I bought this car 2010 prius few days ago. I reset trip to see my results.currently iam driving in london city area.iam not happy with mpg 39 avg.
39 isn't much below average. stop and go traffic takes a tremendous amount of energy to repeatedly get the car moving from a standstill. best to measure your mpg's at the pump and calculate average over many tanks. what types and pressures? clean air filter? hvac use? 12 volt and hybrid battery condition?
Ensure you're all updated on maintenance and try the pulse-and-glide method. I can get 65 mpg in both our Prius and my wife's Corolla Hybrid. Ahmed (The Care Care Nut) explains it in this video:
It seems like you are not getting enough speed to produce good regen. It seems like most of the engine power is going to move the car so u are burning more gas and not enough to charge the HV battery high enough to get better mpg. Try to get the battery bars to full. Like driving it on the highway (motorway) for a while until bars are at full. Or drive it somewhere at stop and go speeds above 25 mph. Your trip data is showing 6mph and a distance of 12 miles. Which means you drove at a joggers pace for 2 hours? You could also be sitting in traffic a lot or parked while the car was on ready mode for quite some time which would drain the HV battery fast. The car used it all it's EV charge and then went only on gas. Not enough to charge the HV battery to full. But still you got 39 mpg which is still good for your driving situation.
Also in my opinion, this type of driving will not be good for your catalytic converter, your egr valve, and your engine may wear faster. Higher speed is like exercise. It will help clean out the arteries valves and circulate the engine oil better. The catalytic converter needs to do it's work at high temperatures so low speed will not help it. Slow speeds can clog it more. And more carbon build up can lead to more clogging of the piston rings and engine in general. I recommend Sea Foam in your gasoline at least once or twice a year if driving at low speeds is normal.
It's states that it "prevents build-up of deposits" so that should help. But once in a while driving at high speeds is good for your car and the catalytic converter. Hybrids that tend to last the longest tend to drive lots of highway miles. AI response to highway vs city driving for hybrids: "Hybrids that drive mostly highway miles generally last longer and experience less wear and tear compared to those driving exclusively in stop-and-go city traffic. While city driving maximizes fuel efficiency via regenerative braking, highway driving allows the gasoline engine to maintain consistent operating temperatures with less friction and less frequent cycling of the high-voltage battery. Engine Longevity: Long-distance highway driving reduces engine wear by allowing it to reach optimal operating temperatures, preventing the sludge buildup often found in short-trip, city-driven vehicles. Battery Stress: City driving uses the electric motor and battery constantly for acceleration and regenerative braking. Highway driving relies more on the gas engine, reducing the constant heavy cycling of the battery pack. Component Wear: The frequent stopping and starting in city driving places more stress on the transmission and hybrid system components compared to the steady-state, lower-RPM cruising of highway driving. Efficiency Nuance: While highway driving increases longevity, it is important to note that many hybrids are designed to be more fuel-efficient in the city, where they can hit 50+ mpg, whereas highway speeds (over 70 mph) can reduce that efficiency to the high 30s or low 40s mpg"
I've been driving my 2011 for years in city commute, 36-37 is the ave mpg. Hardly any highway driving and it's been chugging along. Still waiting for the hybrid battery throw its' death code. I gave up long ago on trying to get the mpg up.
Older Toyota nimh packs do not have the longevity and durability that newer Toyota nimh packs have. AI summary of this: "Toyota made significant improvements to their Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery technology around 2015, focusing on reducing self-discharge, increasing energy density, and improving overall longevity. If owners of older Prius models replace their packs with a new, current-generation Toyota NiMH pack, they will receive these modern improvements, as all new Genuine Toyota replacement packs feature the latest advancements. Improvements to Toyota NiMH Batteries (Post-2015) Reduced Self-Discharge: Modern Toyota NiMH cells can hold up to 85% of their charge after a year, a significant improvement over early-generation Prius batteries. Improved Energy Density: Improvements in materials have allowed for higher energy capacity within the same volume, allowing the batteries to handle the demands of hybrid driving more consistently. Better Reliability: Enhanced manufacturing techniques have helped eliminate impurities that cause cell failure. New "Bipolar" NiMH Technology: While earlier NiMH improvements were incremental, Toyota has now begun rolling out "bipolar" NiMH batteries in some models, which offer twice the output power and faster charging/discharging. Benefits for Older Prius Owners If you replace a failing, older NiMH pack with a new, genuine Toyota pack, you gain: Enhanced Performance: A brand-new pack will show significantly lower internal resistance compared to an aged one, resulting in better acceleration and less engine stress. Improved Fuel Efficiency: Modern cells and better balancing allow for increased energy efficiency and better MPG, restoring or sometimes slightly exceeding original, aged performance. Lasting Durability: New Toyota packs are designed to last for a long time, often outlasting the vehicle itself under proper conditions. Note: While new Toyota NiMH packs are better than the old ones, for some older models, aftermarket Lithium-ion options (like Project Lithium) are increasingly popular for lighter weight and higher efficiency, though a new Toyota NiMH pack remains the safest, most reliable drop-in replacement."
