Quote:
Originally Posted by vas621
Thanks for the welcome! I'm so glad I found this place. I have many questions to ask.
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We're here to help and feel comfortable with explaining what we know and if not known, helping to find the answers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vas621
My typical morning route is about a 2 mile drive (one way) to drop my son off at school, Monday-Friday and I drive 30-35 MPH....sometimes faster if we're running late, but an average would be 30-35 MPH. |
Owch! This is going to be tough but I have some suggestions:
1) Try to keep your speeds as low as practical on the way over. The car is trying to warm-up and by driving slowly on the trip over, you'll minimize the initial fuel burn. In your case, the block heater would help a lot but it is not trivial get one and have it installed.
2) One trick I've started using because my NHW11 03 Prius has a shifter handle, is to shift into "N" for glides and at stops. This lets the ICE run at the lowest possible fuel consumption rate. HOWEVER, it is not for everyone. I'm used to driving a manual transmission so this is almost second nature. If you have always driven an automatic, practice alone until it becomes second nature.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vas621
. . . I make the same trip in the afternoon to pick him up. Then my driving is mainly in a 10 mile range for shopping, running my son to friend's homes and errands.
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If at all possible, 'chain' these trips with picking up or dropping off your son. A series of short trips with 1-2 hour breaks will always give better performance than short trips with longer breaks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vas621
. . . Sometimes I get up to 50-60 MPH, but that's rare in town. In town driving is 30-45 MPH. |
Try to avoid 42
mph by either going say 38-39
mph or 46-50
mph. At 42
mph, the Prius control laws move from a very efficient auto-stop+Electric_Vehicle (EV) mode to a little less efficient engine runs all the time. The problem is everytime you transit 42
mph, you may trigger extra engine-stop and/or engine-starts that sip a little gas each time.
BTW, I do most of my driving, even in the city, using cruise control. It works down to 23
mph and has the advantage of avoiding 'nervous foot' . . . a lot of small changes that can lead to unproductive fuel burning. It isn't for everyone but I'd trained myself over time.
Although not frequently discussed, "defrost" can be pretty expensive in a Prius, even the newer NHW20. This requires running the airconditioner compressor, which takes energy. If the weather permits, don't use "defrost" unless you are getting 'inside foggy glass.' It works really fast so you can wait until it starts to show up. Otherwise, try to use outside air.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vas621
. . . I rarely do Highway driving, but that will change soon because I'll be traveling to Wrestling meets starting next month. I'm REALLY anxious to see what kind of mileage I get after that.
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You may find my Prius page helpful with the MPG vs
MPH chart. You have an NHW20 so use that vehicles curve for your expected MPG:
http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/
Quote:
Originally Posted by vas621
. . . I bought the car in April.
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Great!
Feel free to ask questions or send private notes if something seems a little funny. I and others will be more than happy to share what we know.
Bob Wilson