (by Whiskey Creek & the Alpenhof) up to the mountain.

    It's strange, what they've tried to do with the "Village" part of Mammoth. I mean, did Mammoth really need a foo-foo art shop and a lingerie store? They're trying to turn it into Vail, and I doubt they're going to succeed. At least, I kind of hope they don't. I think there is a middle path where the town can prosper without being ostentatious and expensive. :pukeright:

    On the other hand, Sir Paul McCartney and his wife Heather Mills were up there. I unfortunately did not bump into them but I spoke with several folks who did. Everyone said they were really nice and down-to-earth. I guess that was my brush with someone else's brush with greatness.

    The condo prices up there are totally out of control, but just wait for the next earthquake or volcanic activity and those prices will come back down to earth.
     
    #6 Hatfield, Apr 20, 2005
  7. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    i think every city and town should have a good lingerie store. lol.. maybe that's because i'm 21... yeah.. i think that's it.
     
    #7 V8Cobrakid, Apr 20, 2005
  8. bookrats

    bookrats New Member

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    That's really impressive -- thanks for reporting this.

    Knowing you were able to haul that equipment up that elevation -- and still get 30 MPG! -- makes me feel confident that I won't be pushing my Prius into anything it can't handle.
     
    #8 bookrats, Apr 20, 2005
  9. islanderfan

    islanderfan Junior Member

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    On one of my cross country trips, while climbing a pass (@ 78MPH on cruise - I-80) , I managed to drain the battery to no bars. Until that point, the car performed great, passing everything else on the road going up.. When I hit no bars, the power fell off and the car slowed, but it still managed to do better than all but one other car on that pass. After I topped the pass (about 1/4 mile), the bars came back rapidly.....
    I was very impressed with the performance and mileage.
     
    #9 islanderfan, Apr 20, 2005
  10. ryogajyc

    ryogajyc Active Member

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    Only my last trip to Mammoth (from LA) I only got 23 MPG on the way there. Everything was stacked against my Prius, tho'. I had 4 people in the car, full of luggage, with a roof rack with 4 snowboards on top, in 40 degree weather, with really heavy headwind (my car would shift around noticeably). All things considered, I think it was still pretty decent mileage (I just imagine what a giant SUV/truck would get in the same conditions).
     
    #10 ryogajyc, May 1, 2005
  11. vprius

    vprius New Member

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    Thanks for the altitude information. We have a cabin at 8500 feet in Aspendell (in the Sierras near Bishop/Mammoth). Was a little worried about it getting up there because there is a long steep grade ( 4500 foot gain in about 13miles). When there is 5 feet of snow on the ground in the winter we won't be taking the Prius, we will have to take our gas hog 4wd. We would like to try it in the summer though.

    So the ICE does OK on its own? How many of you have had experiences with the battery being completely drained?
     
    #11 vprius, May 1, 2005
  12. Wolfman

    Wolfman New Member

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    I've had mine up I-70 from Denver, through the Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel, and then into Vail. I had the energy screen on to watch the system work, and had several instances where the battery was being charged while climbing the hill.
     
    #12 Wolfman, May 1, 2005
  13. hdrygas

    hdrygas New Member

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    I guess my trip over the Divide on I 90 was nothing. I never got in the pink for like 30 seconds because I wanted to keep speed up to pass a truck near the summit of Lookout pass after that I saw my first and only all green. That was also when I saw EV at 65 mph!!
     
    #13 hdrygas, May 1, 2005
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