Don't believe everything that AI spews out to you. Most people on this forum know how the aftermarket "Project Lithium" hybrid batteries almost bankrupt the company that sold it because of warranty claims. Apparently, AI does not know about that.
That doesn't really make sense.... Not really a lot to improve on. And it's very old tech. Just get the Sodium Ion pack. Much better and safer.
My next pack will be the Sodium Ion pack. Maybe later this year maybe next year. New products always have early adopter risks. Lots of people died with Tesla FSD. Lots of people died in Tesla fires. Chevy Bolt had to settle fire lawsuits with their EVs. But all are working to improve to newer and better models. We can kill every business that wants to survive and hopefully thrive. If they all die, what do the consumers have? They will have the real scams. Real scams that never show their face and don't give a sh*t about making people's lives better. As long as all businesses work to improve their product, that will ultimately help the consumers long term. We were discussing LiFePO4 here long before EV's started adopting them. Long before power stations started adopting them. Now it looks like Sodium Ion is the new and cheap battery alternative. But I don't mind Toyota's solid state batteries too.
AI response to Sodium Ion Prius packs. I think it's still brutally honest. "The sodium-ion Prius battery pack upgrade (popularly from brands like NexPower) is a budget-friendly alternative to OEM batteries. While it provides excellent cold-weather performance and a weight reduction of up to 50%, real-world reviews are mixed. Users report minor EV acceleration improvements, but also note potential highway/mpg drops due to aggressive battery charging behavior. The Pros: Cost & Safety: It is significantly cheaper than OEM NiMH replacements, with stable chemistry that carries a virtually nonexistent risk of thermal runaway. Extreme Temperature Resilience: Performs exceptionally well in both freezing and scorching climates. Weight Reduction: Because sodium cells are substantially lighter than stock nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, drivers often note a slight improvement in vehicle handling and acceleration from a stop. High Charging Efficiency: Sodium cells hold a charge well beyond traditional NiMH plateau levels The Cons: Fuel Economy Trade-offs: Because the battery acts like a capacitor and rapidly absorbs/releases energy, some users experience a decrease of 3-5 MPG. If the state of charge exceeds 60%, the Prius may actively assist or idle the engine to discharge the battery, lowering efficiency. EV Mode Limitations: Paradoxically, EV mode engages less often compared to OEM packs, as the Prius computer evaluates the capacity differently. System Design Concerns: Community consensus notes that some aftermarket sodium packs use passive Battery Management Systems (BMS), which lack the precise cell-level monitoring found in OEM or lithium packs. The Verdict: If you are seeking a cheap, safe, and lightweight drop-in replacement for a daily driver—especially in extreme climates—it is a viable alternative. However, purists prioritizing peak MPG and OEM longevity may prefer traditional Toyota batteries."
You're copy and paste from "A"trocious "I"diotics doesn't know ANYTHING about Sodium Ion batteries. MPG will go UP, not down. It doesn't get overcharged. The cons are just stupid..... You should really stop posting this stuff. And the other stuff. You're spreading false idea....
That's good. From what I saw a while back, Jack sold 2 different versions of the Sodium Ion Pack. One had slightly more capacity and the other offered more acceleration or something like that. Which pack are you using?
I'm the kind of person that if you give me 2 different options. I will try them both out. Test them both out as much as I can and see if one is better than the other. That would be one expensive test. That's why more user real world reviews on those 2 different options would be nice. I will gladly test both out if Jack lets me for free "2012 Prius has 17 wheels on 225/45/17 so results will be less than OEM Oem battery= 46-48 mpg Lithium v2.5= 43-46 mpg Sodium Ion = 41-43"
