Tires pressure

I have found that in severe weather, especially cold icy showy weather, that the MPG is greatly effected. The more accessories we use like defroster and heating fans, lights, breaks, etc., the more that little washing machine motor has to work and that extra motor time requires fuel. Plus winter driving hours means more head lights which again requires more gasoline. Anyway that is what I recon with my Prius c.

 

I think a major contributor to increased fuel usage during rainy/snowy weather is the additional resistance to rolling, when the car has to continuously overcome the viscosity of whatever is covering the road. It's like treading water or walking through mud.

 

Never mind viscosity, there is a huge mass of water (or snow) getting thrown out of the way at fairly high speed. That alone sucks away a lot of power and energy.

 

All sucking the energy out of all vehicles hybrid or not. The more energy the vehicle needs to over come resistance, illumine roads, wipe wind screens, and defrost the more the electric batteries and motive systems have to work. No getting around it. Very helpful...thanks.