[WARNING] Running out of gas (Gen III)

I think I can give you some information on what happens on G2, I have run out of gas twice. With my background I had some ideas of what to look at.

In G2 for me both time I ran out of gas, I had 5 bars on battery meter, both time going above 42mph, as many know G2 will normally not drive in electric mode at this speed.

First time made the mistake to try to maintain speed; the battery level dropped 2 bars very quickly maybe 10 seconds. I let of gas, let speed drop below 42, went in to glide mode and pulse glide about 3/4 a mile with one bar left and got gas.

Second time I was try to save money. Gas station I was trying to get to was 30 cents and gallon cheaper, and I was thinking I could make it. A dare to myself, a calculated risk…Don't want to say too much more on this because of how off topic the thread has gone. Back to the question, the second time I was ready for it. ICE went dead going about 70mph, put car in "N", then change screen to see battery level all 5 bars showing one short of green, coasted until 35, and did pulse glide method and went about 4 miles. I did not make it to gas station. Tried to restart car several time after about 4 minutes, I tried one last time really just to make sure car was powered off. The ICE started, I slammed the gas got speed back to 70 and shifted back to N..I drove about another 1/2 mile and pulled into gas station.

I forgot to say second time I drove the battery last bar blinking I think. Still how power for gauges and stuff.

Fyi, On G2 with AC off and engine at operational temperature and below 42mph, normally you can bring battery meter down to two bars, before ICE kicks on.

 

Hard to imagine running out of gas. I can't remember the last time that happened.

 

That happens as you get older. But look on the bright side, you meet lots of new people every day!

 

Thanks for the heads up. I've not dropped the tank below one nub, so I have yet to experience what the low on gas warning looked like. I just figured it would warn me like most other cars and you still have enough fuel for 10 miles or so.

 

Welcome to the forum. You and I both own the exact same Prius. I know you are in love with yours because I sure love mine.

:welcome:

 

Your arguments regarding unfamiliar cars, gauges, etc. just don't fly regarding the 2010 Prius. Even the OP documented the gauge flashes with well over 100 miles to go before empty. I find it hard to believe that even anyone with below average intelligence would not realize that its time to get fuel, much less even let the gauge get down to flashing pip and continue driving for hundreds of miles and hours without refueling.

The late at night rural area argument is also baseless and silly. So you run out of fuel in the middle of nowhere. And the traction battery is going to get you to a service station nowhere in sight?? That's open at 2 AM??

You mention filling with only 3-4 gallons. That gets you another 100 to 200 miles. And you still can't get home or find another service station?? What's your point on that one??? I would think even our good friend Pat in the land down under would have a hard time pulling that one off in most parts of his country.

And let's consider another scenario. The traction battery can only supply the Prius very limited amounts of power to the drivetrain and perhaps the engineers and others involved with the final 2010 design and software coding determined it is MORE dangerous to be tooling on a busy freeway below the posted speedlimit rather than simply being stuck on the shoulder. We recently had a very tragic accident in our area where two senior citizens were driving below the posted speedlimit on a local freeway and were killed by a semi truck who was unaware of their slow speed until it was too late. The driver of the truck was absolved of fault in that accident.

Even so, I still firmly believe the original intent was to prevent additional unnecessary stress on the traction battery for which it was not designed to take that would result in premature failures.

And, to portray running out of gas as a life threating situation, please give me a break... Is this really a problem on our highways? Getting killed after you run out of gas???

Let's face it. Bob really destroyed his credibility on this board, esp. with me. As I stated earlier, I always appreciated his in depth posts and even the first half of this OP post regarding the limitations of the 2010. But then to come to the absurd conclusion the 2010 is a deathtrap just waiting to pounce on you because you ran out of fuel, is ludicrous and not even worthy of an April 1 post.

Rick
#4 2006

 

Bob, you have just acknowledged in the above post you believe you are unlikely to realize your vehicle will run out of fuel after over 100 miles of flashing pips (maybe two or so hours of driving??), hence your decision to carry fuel onboard inside the cabin (how you intend to keep the fumes out of the cabin is a mystery to me, but I'm beginning to think this may be the cause...). Maybe you should carry 5 or 10 gallons inside the cabin. Then you won't run out of gas for at least another 300 miles or so.

Yes, get rid of the car. The 2010 is a deathtrap and it's going to kill you or your wife very soon... I would not even use it for a 5 minute day trip. You may (err, 'gulp') run out of gas at any moment, on the on ramp, without a shoulder, late at night, no service stations open, and a serial killer offers help...

