Found this on the web, very interesting
Taking Prius Fuel Economy To The Extreme
In early August 05, a team of four hybrid car enthusiasts will drive a factory-equipped 2004 Toyota Prius on a 1000 + mile, multi-day marathon in pursuit of obtaining amazing gas mileage from a single tank of gas.
How amazing will the gas mileage be? Well, leading up to the attempt, their shorter practice runs have achieved gas mileage as high as 105 miles per gallon. In their upcoming marathon they hope to maintain 100 + mpg for the entire tank.
They plan to drive a “there and back” route on a 30 - 40 miles per hour, 11 mile stretch of four-lane highway including multiple stop lights and a couple of moderate hills.
This will put the Prius at an operating speed that is optimal for maximum efficiency. They will minimize the use of the Prius’ battery pack and maximize the time spent coasting. All this while obeying local traffic laws.
While some critics have belittled the marathon by saying the results will not be practical and that most people could not duplicate the conditions, I think that argument is missing the point.
The journey is merely an exercise in what is possible. It is not an edict saying all people can or should drive that way. If the team is willing to take time out of their lives for such an attempt, I say, Go for it. Show us what you can do guys.
Prius Goes Nearly 1400 Miles On One Tank Of Gas
They did it!
The weekend of August 5th through the 7th, 2005, a team of hybrid car enthusiasts, took an unmodified Toyota Prius to a record breaking
1397 miles on a single 12.78 gallon tank of gas. That is a whopping
110 miles per gallon! This is an amazing accomplishment considering the EPA estimates for the hybrid is 60 city and 51 highway.
The original four men, Dave Bassage of W. Virginia, Dan Kroushl of Pennsylvania, Wayne Gerdes of Illinois, and Rick Reese of South Carolina, began driving in shifts Friday evening. On Saturday, a fifth man, Bob Barlow of Virginia, was added to ease the load of driving the nearly 1400 miles. They drove back and forth for over 40 hours on an 18 mile stretch of 30 - 40 miles per hour, four-lane highway. The route was selected specifically because it is in range in which the Prius can be operated very efficiently.
The drivers used a technique discovered by Prius enthusiasts called
Pulse and Glide. The drivers gently accelerate up to a selected speed (~40 miles per hour) and then slowly coast back down to a selected speed (~30 miles per hour), avoiding use of the battery pack as much as possible.
During some of the shifts, they achieved gas mileage as high as 115 miles per gallon and the overall mileage rarely dropped below 100 miles per gallon. The Prius' display screen is not calibrated to show such a high miles per gallon, so to track results during the marathon, the men had to rely on a piece of hardware that was homebuilt by another hybrid car enthusiast who lives in Japan. They confirmed the results when they filled up at the end of the marathon
It is amazing what people can do if they put their minds to it and how a change in driving technique can make such a huge impact on gas mileage.
Congratulations guys! If you want to learn more about the Pulse and Glide technnique, be sure to check out my article,
Pulse And Glide - Getting Maximum Fuel Economy In A Prius.