1.5 mile commute. Expected MPG?

Well maybe this will help.
My wifes work is 3 miles away and the average mpg is 50 mpg but that includes all of the driving we do not just for work because we use that car a lot.

the other thing to do for 1 or 1.5 miles on a nice spring day if able is to ride a bike or even an electric bike would be better
I have made one and even put a gas motor on it also. due to being disabled. lung and heart prob.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(1x1 @ May 1 2007, 03:43 PM) [snapback]433412[/snapback]</div>

My wife and I each have a Prius. My wife drives almost exclusively short trips and she gets just under 40 MPG in the summer and as low as 30 MPG in the coldest part of winter (below 20 degrees). My commute is 20 miles each way, and I get 50 MPG in the summer and as low as 40 in the winter.

 

My commute is definitely less than 1.5 miles and I am currently getting 40MPG. In this past winter, I hit a low of 37MPG.

 

I'm impressed. My 1st five minutes is always around 25, somewhat higher now that it is warmer.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(1x1 @ May 1 2007, 02:43 PM) [snapback]433412[/snapback]</div>

Sorry but that sounds like a nice walk.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rand Reed @ May 1 2007, 08:40 PM) [snapback]433658[/snapback]</div>

or a bike ride. either way, you get very high MPG.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Marlin @ May 1 2007, 05:34 PM) [snapback]433500[/snapback]</div>

This sounds similar to my actual mileage so far (just had Prius for 2 months now). I live 2.4 miles from work, and about 2.2 miles from church, grocery, WalMart, Lowe's, etc. I work to get in the mid-40s (I try to pulse and glide, can only do it for a mile stretch right before I get to work), only possible to get better now that it's getting warmer. I have had a few of the-other-side-of-town trips and could see a bump-up in my milege average afterwards. I got about 50mpg on my day trip (100 miles each way, mostly highway).

I do watch the energy monitor and try to anticipate stops etc. I have changed my driving habits since buying this car, but I still have lots to learn.

 

"You want a ride to school? Why, is your leg broken? When I was your age, I had to walk in 30 below weather through 6 foot high snow drifts...." Oops, wrong story. That was my Dad.

But he's a wimp. I used to ride my bike six miles to the store, load it up with 75 pounds of groceries, and ride it home. A gallon jug of milk went in each front pannier, the bagels got stuffed into the rear pannier's pockets, the eggs and the bananas went into the handlebar bag, and the 24 pack of TP was strapped to the rear rack on top of the jumbo box of Rice Krispies. Really. Sorry, 1x1, that's not the answer you wanted, is it?

 

Sounds like a candidate for an EV Mode Switch.

I'm new at this, but if your trip is on a sufficiently flat course and it is safe to accelerate slowly, you can "hack" your Prius for the North American market to behave like Japanese and European versions.

I'm leaning to getting one myself, but I have not finished my research. You should look into this yourself to see if this is a good choice for you. There are lots of pitfalls and dangers to consider, so you should be at least as cautious as me!

 

Well now, wait a sec, how far away is the school, i.e. does that
count for a longer trip?
.
_H*

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(1x1 @ May 2 2007, 07:51 AM) [snapback]433935[/snapback]</div>

Ah, there's always a "but" isn't there?! Get bikes for the kids when you are out shopping for a bike for your wife.

To answer your question (in the same vein that many others already have!), I'll say - infinite miles per gallon. If I were commuting 1.5 miles, I would expect to use no gas. Not only do I pick up my kid on a bike. I also tote her all around town on her bike or in a bike trailer. We shop for groceries, go to movies, go to dinner on bikes. And I regularly commute 45 miles (RT) on my bike (In fact my wife starts to make that commute with me this month as well - as soon as our tandem is delivered next wee). Honestly, 1.5 miles I would normally walk so I don't have to put on my bike shoes and find a place to lean my bike.

Sorry to rant, but I can't help myself! Why, oh why do we even consider using gasoline to drive 1.5 miles? It just boggles my mind. Especially when the biggest flack I get against EVs is how 100 miles, 200 miles... even 300 miles is not enough range!

So, my answer again is to EXPECT to use no gas. Don't drive. If any gas car is driven that short distance it will pollute more than normal the whole trip, every trip. It will get relatively terrible gas mileage. It is a huge waste of resources.

Oof. OK, off my box.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ May 2 2007, 11:08 PM) [snapback]434520[/snapback]</div>

I really doubt a Prius would get over 40 mpg on that commute. Low 30's is possible, but longer weekend trips would help it out. I'm with Darell. You can walk that in under 30 minutes, and get some exercise and time to clear your mind.

If that's not your thing, get an electric bike, with a Burley trailer, or even check out some recumbent trikes ora pedicab with electric assist (http://www.lightfootcycles.com/trikes.htm).
Even an expensive setup would save tons over the cost of a second vehicle, not to mention the reduction in greenhouse gases and oil usage.

So why punish a car with a distance so trivial?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ May 3 2007, 12:08 AM) [snapback]434520[/snapback]</div>

Hi Darrel. First off I want to mention that I really respect you and your lifestyle. However I think you must realize that it isn't for everyone. While I agree that walking or biking a 1.5 mile commute would be ideal, real world issues get in the way for many people. I don't know where in Denver the OP is located, but biking with small kids in a trailer in heavy traffic can be very dangerous. If there is heavy rain or snow it can become impractical and even more dangerous. Maybe his work is on the way to where he picks up the kids and that is several miles away (I agree he should add that distance into his "commute").

Anyway, the amount of pollution contributed by a daily 1.5 mile commute in your average vehicle is relatively small in comparison to those of us with longer commutes so he is doing the environment a net benefit just by living closer to where he works than the rest of us. Obviously, it's not the most efficient use of an ICE-powered vehicle, and I agree that most of us have room for improvement in that regard.

In the larger picture though, your average Joe out mowing his lawn on a Saturday afternoon is probably going to contribute a greater negative environmental impact than the OP would in several weeks of daily commuting. I think that is an area (small engines) where great improvements could be made at relatively little cost, but unfortunately goes largely ignored by even most environmentally conscious folks. Not to mention all the Hummer and other large SUV drivers out there who never or rarely carry any significant cargo. The list goes on and on, but I think the net benefit that can be realized by people with a 1.5 mile commute is near the bottom of it.

 

Ride a bike. You'll get millions and zillions of miles per hour.

Dave

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(1x1 @ May 1 2007, 12:43 PM) [snapback]433412[/snapback]</div>

My commute is about the same, I get 37 - 38 MPG on those short trips. The reason the mileage is so low is that the engine or ICE as we call it, runs the whole time warming up both the coolant and the catalytic converter.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rand Reed @ May 1 2007, 06:40 PM) [snapback]433658[/snapback]</div>

You never know the persons circumstance. I personally have an artificial right knee. Said knee was badly damaged in a motorcycle wreck, the metal is bent. I was scheduled for the entire knee to be replaced once again, but had a heart attack. Now they don't want to replace the knee so walking isn't an option.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ May 1 2007, 11:06 PM) [snapback]433742[/snapback]</div>

...uphill, both ways.