Help - Mileage Sucks

1) Maryland is COLD - get a block heater (available on the PriusChat store)
2) Raise your tire pressure.
3) Block your grill
4) Drive like you have no brakes (THIS is the one that most people won't do)
5) Your ride's still new. Finish your break in period . . . . that'll be around 9k or 10k miles.
6) Read PC. Lots of links here on "how to" . . . including getting better mpg's.
That'll hold you for now


edit: OH! . . . . and welcome to PC

 

Save some EV miles for those short trips in the evening. This way, you weed out 25-35 MPG trips. For the longer commute, use gas.

62-63 MPG for a 10 miles trip is very very low. Something is not right.

Just want to rule out the obvious. The parking brake (foot) is off right? What about tire pressure?

 

try switching to HV mode on highway, and EV mode on surface streets. 25-35mpg sounds really low for short trips. maybe you are running up steep grades, or using heater?

 

You know to be in HV on the freeway, right?

Talk to me about uphill and downhill. Are you trying to use electric to push yourself uphill? Perhaps use HV in the morning and EV after work.

Are you plugging in before you go out for the evening? Or is that not a separate trip?

10 miles is awfully short for the Prius I drive, (not a PHV) I just barely get to operating temps.

 

this is way too low. can someone please ling them to the 'fuel economy complaints/queries' by cwerdna questonaire? maryland is not cold by the way, only in relative to socal. welcome to priuschat!

 

That's what I get when I drive to work (2.7 miles) on both my old 2010 and 2007 and PIP when in HV mode, the main reason I got the PIP was b/c of EV for those short trips to work.

 

you don't need a block heater, plug it in when you get home from work so you can do your errands in ev.

 

Try this for a week before you buy a ebh or block your grill.

Go to hybrid mode once you get to freeway speed, accelerate fast enough so you are using gas and electric to get on the highway. Go to EV mode after you hit a stop light, or maybe not, your car should be warmed up by then. Do the same on the reverse, using any miles in a day.

2 mile trips in the prius have poor mpg, highway is even worse than city People here pretend it is all great.

Hopefully if you use EV for short trips and getting to the highway mpg should go up.

 

using the heater will cause the ice to run enough to keep the water temp up. it's not a significant hit to mpg's.

 

Something isn't right. Either you aren't reporting something right, or are doing something really wrong. I live in Central NY (cold, lots of snow), my commute is 21 miles each way, and I get 100+ MPG during my morning commute, even during these cold days. By the end of the day, I hit ~70mpg since I don't charge at work, and it's pretty cold now.

How many miles of your commute are highway? How fast do you go?

Really short trips will definitely affect your numbers, as the engine doesn't get a chance to warm up.

edit: I don't have a block heater, didn't super-inflate my tires, and don't do a daily weather-dance to appease the hyper-miling gods

 

If you go over 62 MPH the ICE kicks although your in EV mode. The first part 10 miles to work you should use no ICE except to warm the car up I'm guessing. Why are you getting 60-63 MPG? Can you drive under 60 MPH in EV Mode?

 

I am getting about 53 mpg and very happy. But the again I used to have an Avalon and got 18. I plug in at might drive a ton of errands during the day etc, I did not expect to get more. But the again I don't drive like I have no brakes. I drive normally. What were you expecting in millage?

 

This is a Prius Hybrid Video on improving MPG. Although your car is a PIP it is a Hybrid for some part of the drive. This video may help you understand how to improve MPG. It is a short video on Youtube.

 

When you start up first thing in the morning do you have the heat on?
This causes the ICE to start up right away. If so, you should try switching to HV and wait till the engine goes off and then switch back to EV. But if you are going fast on the freeway, don't bother. Wait till you are on slower streets for EV. And use EV for those short trips.

Mike

 

Yes, but very little -- about 1 psi per 10 deg F.

Can you take a screenshot of your EV Driving Ratio screen, like this one?

 

Welcome. I think you may have misunderstood the recommendation for a block heater. That is a heating element installed into the engine block itself so the engine is warm when you start in the mornings, not cabin heat. Bisco mentioned not to worry about it.
As to tire pressure, inflate it close to or at max pressure rating that is on the tire itself on the front and a couple of psi less in the rear.