45-50 mpg, I don't think so

I just get in it and drive for the most part, and I'm getting 50 this time of year (16 F outside this morning, cold for Raleigh) and around 55 in warmer weather until it's full blast AC time, at which point it goes back down to 53. I'm not sure what pulse and glide is, either.

 

Hobbs, could this be an issue with units? Your gallons are bigger than ours, or smaller, or whatever? I think our US gallon is a different size than your gallon in the UK?

Anyway, in mild weather, I get 50 mpg highway, and average 48 mpg. In cold weather, my mileage drops to 45.5 mpg highway, and averages 45.2 mpg.

Harry

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Earthling @ Feb 6 2007, 08:37 AM) [snapback]385985[/snapback]</div>

Good point. UK gallons are bigger. If I'm doing the math right, then 38 MPG there is 45 MPG in the US.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Hobbs @ Feb 6 2007, 08:24 AM) [snapback]385979[/snapback]</div>

Yes, if you drive very aggressively that is about what to expect. I am with you on the mileage in so far as what I get for the way I drive is much better in a Prius than other cars. Fortunately for me , I am in my 60’s and realize that I’m already where I’m going, therefore my aggressive driving style is in my past and I do get 49 (winter) 51 (summer). Of course, I don’t get that kind of mileage when I’m using my Prius for a truck, or towing a heavy trailer. Congratulations on purchasing one of the best cars on the market.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Hobbs @ Feb 6 2007, 06:24 AM) [snapback]385979[/snapback]</div>

The only thing I do out of the ordinary is use a block heater. I drive aggressively, do not over-inflate my tires, etc. and I'm getting 43 mpg, so I guess I can't do "better".

By the way, 1 Imperial gallon = 1.20095042 US gallons

 

I don't do anything special; I just get in and drive. My mileage is much more affected by the type of trip and weather than any other factors. In the summer I average about 55 mpg, in the winter 45 mpg, and that's with US gallons. Most of my driving is two lane county highways, with speeds around 45 to 55 mph. At 70 mph on limited access highway in the summer, my mpg drops to around 44.

Tom

 

I don't know how people get 55+ without P&G, but I have 45.1 despite the cold, because I road-tripped Sunday. No special tricks, just cruise control...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Beryl Octet @ Feb 6 2007, 05:29 AM) [snapback]385983[/snapback]</div>

P&G is an extremely dangerous technique for getting much greater mileage while angering every other driver on the road and making cops think you are drunk: You accelerate at a rate where no arrows are shown going into or out of the battery. This means you are using the engine alone, not supplemented by the battery, but also not recharging the battery. Then you let off on the pedal until there are no arrows at all: the engine is off and the car is coasting, without regeneration to the battery or power coming from the battery. When you have slowed down enough, you repeat. It results in very erratic speed, and other drivers cannot anticipate what you are going to do or when you will reach a given point.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Beryl Octet @ Feb 6 2007, 05:42 AM) [snapback]385986[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Display Name @ Feb 6 2007, 05:51 AM) [snapback]385989[/snapback]</div>

Since the UK gallon is bigger, it will take you farther. If the OP is not converting to US gallons to account for this, his mileage is even worse than stated. 38.5 mpg UK would be around 32 mpg US. I'm guessing a fairly short commute under bad traffic conditions.

When my Prius was new, I liked to accelerate fast, because it was a novelty. Then for a while I drove very gently, to try to maximize my mileage, which was a lost cause with my short commute and my bitterly-cold weather half the year in Fargo. Now I JUST DRIVE IT.

My worst mileage, Fargo, January, 15 to 20 below zero most mornings, single digits to teens most afternoons, ten-minute commute after a 5-minute warm-up so my hands and feet would not freeze, was 29 mpg.

Your driving conditions are the major factor in your mileage: long trips are better than short. Somewhere around 35 to 45 mph is ideal. Warm but not stifling weather is best. The engine takes 5 or 10 minutes to warm up in very cold weather, and the battery takes 30 to 45 minutes to warm up in bitterly-cold weather.

Now I do better than 50 some tankfuls, when I happen to not have short trips. Worse if a tankful has a lot of trips to the store (some weeks that's my only driving). Spokane is warmer than Fargo, but even so, short trips in winter I'm around middle 40's.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Beryl Octet @ Feb 6 2007, 08:42 AM) [snapback]385986[/snapback]</div>

You have that backwards. 38 mpg in imp. gal. is roughly 32 mpg standard gal.

edit: Daniel is quicker on the keyboard than I.

