Hi Lars-ss:
Quote:
|
As we all know, the answer to the question, "Can you get EPA numbers by just driving like a normal person" is NO right now. Maybe someday it can be yes.
|
___This is not entirely factual from what I have been reading lately. I have done quite a bit of research into the 03-05 Accord w/ Auto over the last month or two and many are exceeding EPA estimates (24 City/34 Highway) out on the highway driving normally according to the Edmunds Honda Accord forums. Consumer Reports has its own simulated City and Highway cycle that is much closer to an actual drive given it is an actual drive on a test track of some kind with simulated lights and stop signs, differing timed stops, and much higher highway speeds w/ real wind resistance. The Accord received 38 mpg on their highway run. They also have a real 150 mile run in the mix. Many automobiles in their tests exceed the EPA highway estimates but usually fall far behind in the city estimates.
___The following link should help give credence to this although the Prius listed is the Prius I, not the II.
http://autos.yahoo.com/consumerreports/art...tegory.html%20/
___IIRC, the Prius II had a 35 mpg city, 50 + on the highway run (I am not sure what the exact highway number was?) and 44 mpg overall.
___Another piece or two of anecdotal evidence from Consumer Reports about Hybrids in particular …
Quote:
Under test-track conditions, Consumer Reports found the Prius and hybrid Civic's actual mileage performance is 20 to 25 percent lower than the Environmental Protection Agency's lab-tested results. In fact, the two sedans fall as short of EPA claims as almost any vehicle Consumer Reports has tested in decades.
"These vehicles are designed to do well on the EPA cycle," said David Champion, Consumer Reports senior director of automotive testing. "If you're looking at a hybrid just as a financial investment, it doesn't make sense."
|
___As seen at the following:
Fuel-efficiency claims for hybrid cars fall far short
Quote:
Data from independent product-testing organization Consumer Reports indicates that hybrid cars get less than 60 percent of EPA estimates while navigating city streets. In Consumer Reports' real-world driving test, the Civic Hybrid averaged 26 mpg in the city, while the Toyota Prius averaged 35 mpg, much less than their respective EPA estimates of 47 and 60 mpg. Hybrid cars performed much closer to EPA estimates in Consumer Reports' highway tests.
Consumer Reports' senior auto test engineer Gabriel Shenhar says that while the EPA test is a lab simulation, Consumer Reports puts the cars on the streets and measures the fuel consumed to more accurately reflect gas mileage.
|
___As seen at the following:
Hybrid mileage comes up short
___In regards to the Hybrid’s, I think the Prius II is the largest outlier given it is in its EV mode so much of the EPA’s city cycle and so many are expecting to see that 60 mpg mark on the FCD or calculated. I haven’t read of a single person that has received 60 mpg in an all city environment yet but I am sure there are many that do consistently tank over tank. Chisight and I took a brand new, un-warmed up, Prius II for a test drive in 32 degree temps about 6 to 7 months ago. I had a 56 mpg reading after something like 4 miles and Chisight had 57 mpg showing on the FCD (after reset) after it was warmed up on the way back but we were not driving “normally” either. This was in a pure all-city environment. If the Prius II was setup properly (0W-20), high pressure tires, warmer temps, hypermiling techniques, I am sure she could see 60 + on a continuing basis but maybe not while driving normally is all. With that, to exceed city estimates in the Insight (60 mpg), it takes some non-normal measures the few times I have taken her out for local drives or when I am driving from parked and finally get to the Interstate after ~ 2.5 miles either way. Running a maximum hypermileage profile in an all-city environment has yielded as high as a 95.1 mpg over a few mile segment but again, this is extreme hypermiling tactics in an all-city environment with the lightest car available here in the US. Not normal in the least.
___Anyway, there are a few non-Hybrids that regularly exceed the EPA’s highway estimates but in the city, they simply suck fuel like nobodies business. The Hybrid’s don’t receive anywhere near City estimates but do rather well given they do receive better mileage then their std. ICE counterparts. Just not as high a percentage as they probably should is all.
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___
Waynegerdes@earthlink.net