Hi,

new owner here, 250 miles so far.

I noticed that the Battery meter in my Prius never shows all bars green. There is always a white bar on top of the green bars (I hope that makes sense), even after long downhill stretches with lots of charging. Is that normal?

I also get only 40mpg averagewith normal at-the-speed-limit driving, no heat on.

Just wondering whether either is normal. 40mpg sounds very low to me, even with cold weather and such.

Dorfl.

 

Hi,

There are several Yahoo groups that can help explain some of the mileage tricks. I have an 03 Prius, the earlier model, and this is how I've approached the problem.

Unlike a gas-only vehicle, it is more efficient to take a shorter but more stop-and-go route. Often the shorter, stop-and-go route saves enough distance that the total commute time does not change much. It also helps to use the first 1-2 miles for low-speed, 25 mph, warm-up, before going higher speeds. Then there are techniques like "pulse-and-glide" and 'predictive braking.'

Cold weather affects hybrid MPG and folks continue to study different techniques. There is a $75, block heater, that others have reported positively on although I've not tested one myself. I've only got about six weeks before the cold weather leaves Alabama so I may not get to test it.

Is this vehicle used for commuting? What routes are available?

Bob Wilson

 

I just got mine, have about 450 miles on it so far, and I've had the battery "full" (the whole block filled with green bars) many times. Almost every time I come down my "big hill", by the time I get to the bottom it's full.

I got 45 mpg on the first tank, but it was kind of cold the whole time. This next tank started out really good, I was averaging about 58 mpg until the temp dropped like a stone today, from 50 to 35. Now I'm back down to 49 mpg (avg). It seems the temp really makes a BIG difference in the FE of the Prius! My FEH went from about 32 to 29 (~10% drop) when it got cold (though I had one HORRIBLE tank, 24.9, when the high temps were below 10 F for a week), but the Prius seems to take more of a hit - 60 to 45, a whopping 25% drop, when the temp was only down to the mid-30s! Still, it was a real thrill to fill the tank the other day for $24, having gone the same 422 miles that would have cost me $35 in the FEH.

I've also heard that there is a break-in period - FE seems to improve a bit after the first 3000 miles or so - and that was true of the FEH, so I expect to see an upturn in the Prius as well. So we can look forward to that.

 

It is normal for my HCH to stay slightly below a full charge so I assume that it is also normal for a Prius to do the same. Fully charging or fully discharging a pack reduces life so the manufacturer programs the chargers to avoid fully charging or discharging the battery.

40mpg is a hair low but is pretty normal for this time of year. Check out the mileage database, the Prius is averaging 48 mpg for all the drivers in the database year round. Summer mileage is always better. The EPA figures are a pipe dream for an average driver.


While you are over at the database check out Silk Shorts. Ole Dan can really squeeze the miles out of his hybrid. The driver makes most of the difference.

 

I did manage to get my battery up to 100% once! I only seemed to happen when I managed to get an incredible amount of regenerative braking. I'm leave lots of room in front on me and try to be light on the brakes, that causes the regen to work better.

As for milage, I use cruise control as much as I can, I try to accellerate slowly (when possible of course) I seem to do 48 in the winter if I'm not warming the car up (like after a snowfall) I do use heat, but I make sure the 'AC' indicator is off, on the Climate Control screen.

I like the way Toyota did it with the Prius, because it will run to engine to get the cabin warm, and the same in the summer with the AC, but of course it costs something in milage.

Having the car for over a year, now, I seem to get 52 in the summer (using Climate Control, AC on and no open windows) & about 48 in the winter, but sumetimes in the winter, it can get down to 43, expecially after a snowfall. I also see lower milage when its rainy.

I'm sure your milage will get better, as you get more and more used to driving efficiently. I have a long commute, and it involves highway and long stretch of stoplight infested 50mph highway. When I'm lucky I get to do most of it without stopping! That's when my milage is best!

Good luck.

-Howard

 

I got my battery up to 100% once, going down a mountain. It was 15 minutes of non-stop coasting and braking. It can be done, but it takes a lot of coasting and breaking.

 

Interesting about the 100% - seems like that's normal. I was a little concerned I had a lemon there.

As for the driving, I am used to driving very efficiently (easily got 30mpg out of my 14 year old Nissan Sentra on the same commute), I do the coasting, rolling towards red lights etc. My commute at the moment is somewhat short, that might explain the milage. The chart in one of the links was very enlightening, though, owing consumption over distance with temperature as parameter. Maybe my drive at the moment is just to short. It is also a little hilly.

Thanks all for answering,

Dorfl

 

I don't think I saw 100% until I have over a 1,000 mi. Now it will hit fully charged a couple times per tank.

 

It took me over 6 months to see the top bar full. The "better" your driving habits, the less likely that you'll see the top bar full. (Better driving usually includes less braking.)

Note that "better" is in quotes, and I said USUALLY. Didn't mean to insult ANYBODY's driving. I should have pointed out that my driving hapens to include lots of flat highway, where the only way to peg the battery meter would be repeated, unnecessary braking. That is all I meant - my point of view only.

 

I beg to differ. Perhaps that is true for folks who live in the city, or where the terrain is relatively flat, but even if I start at the top of the hill with a low battery, I can't possibly avoid braking (or engine braking) enough while coming down the steep, long other side to keep the battery from getting to 100%. I don't think that my driving is "worse" because I have a full battery at least once every day! Also, I think this is one of the most beneficial parts of my commute, for mileage, because I am able to come out at the bottom of the hill with a full battery which I then use to go almost the rest of the way home (relatively flat, low-traffic rural roads) on electric power. Then my battery is low, when I park for the night, and since the engine will be running anyway for the first 5-10 minutes of my drive out in the morning, to warm up, the battery gets charged up during that time.

Sure, I could do better if the terrain and traffic were such as to permit me to P&G the whole way to and from work, but it just ain't so. I do it when I can, and drive the hills as efficiently as I can, and I was over 60 mpg during the two days when we had temps in the 50s.

If anyone knows how I can get down the hill without a full battery, by driving "better", please let me know.