Well this certainly bodes well for my upcoming summer. The only concern I have at this stage is that I notice that while the air con currently has minimal impact on fuel economy because I'm using it with ECO Mode engaged, it's quite the reverse when in normal mode. On the one hot day we've had so far I found myself taking ECO Mode off for awhile until the air con had had a chance to really knock over the heat and that killed my economy. Our humidity here is a killer in the summer and I can't live without my air con!
In my experience with a Prius Gen I and a Gen III that you will notice a mileage drop when the temperatures go below 50 degrees F. This is based on driving in Indiana. The lower the temps go, the lower the MPG.
A/C will definitely have a major impact on your mileage... you need to find a nice compromise between running it full strength and running it moderately to reduce the mileage impact.
It doesn't have to go below zero, or get anywhere close to it. I noticed a significant drop between 98 degrees in the morning and 74 degrees in the morning.
Today, my Trip B mpg avg. went down to 75.1 from 75.6. My odo reading showed ~71 mpg. During the summer I've managed to get 76-80 mpg. The weather here sometimes goes into single digits.
I'm still managing 65-75 without much effort, but I've also switched to driving with the ECO Score screen instead of the energy monitor, and since I'm not used to that yet I'm certain it's impacting my mileage just a wee bit.
Was a nice warm day here today, converting to your terms, about 79-84°F, but unfortunately you can't control other drivers... both to and from work other drivers totally ruined my mileage for today... the worst offender causing me to stop in the middle of the main uphill on the way to work, sapping all my momentum and building up cars behind me demanding I get it going up the rest of the hill. Particularly sad as I'd had a perfect run including warm up phase up until that point, including a green light where normally I have a red.
Yep, other drivers and red lights are the bane of my existence at this point. I try to stick to the right lane whenever possible, but that often means waiting (and even missing a green light) if the car ahead of me wants to turn right and there are pedestrians crossing the street.
I'm here in north dakota...our coldest day today.....the temp said 41 but with the wind it had to be lower. My car refused to use battery today? It charged all the way too a full battery instead? It kicked in on my drive home though
I often hear people say they take a big hit in mpg's with temps over 90 F. I have found out now for over three years of driving our Prius that warm is always better than cold. In winter with temps in the Northwestern part of Oregon in the mid 30's to high 40's I find it very difficult to get 50 mpg calculated mpg's. Most of the time its around 47-48 mpg. In summer with temps over 50 degrees MPG's are always in the low 50's mpg. During vacation where temps were in the 90's mpg's would normally climb into the high 50's to even low 60's mpg calculated even with moderate ac usage...
M Most people will blast the a/c when it's hot so it will crunch their mpg's into a tiny number. Most "car guys" will tell you " As it gets colder you can get more power out of your car" the thing is more power means burning more gas. More gas in this "alt car guys" Opinion more gas is bad
Ill be looking at your MPG numbers with great interest. Its starting to get cold...*sigh*... I miss fall temperatures already. Kinda surprised we got snowfall already, then again I'm new to ND so I don't know the norm (before lived in SD, not much warmer ). Will be interesting to see cold temp MPG's from everyone.
I worked the close shift today while crappy because I'm there so late, it does have the benefit no traffic at all. So I left work at 9:30 and pulled every trick I know to get good mpg. I mean every single one, even the ones that can't really be used in real world driving. Last time I did this it was early September and got 82 mpg. This time at 42 degrees I was able to get only 70.1 mpg. Still great number sure but I sign of things to come when it really gets cold. Makes me worried I not be able to bet the EPA :-(
Sorry for just bumping the thread, does anyone have any more to add regarding their fuel numbers now that winter is here for most? I would be really interested in hearing from those who live in climates of below zero Fahrenheit. There have been a few days like that where I live (so far) and I would like to know about MPG's from people who live in similar areas. Below 30 counts as well I guess , I would like to hear regardless.
Are you literally getting a tow from another car to get those numbers? There's no way in hell the car can get those numbers with my 90% Interstate commute. That said, you're getting a 15% drop in FE, which is awful for just an ambient temp change [and winter fuel blend]. In the summer my commute to work usually nets 48 MPG. This morning's commute at 28°F and the usual cruise control at 70 MPH netted 40 MPG. That's a massive 17% drop for the exact same route and speed. I don't think I've ever got that kind of drop with any other car I've owned.
Based on data that I have compiled over the last couple of years with a Civic in Montreal, I was expecting to see a drop in fuel mileage of about 20-25 % in winter. I now see the same effect with my C. It is all about physics, and every car has to deal with the same physics in winter.
