Hello all: I have not reset the MFD mileage calculator for the last 3 or 4 fillups. When I got home today, I saw that the calculator was reading 48.7 mpg. This has made me happy! I keep my Goodyear Integritys at 40F/38R. I don't really try to hypermile, except that I accelerate moderately fast to get up to speed, and then try to run in EV as much as possible. I also try to not accelerate needlessly, maybe coast a little more when the situation allows for it, and plan ahead a little better than in my "pre-hybrid" days. But that's about it. My wife drives the car a good amount, and really doesn't do anything special at all. She says the only thing that she does differently is to drive it a little easier than her previous cars, since she enjoys riding in it so much. Since we live in a rather hilly area, this mileage is probably less than I'd get in a flatter environment. So that makes the mileage we're getting even better, IMO. Actually, I sometimes wish that the traction battery could store even more charge, as I can really build up a lot of regeneration going down the hills. This in turn means more EV mode travel after getting to the bottom. I'm sure that a good part of the improved mileage we've been seeing is due to the the mild weather we've been getting lately. And the car is breaking in. And the tires aren't quite so new. And keeping the car clean and polished reduces the drag . Best wishes,
Very nice! Wish I could say the same. So far, 44 mpg average over 2 tanks. It does seem to be slowly increasing, though, as we get used to each other.
Hello Blauer: When I first picked up my Prius in March, I was averaging about 44 mpg. The warmer weather has definitely helped. And maybe the traction battery is working better? I read somewhere that it takes a while for a new battery to fully condition? I do know that even at highway speeds now I will sometimes see only "yellow arrows" (under conditions with very light load on the vehicle), which suprised me at first. I thought that I would only see that at 42 mph or lower. I think that under these conditions (yellow arrows only above 42 mph), the ICE may be turning, but not burning gasoline? This may be called "warp stealth" mode. Anyway, when it happens, it is very cool to see. Also, possibly the gas stations down here have already switched to their summer blends? I've read that can make a difference. I read here on PC that accelerating too slow can actually hurt mileage. So I usually accelerate (when possible) at a brisk but not high rate, then back off when I reach my desired speed. Best wishes,
Yardman, Congrats on the new car! Wondering why you don't try to hypermile...it's free! Even experimenting with it will show positive results. And...accelerating too slow won't hurt FE if you're up to temp and accelerating slowly in EV mode...it will increase mpg!
Hello Matt: Thanks! I guess for the return that I would get, the effort wouldn't really be worth it for me. Also, I wouldn't be able to get my wife to try it, and in the future she'll probably be driving it more than I will. So if I see a change in the mpg, I wouldn't know if I could attribute it to different driving styles, time of the year, or an issue with the car itself. When I mentioned about accelerating briskly, I should have qualified that I actually meant that I accelerate briskly when the ICE needs to run because of road slope, traffic, etc. I actually do try to accelerate slowly to stay in EV mode when city driving (less than 35 mph), with stop and go traffic. This does seem to really help (or even on the expressway, when traffic is stop and go), as you mentioned. One thing that I won't do, however, is hold up other traffic behind me just to stay in EV. So I keep one eye on the traffic all around and behind me, and one eye on the MFD at times. Lately, I'm getting so accustomed to how the car runs, that I often don't need to watch the MFD. I can tell what it's doing by the sound and the feel of the car. The challenge around here is the lack of "flat" areas. So even when trying to accelerate very slowly in EV, some roads around have too much of a positive slope to keep the car in EV. Of course, when reversing direction on the same road this will work in my favor, and I try to use this to my advantage when going the other way. But as the battery has conditioned, and the weather has warmed, even staying in EV mode has gotten easier. The car even does it more often when I'm not even trying to do it. Thanks for the feedback! (PS: did I describe "stealth warp" correctly??)
Keep up the great work, hypermiling can make a difference. After 77,946 miles on my 2004 I have averaged 46.8 mpg. I have 2 different sets of wheels/tires for the car. In winter I run the stock wheels with Michelin HydroEdge tires run at 44 psi, with this combination I average 49.3 mpg. My "Summer" set are 17 X 7 Konig Theory wheels with 215/40x17 Yokohama Avid H4S tires run at 55 psi, this combination averages 44.3 mpg. I drive the car regularly between the Central Coast of Cali and Phoenix. I prefer the Summer set of wheels because I like running the backroads. I have run the car on the race track getting just over 30 mpg during my track days. With the winter set I have seen individual tank averages just over 58 mpg. The difference in mpg from the pressures I run in the winter tires and what Toyota recommends for the Prius (35 psi) is about 3 mpg. I do have a 2010 on order and plan on keeping my 2004. We also have a 2006 Highlander Hybrid that my wife drives. Both my grown kids have Prius' also, one a 2007 the other a 2008. Live Green, Live Long.