Featured MPG Testing is a bit of a Mystery

• Quality articles don't have incomplete sentences in the persistent subheads. (-10 to the author, a stiff spanking to the editor)
  
• I would like to see the Bob Wilson take (go for the 5k version)
• Maybe a better overall metric would be a "mileage per pound" since cars differ so much. Better mileage cars are typically lighter. Fewer options often mean lighter (e.g., the weight penalty for a sunroof or a full size spare tire). Innovative engineering (hybrid system, coefficient of drag, lightweight materials, etc.) shows up in a mileage per pound. Mileage per pound would equalize the comparison between different sized vehicles.
  
• Another advantage of using weight as a metric would be the ability to calculate a life cycle cost per pound, including disposal
  
• By the way, a Toyota at MSRP is an outstanding buy per pound (about the same cost as a quality steak, and much more delicious)

 

i can't get past the first sentence, but i guess that's my issue.

 

instead of mpge, they should just do mpg with no plug charge. that, aer and mpkh are all that really matter.

 

Yes, the first sentence seems to be missi.

 

you must work with a lot of young 'professionals'.

 

Found the article very shallow. He did not even use the term MPGe, explain it or even understand it.

 

Yes, maybe more to come...?

 

LOL. I see what you did there.

That's graduate caliber writing at most colleges these days.

 

I have to agree with the author, despite the bad grammer, and incomplete thoughts that giving a phev a single number is hard to understand. Still the epa does provide all the pertinant information.

Compare Side-by-Side


It just is a little hard to decode. YMMV and the amount of gas you burn depends on your driving pattern. The i3-rex with the middling mpge and worst mpg, will likely be the most efficient for many people as long as long as 111 mpge of electricity is significantly more efficient than 54 mpg of gasoline, as it should be rare other than long trips that you exceed the 94 mile epa electrical range. Energy and environment tab shows the prime burning through 3 barrels of oil versus 1.2 for the i3, but of course if you travel less than 25 miles on most days the prime will be lower. The i3 is impracticle with its small gas tank though if you travel much more than 200 miles often, and the small gas tank is a product of outdated CARB rules that assumed people would prefer gas to electricity if their car could burn both. Still all three cars are extremely efficient and much lower in both unhealthy pollution and ghg than the fleet. The prime is a major improvement over the last generation prius phv.

 

Go to a track. Completely max out the battery with a full charge. Slowly get the car up to 45 MPH and go until the battery is depleted and do this to compare all the Electric cars or the portion o the car that is electric.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

I do not see the point the author wanted to make unless this is only the first article in a series to come.
EPA has it already in Top Ten (excluding EVs) page he could just point it out for his readers.
The EPA Top Ten comparison has its weaknesses, it is meant for the "average driver" who fulfills the followings (on an annual basis):
55% city and 45% highway driving.
His annual %EV (utility factor) is 89% if he is a BMW i3 REX driver, 53% if he drives a Prius Prime, 76% for driving a Volt and so on.

 

phevs have really thrown a wrench into the works. pity the fools who have to figure out what's best for their typical driving. no wonder so many just buy suv's.

 

Yes, and we know the epa over states city and under states hwy on most aerodynamic cars, but have corrected well for average. The utility factor is highly personel. I would be at about 95% ev in a volt, and a i3 would be inconvenient on longer trips because of the small gas tank. My solution .... telsa model 3 next year, my deposit is down. I'm in other cars on longer than 200 mile trips one way except for about 10 in the last 5 years, and telsa has quick chargers on those routes now. I would have a very high utility factor in the prime too, but I miss having my lexus, and I think the model 3 will get me to most of the luxury and all of the handling and performance. That i3 could work with a few rentals a year, but I don't really like the styling. YMMV

The prime is great for bang per buck. With my driving pattern, ghg would almost be as low as with the tesla, but ... there are other considerations.

 

Nice. I'm curious how you like the prime versus i3 as a daily driver, and if the battery pack makes the prime a little more fun to drive than the regular prius.

Also what is the double tank project?

 

He is planning on adding a second to the i3-REx. Currently, I think it needs to refuel every 70 miles when EV charge is exhausted.