First Mileage Report

I am seeing about 46 average after just a few weeks with a 2008 - this is wintertime here in Ohio so I might look for better in the summer. Have noticed that the short trips (<5 miles) are more like 38-41, but if a good 10 mile run then it gives me 47. Right On !

 

I have a 2008 Prius that I just picked up 2 days ago. The 18 mile trip home from the dealer (mostly highway) got me about 45 mpg, but since then I've done some short commutes < 10 miles/10 minutes back and forth to work and to run some errands. Overall, since getting the car home, I've only gotten around 29 mpg.

I do live in a hilly neighborhood, but each day I always do round trips; I have not been back on the highway.

I've been conscious of my driving style -- I've tried the moderate+ acceleration to ~40 mpg (I get about 12 mpg while doing so), then feathering the gas and coasting, trying to do slow breaking. I've also tried using B to do the breaking. While during coasting and light breaking mpg is usually high, I anxiously wait for each 5 minute interval (remember my trips are usually less than 10 minutes) to see how I did. Usually the first 5 minutes is < around 20, and the next is no more than 30-40, but sometimes much less.

Anybody have any idea what's up?

LFW

 

Larry, don't use B it wastes energy. It is only for use on long down hill runs where the battery is full or going to be full at the bottom. Using B makes the petrol engine spin to dump excess energy and slow the car, using light braking will regen more but avoiding the brakes all together will be much better. Crest hills a little slow then coast to a little fast to help get up the next hill.

Mostly read the high mileage threads and practice. Oh, a new Prius will use a little more until it's run in.

How did your last car compare to the EPA mileage listed for that car? No one I have asked this question has answered it yet.

First 5 minutes uses more fuel to warm the engine and cat converter. So did your last car, you just didn't notice. This is why short commutes use more fuel than long commutes over similar terrain and traffic.

 

Don't give up Larry. There is a definite learning curve. I'm still learning/experimenting. There are lots of informative posts on the forums from experienced Prius folks. Lots of smart people who really understand the car.

I don't see wher u live but if it's cold read the posts on grill blocking. I've done it and it really helped my mileage immediately. The car doesn't shine on short trips in cold weather. In my limited experience so far, it seems that warmup, and regeneration are the big keys. In a ten mile commute you're shutting the car off when the ice is just warming up.

Take every opportunity to regenerate (keeping safety in mind ofcourse) and it will really show results.

I also recommend the posts on using B. You'll realize why it has a limited application. My guess is that even on your short commute you're giving up lots of regeneration on your downhills by using B. I really recommend reading the posts. Use regen braking on the downhills then in slower areas run the car with the "free" electric that you stored and burn no gas.

 

Good advice on the "B" usage. I had gotten the wrong impression about this (not from this forum) and had used it a lot in my first month of ownership (I've only had my prius about 7 weeks). I quit using it and my mileage started going up. I've been averaging about 47 mpg, but there's been days where it's been in the 50's. I got 57mpg last night on my drive home of 21 miles. It was in the 60's yesterday in Indiana.

 

Here's my pic I intended to add to the last post. Semi-challenged technologically, so my first attempt at this....

 

Thanks for so much encouragement folks. I played some more today, both on my commute trip, as well as on my 40mi highway trip to the dealer (to drop something off) during the day.

- I hear you loud and clear about using B -- didn't use it at all today.
- I live near Seattle, and weather here has been hovering in the high 30s when I commute and was in the 40s in the afternoon.
- My morning and evening commutes were relatively poor: 25mpg or less .
- During the middle of the day I did my 40mi mostly highway drive (first 8mi were on 35 mph roads). Milage started out around 20-25 mpg, but after about 5mi on 35 mph roads, mpg soared. Once I got on to the highway, I was getting about 50 mpg.
- After I got to the dealer (spent ~10 min inside) and got back on the highway to come home things really got interesting -- the first 10 minutes of driving (~50 mph) I got 100 mpg according to the consumption graph. Then it trailed off a bit but I'd say on the 30 minutes trip home I got about 60 mpg (I was pretty enthused .

The only thing I can think of is that either the cold weather means that gas milage will always be crappy for the first 5-8 minutes of cold-start driving. This jibs with the fact that on my short commutes, despite my poor gas milage, I always have good regeneration. I can only assume that I'm driving OK, it's just that the car isn't warm enough to take advantage of my stored energy. Does that seem right? Has anyone in moderately cold weather gotten good gas mileage on < 5 mile / 7 minute trips from cold starts?

One other thing I played with (but not systematically) was the auto temp. I really like auto temp (because I can control it from the steering wheel), but has anyone systematically determined what it does to gas milage? If it does hurt it, are there any 'best practice posts' which talk about the quickest "click path" on the screen to get the car warm when it's freezing outside (without accidently kicking off the A/C)?