If it isn't done obnoxiously, P&G isn't dangerous. Driving too slow or too fast is dangerous in certain places and conditions.
It also can help with a standard automatic car. I think it's refered to as coast instead of pulse in that case. The theorey behind it is that the ICE is converting to most of the fuels energy into work at around 70% output. This isn't when you are getting the most mpg though, because the engine is matched to provide the extra power needed for passing and acceleration. So quickly speeding up and then coasting should use less gas than the car going the same distance at the same speed.

The lack of transmission drag and the ability to lean into the electric motor means the Prius can coast farther.

I'll use P&G when I can, but keeping the tire pressure up and using a 20 weight oil play their part in keeping the milage up. With this cold snap I'm down to 47 mpg on this tank. End of August I was at 60.

My worst over an extended stretch of highway driving was 38.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mikepaul @ Feb 6 2007, 07:26 AM) [snapback]386027[/snapback]</div>

Without pulse and glide, we can usually get around 58 MPG in the summer, and around 50 MPG in the winter, depending on how snowy it gets, we drop to around 42 in heavy snow. That's not really aggressive driving, but it's not as good as it could be. I tend to just get in and drive.

 

My two cents...

In good weather, I almost always average around 47-49. That's with an I'm-driving-this-car-like-it-was-my-old-six-cylinder-SUV approach.

When I "fly it" as I call working at maximizing my fuel economy, I get sticker -- occasionally better, but mostly on par.

Since the temp dropped below 20, all bets are off. lol... Getting mid 30's, which is still nearly double my '91 Pathfiner.

No complaints.

Dan

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Hobbs @ Feb 6 2007, 08:24 AM) [snapback]385979[/snapback]</div>

Did we settle the US versus UK gallons issue? If it's US, then yes, there are people who have lower reported mileage than yours, and are willing to talk about it. Looking at the bottom of the listing at this URL, and ignore people with fewer than (say) 10 tanks, there are a few with reported MPG less than yours:

http://www.greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage...a-priushsd.html

If for whatever reason you in fact converted your liters/litres per kilometer to miles per imperial gallon, then you tie the lowest credible mileage listed on that site, at 32 mpg.

 

I earned 60 mpg (summer) in my 2005 Prius with 30k miles. I now have a 2007. We have had air temperatures below the freezing point for over three weeks and I'm earning 48 mpg (including highway and mountain driving) - this with only 3k mi on the 2007 Prius. I have complete records for the 2005 and 2007, including fuel economy calculated at every fill-up.

Let the Prius teach you how to drive . . . . .

 

In Texas, I get 50-plus on pretty much every tankful. I have a fairly long commute, so the engine is warmed up for most of my driving, and I don't use the heater much. When we really get cold weather, like 30 degrees, then my mileage tends to drop into the mid-to-lower 40 mpg range. I tend to have rush hour highway commuting -- not too fast and not too slow. I have pushed the upper 50s when every commuter trip was in ideal conditions, but 50 mpg is generally no problem for me.

 

One thing I learned about getting stuck in a traffic jam is not to rely on the hybrid battery too much. I had the radio blastng (draining the battery) and simply glided. When the traffic jam broke my battery was pink and I had almost no acceleration since the ICE was trying to power the car and recharge the battery simultaneously! :angry:

 

For the past couple of weeks:

A) It's been no warmer than 32 degrees F here, usually much colder
B) I rarely take a trip longer than 10 minutes
C) I live in a rather hilly area

Given the above, I'm happy with the 36.5 MPG I've been getting lately.
(That's U.S. gallons, which, if my math is correct, would be 43.8 Imperial).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Feb 6 2007, 11:03 AM) [snapback]386051[/snapback]</div>

I agree with Evan: It can be dangerous, but when applied properly it's not.

My technique is very similar to his. Unlike him I live in a suburban area, with occasional drives through both semi-rural and urban areas. I certainly don't P&G on freeways. But these days I avoid freeways if practical. In my quest for greater fuel economy I seek and often find travel routes that are more appropriate for P&G: lower speed limits, favorable terrain, and less traffic.

The bottom line: It's very effective under a variety of conditions if you have the patience to learn and apply it. My current tank MPG is 56.6 after 430 miles, in the midst of the coldest weather of the season.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(allargon @ Feb 6 2007, 09:44 AM) [snapback]386126[/snapback]</div>

Of all the loads you could put on the battery, the radio is about the most benign one. The radio itself draws very little power. The wipers would likely use more. Having the radio on is insignificant in the grand scheme of things. HVAC would likely be the only one you'd ever need to worry about.