This thread may be more of a hypothesis than fact but here it goes. While some drive a Prius to "save the planet", some like myself drive these cuties for the fuel savings. Here in Pittsburgh, Pa I went from a 17mpg minivan to the Prius world where I get from 38mpg to 48mpg with a one time high of 53mpg. If you are not familiar with Pittsburgh it is a major city sitting in a valley with a lot of hills, outsiders from the coast or mid West would probably call them mountains. My daily drives go up and down hills with 600 to 1000 ft elevation changes constantly. I made a trip to Columbus, Oh recently and only used one tank of gas there but did what I consider an amazing 57mpg. I believe that if I were to run several tanks there it would prove that 57 was not a fluke because of the topography. My theroys are this: 1) topography will greatly effect how economic a Prius is. 2) the overall maintenance costs of a Prius will also be greatly connected to topography Do I still feel that even in the hilly region I live in saves me money? Hell yeah. Do I think that driving a Prius here costs more than say someone living in Kansas City, Richmond, Va, or Houston, Tx? Yes. Sound about right or am I way off base?
In my area they recently built a mid-and-high school, waaay up the top of this ear-popping hill. Every so often we've had to pick up or drop off the grand kids there, and every time it has me fuming. I'd think 90% of the kids are driven up there, day after day after... For an excercise: trying pushing a car (any car but a prius, which can't be off and in neutral) a few feet. On level ground it takes a bit of effort, but it's doable. Now repeat, but on an ever-so-slight upslope: you're lucky if it doesn't roll back on you, and going forward: it's like you're trying to push a wall.
If you drive a PP, then you can get back ~60% of the energy spent on going up the hill on your way down by regen as usable EV miles.
If the 57 mpg was roundtrip, then it is not a fluke. You cancel out elevation and wind if blowing parallel to the direction of travel. You can't blanket state it costs you more in hilly areas than flatter areas. Consider Texas highways with 85 mph speed limits to San Francisco hills. Because one is effectively doing pulse and glide in a Prius (engine revs up hill but is off going downhill) they may be getting better fuel economy in slower speeds hilly areas than constant higher speeds in a flatter terrain.
For a regular Prius I think going down that hill is detrimental too: I would put it in B once I got into the steep zone, and endure roaring engine all the way down to the base. Hate that hill...
I’ve found that using cruise control really helps. It eliminates the human nature to keep foot on accelerator and use gas when it’s not needed. EV mode in the high 30mph range is common. Routinely I get 60+ mpg on suburban drives in flat terrain. Haven’t ever done a mountain yet so can’t say. Maybe this summer.
i think the 'saving money' part is relative too, and based on a lot of variables. but it is more likely at $4.50 than $2.50
I need to point out the misunderstanding that some owners only bought a Prius to save the planet and be smug and not because it was smart money. Every single Prius owner bought one to save gas and thus money, every single one. I came from a 14 mpg vehicle, my commute is shorter, but it hurt on longer 1-2 hr trips. Now that I have inherited our Prius I am getting low 40s average around town driving, but can get high 40s if I hypermile on the freeway. I don't think we have ever seen above 50 unless it is perfect conditions with tires above 40 psi on the highway for a good while and a really try, but then getting off of the freeway brings the average down. Topography and hills probably make mpg worse, but at least you save on brake service and replacement with a Prius vs. other ICE cars.
You didn't offend, I wasn't referring to you and I was never offended by the naysayer whining that goes with every incremental step in progress, just annoyed it is still going on. Even in the other thread about EVs and electrical costs people are mistakenly trying to blame EV purchases on politics when it always comes down to preference, performance, and convenience.
For reference was a tank (360 miles) in the Columbus oh area. Part of my theroy is fuel cost but also that in a area such as Pittsburgh the overall day to day driving will tend to be more stressful and rough on a Prius that one driven in a "flat land" region. Even shifting into down hill gear I can peg Dr Prius app in the red for a half a mile or more on some of the hills here, that kind of current for extended periods has to stress out some things (one hill is 680 ft ele change 2.7 miles total length and will red line Dr Prius in 3 different sections for 30 to 50 seconds at 35 mph)
JahT not sure about your area but I know a few smug individuals that drive Prius with no regard for fuel milage or money savings.
Nobody has mentioned dip and glide which makes a huge difference in my mileage. My average in my gen 2 is around 64mpg (UK miles) but it's a lot less if I drive it like a normal car and don't bother what my foot's doing.
I like my Prius because with the high mpg it virtually eliminates any thought about what a given trip will cost for gasoline. And contrary to what some folks contend, the maintenance costs of the Prius tend to be quite low in my experience. Using cruise control helps. Too bad there’s no aftermarket hands free driving option.
Talk about bad timing Rising gas prices from Russia-Ukraine conflict hit L.A. - Los Angeles Times Benjamin Valdez, a part-time Uber driver, upgraded last fall from his Toyota Prius to an SUV — a decision shaped, in part, by the fact that Uber pays $1.20 per mile for XL rides (those that fit up to six passengers) versus 60 cents per mile in smaller vehicles. In retrospect, Valdez said, it was probably the wrong move. The new vehicle takes more gas, and the demand for Uber XLs is largely during the day, when Valdez can’t drive because he’s working his other job in computer tech for a community college.