Thanks again!

 

I play with the teperature control a bit. It's summer here so reverse this. I set the temperature low to keep the fan speed high then when the cabin temp is almost comfortable I turn the temperature up to about 24 celsius(I prefer a little cooler) and the fan slows right down. I'm not suffering just like cool.

In cold try to set the temperature where it is just warm enough rather than toasty, that heat comes from somewhere and it is from burning more petrol.

Are you going to try grill blocking? Be careful if you have no means of engine temperature monitoring especially with hills.

Edit; You don't need the auto air on to have temp control heat. You can hit the climate button beside the display with auto air off, touch a nice fan speed, maybe low or second speed, when you turn the fan on the AC will come on so turn that off on the screen then revert to fuel monitoring or energy screen. Adjust the temp where you like it, the heater will work. There may be no advantage innot using auto air.

 

This thread seemed to be the most appropriate place for this...

I just filled up my 2008 Prius for the first time and I thought I'd share the results of my first tank. This is my first hybrid after selling my Honda Element.

Driving conditions: Northern California cold (40-50 degrees)

Driving distance/time: 90% of my driving is short, three-mile/ten-minute trips and the other 10% is weekend errands and the occasional freeway/highway trip. Not ideal for high MPG.

Driving style: while I am still a rookie and don't completely understand the hybrid driving techniques (pulse/glide, et cetera) I have always been a smooth driver, coasting to stops and easy on the accelerator off the line. I was able to get 21 MPG pure city in my Element, so adapting to the hybrid wasn't that hard for me.

Tire pressure: still stock- about 33 psi

Tank miles: 399 (I was aiming for an arbitrary number of 400 miles on the tank, and the last fuel square started flashing at 398.5 so I just got gas rather than driving around the block for that last mile)

MPG: 43

MFD MPG: 40.3 (the discrepancy is partly because the dealer reset the MFD mileage when I took delivery so the MFD mileage didn't match the odo mileage)

All in all, I am very happy with 43 MPG, especially because of the cold weather, sub-optimal tire pressure and my short trips. I look forward to seeing what I can get with more air and warmer temperatures (can't change the commute).

And I really like the car, even though I am obsessed with maximizing mileage right now. After a while, I'll get over challenging myself to make it through my neighborhood only on electric power and watching the MFD all the time. Nah. I'll never get over that.

 

larry- see my above post for my results. It's only one tank, but it appears we have similar driving times. And I don't know what you mean by moderately cold- it's 40 degrees here in the morning when I leave the garage. For a California boy, that's cold.

 

Very sensible :_>

Try 42/40 PSI front/rear and tell us what you think.

 

I will- I may go with 40/38 first because I'm paranoid. There's so many variables to consider when evaluating the impact of any one change, so I hope to reach a level of comfort where I'm not looking to wring out that last MPG by putting on a new coat of wax or speed holes a la Homer J.

 

Speed holes work great, they are like the dimples in a golf ball. I'm thinking about chasing hail storms for that dimpled affect.

 

hanstoppable, your doing fine. I am on on my 4th tank. bringing the tire pressure up 40-42, has helped, plus i blocked my grill, also helping. read the threads about grill blocking and ambiant tempeture. I can't say enough about the car!! 46.8 and going up.

 

Lots of good info on this thread except for one detail... it's inefficient to run on the battery only, the transfer of the energy in and out of the battery is inefficient. Yes, you need to get as much regen as possible, and you do that by braking very slowly if possible, I think the recommendation is slowing down 2 mph per second or less. More than that the battery can't "absorb" all of it. At less than 41mph its best to glide if traffic permits, don't use battery only. I'd rather have the engine running and power going to the battery with high mpg displayed than running battery only at speeds over 30.

 

just filled my tank.. drove 167 miles in the last two days. the tank took 3.66 gallons... 45.6 mpg.
roughly 100 miles was highway driving. the remaining 66 was city driving.

 

I just picked up my 2008 Prius, Mag Grey, Package 6.

2 miles on the odo when picked up, 39 miles now. average 42.6 mpg

Driving conditions: Philly burbs (fairly cold winters, 37 F now)

Driving distance/time: 26 mile commute each way, lots of stop lights, quite a few stop signs. not really hilly, but certainly not flat.

Driving style: I'm getting there. I should hit 55mpg in spring no problem.

Tire pressure: do not know, gonna set at 40/38 tonight

 

set my tires to 40/38 the other night. like 120 miles on the car now, average is just over 48mpg.

I am very happy given the cold weather. I hope this means I will see 55mpg in spring and fall!!

 

set to 43/41 today, doesnt feel rough. I will leave them there now.