I just got my first Prius, a 2022 model, and I’m excited to be part of the community! I’ve heard that there are certain driving techniques and maintenance tips that can help maximize fuel efficiency. What are some of the best habits to develop for getting the most out of my Prius? Any advice on tire pressure, regenerative braking, or driving modes?
Your profile says 2000. Is that correct? Correct if 2022. Economical driving techniques are universal. Energy-efficient driving - Wikipedia
1. Don't speed. 2. Keep a generous following distance, coast through it as much as practical during slowdowns. 3. Choose lower speed, and/or less congested routes. Avoid steep hill climbs if possible. 4. Install a block heater, and use it before first cold-start of the day, whenever possible. 5. Consolidate trips. 6. Check tire pressures regularly. 7. Use AC sparingly. 8. Keep the back seat back flipped down. Kidding...
You never know... It is funny, every time I've got the rear seatback down, it feels like a stripped-down pick-up truck, lighter, not sure what it is, lol.
The best way to get "extra" energy out of the car is to put it in the battery. Look further ahead for the traffic lights and brake easier for longer. The first part of the brake pedal is regenerative braking. That's the part that charges the battery. Once you get further into the brakes, you'll get into the friction (normal) part, which is just heat on the brake discs and pads. Of course, that puts you in the path of the red lightites. These are a religious sect that worships the red lights as their gods. If they don't make it to the red light in time, it changes to green and they won't be able to stop and receive the blessing of their god. That pisses them off because you braked early and blocked them from their god. The display with the CHG, ECO, PWR is probably the best to use to monitor your driving. When accelerating, try to stay in the ECO range. Putting your foot into it and going into the PWR every now and then is normal. Just try to keep from doing it more than needed, as that's the point where you're no longer operating that efficiently. Also, when braking once you get down to the bottom of the CHG part, that's the point where you're using the friction brakes and throwing away energy.
On our second Prius now and we have a RAV4 HV. We just drive normal. I did the experiment one time on one tank to get best mpg and got I think 65 mpg. Problem with that is I pissed off every other driver out there on the road and it was not safe. Do what you want, but most people soon realise that either way...you still get better gas mileage than ICE cars. Enjoy your new ride.
In a nutshell? Accelerate briskly and take as long as you can to slow or stop the car. A quick pulse of acceleration is not as wasteful as it may seem, especially when followed by a "glide" with very light accelerator pedal usage. And when it comes to brake regeneration? Time is your secret weapon. The longer you can stretch out the actual braking event, the more energy you can recover. ...and remember... you can get even better mileage if you drive in a really weird way that irritates the heck out of your fellow drivers. Resist the urge to capture that last 5%.
I run the engine at wot most of the time and get 28mpg without a trailer, 18mpg w a trailer. That's still twice as good as any other car driven the same way.