Rick
#4 2006

 

No matter what you say, there are posters on this thread who will take whatever you say and try to trash it. You all know who you are. Even Roadside service and a cell phone was no fix for running out of gas. You could run out of gas and coast into a gas station. Here is one they really hate. You could fill it up before you run out of gas. Everyone is trying to convince Prius owners that a flashing gas gage is not enough to convince them they need gas. Then, there is the Miles Left to Empty. Somehow they are convinced that is not accurate and won't influence their decision to fill-er up. If gas is not the problem then the Prius of all cars is going to have some mechanical problem that will leave you stranded facing certain death.

If I were Bob, I would take that Prius down to a good custom shop and have some extra fuel tanks added. The will find a spot for the extra tanks. Then someone suggested that the gas would go bad before you could use it. I suggested Stabill and that was shot down. They are not going to be happy until Toyota lets them travel one mile on electricity. There is no workaround to solve the problem. Zero. If I were Bob, I would sell the car or get those extra gas tanks installed. A way could be worked out so they are filled with fresh gas when Bob decides to fill up. He is just dead convinced he is going to die if he runs out of gas and can't electric over to a gas station. Somehow that one-mile is going to save their life.

Toyota could do a mod on Bob’s Prius. They could flash warning signs at a half tank. How about a voice-activated command like, “Bob, it’s time to fill up the Prius. Road guidance to the nearest gas station will now automatically start. If you miss a turn, I will drive the car for you to the nearest gas station…ding ding.â€

 

I'm sorta getting out of this thread that all we need to know is not let our cars run out of gas.

But we also have a warning that if the fuel stops to the engine for any reason (dirt in the tank, fuel pump, etc) that the car will not move even though there is a fully charged traction battery and that was not the case for the Gen 1&2 cars and that it would be a nice safety feature to have.

 

And from appearance that would be you and your buddies. (I snipped your personal attacks on Bob.) Bob's info has been useful. Those attacking him have not posted much of value to the thread.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by wvgasguy
Unfortunately the reporting of information on here often turns into personal attacks. . . . I'm certainly not understanding the somewhat frequent attacks on Bob about all this. . . .

That's BS Bob and you know it. No pity from the gallery here.

Firstly, no one (including myself) is attacking you for your research on the Prius. I thought it was great someone has determined how far one can go on a flashing pip (well over 100 miles) before the car actually runs out of fuel. Not only once, but on three different occasions just to be sure. Nice to know information if one was ever to let the car go to a flashing pip. The first half of your OP was great info.

BUT when you argue that to the point the 2010 Prius is seriously flawed to the point you and your wife will only drive it when absolutely necessary AND you start writing letters to the NHTSA and Toyota explaining your car will not go on when it runs out of fuel (again after more than 100 miles and hours of flashing pips warning you are about to run out of fuel), well the "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs" alarm goes off. I'm curious, is your wife wary of the 2010 Prius and avoids it whenever possible (because it can run out of gas)??

Do you actually think the NHSTA will be astounded to discover the Prius's engine stops and therefore does not continue on after it runs out of fuel?? Should we expect a recall?? Maybe we should have the NHSTA engineers write the software code for the Prius. Geez, what do those Toyota guys know, not much I suppose...

Your letter to the NHSTA will definitely make the rounds throughout the office, but not in the fashion I think you are expecting to do. I suspect it will most likely end up framed on a junior staffers office wall at the NHSTA. I for one would like to see a copy of it. While your at it, please include my Honda minivan, someone told me it too does not go forward after it runs out of fuel...

But you are right on one point and I quote you:

"My personal preference is to get back on topic and restate the facts and data:..."

Rick
#4 2006

 

Thank you Shawn for proving my point.

 

It would be nice to hear from Toyota on the scope of and reasons behind this change. Which ICE failure conditions restrict EV? Does shut down / restart allow EV?

I would point out that carrying fuel would only help in one specific ICE failure scenario: out of fuel. So, (except when testing fuel starve) that extra fuel is pointless. But if I cannot access EV in any ICE failure scenario even after shut down / restart, that seems like a step backward. Toyota Team, are you listening? In the air snow is glistening...

 

Running out of gas is bad for any car. It is the sole reponsibility of the driver not to get the car to this state.
You will only damage the longevity of any car by doing so.