I'm in a relatively small town. From my driveway it is 1.5 miles to the grocery store and to a few places to eat. Another direction it is probably 2 miles to a few places to eat. Another direction maybe 3 or at most 4 miles. A typical day is going to one of the places to get breakfast and then sitting for a while reading and refilling my soda. I might go by the used book store afterward, another 1-4 mile trip depending on starting point. Almost all of this is off highway and 30-35mph maximum speed if not slower. There can be 2 miles of freeway in one combination of locations. With a 2015 Prius Three what should I expect for operation? I understand gliding and long, light braking for more regen. I pretty much drive that way now to maximize mpg in my current car. Anyway, in short drives at modest speeds like that will I be using the hybrid drive a fair amount of the time? What mode is best in such conditions? I can see hitting the power button prior to entering the freeway but otherwise I think I'd go with eco or none as my goal would be maximum mpg. My hero was the tortoise not the hare. I have time to get where I'm going. Thanks for any and all input.
A Prius, except the Prius PHV, is not well suited to such short trips. As the engine will never warm up fully, it will never be very economical. If you have not purchased a Prius, I encourage you to rethink doing so. (if it turns out you do long trips every weekend to San Antonio or Dallas then you can save enough on weekends to make up for bad gas mileage during the week) I drive over 40 miles each way to all my clients, so my car spends over 25 miles full warmed up an getting great mileage. (I drive the station wagon full of cargo, so my great mileage is about 10 MPG less than usual for a Prius Liftback) The Prius PHV can go over 6 miles on electric power, the Tesla, Leaf, and the Volt more so; they would be well suited to your short drives, using no gas. If you are driving less than 10,000 miles a year a nice Corolla or Honda Fit or Civic may be more economical: the higher cost of gas would never overtake the higher cost of purchase. I see this green graph each day on my MPG screen, I fear you will never get off the early curve and to the excellent line.
My car is always outside so my primary interest is the solar roof option with the remote a/c start. I've got a Mazda3 that is a great car but even white it still is an oven. I get about 29-31mpg with the short trips. I don't go to S.A. but I do go 2-3 times a month about 90 miles round trip to have lunch with my family. I know the short trips are less than ideal. It's the whole gas/battery deal I don't know about. I just don't know what to expect when I get in the car to go for a breakfast biscuit 1.5 miles away. Will the engine start and it's identical to my 3 or will it run on the battery system through the neighborhood when I'm going no faster than 30mph?
When 'cold' the engine starts in the first 15 seconds and runs to get the emissions equipment up to operating temperature. The engine may run continuously even thought the battery is providing most of the power. If the engine shuts down at a light it will be 'rougher' than shutdowns when 'warm'. Once warm, the engine will shut down more frequently and may turn off as you cruise at any speed up the low 40s. When coming back from a long trip I can often cruise for almost a mile on battery power, but when 'cold' it will not be a battery only vehicle. The good news is that you are able to drive it just like other cars, the decisions are made by the computers how to run and you rarely know more than the computers do. If you know you will not be speeding up or slowing down, setting Cruise Control on may run electric mode more when warm. I leave my Prius v in ECO much of the year, but on summer afternoons I use normal more often, so I get more A/C. Yesterday I fixed printers in an office with no A/C for an hour and ran my A/C on normal all the way home.
We got the blockheater installed at time of purchase, use it religiously, aim for a couple of hours plug-in before driving. It's around $200~250 installed, thru the dealership. You can DIY, the part alone is $50~100, but it's not that easy. Still, if you seriously want to improve mpg, the elephant-in-the-room is cutting out all the convenience food trips, consolidate what's left.
Yeah, I'd have to go to L.A. or somewhere to get the pip and pay many thousand more for it. Overall I think the regular Prius locally is a better idea.
The only way to have the engine NOT start in a regular Prius is to press start, then immediately press the EV button. This will only work if the car is not very cold and the battery charge is high enough. If the car is cold (i.e. not warm from just have driven with gas) you will be able to drive only 10 mph before the engine starts. If the car is warm from a recent trip with gas you will be able to drive up to 25 mph. In both cases you'll only be able to use low acceleration, else the engine will start. In both cases you'll get to a low battery condition which will start the engine...you might get a few hundred feet, maybe 1/4 mile before this happens. The only way to go farther than this is to be going down hill. The PIP is the car designed for your situation. Mike
With that few miles driven, why do you even care about MPG? Just drive the car on your errands and don't stress about how efficient you are. The Prius will do better than almost any other car in all conditions. Don't worry about it.
Yeah, it's not a nail biter. I just want to understand it and then it's the challenge of how well can I do in my universe. I know it will be different than and not as good as most owners but I'll still compete with myself for the fun of it. There are 2 or 3 events I'm always threatening to go to, one in Louisville, one in Lebanon, MO. etc. but usually never do. With around 50mpg on such a trip I may just follow through with those threats next year.
If money is not tight, buy what you want. As already mentioned, the plug in Prius would be perfect for you. Going out of town to buy it may be a pain, but the car will last you forever (10 + years) probably. You will love driving it. Can your local Toyota Dealer pick it up from another Dealer for you? I've bought new cars that way before. If you go with a regular Prius, like already said, your gas mileage will be low (32 mpg maybe). If money is no object, buy what makes you happy. Best wishes!
I got 36.5 on the test drive according to the display and that was after the salesman left it idling for maybe 10 minutes prior to the drive.
You are paying a premium to buy a Prius that gets 50+ mpg. The short drives not letting the engine warm up to full operating temperature are very hard on an engine. If you buy the plug in Prius, you will usually not use the engine at all, except when you drive your 2 or 3 times a month lunch trips to see family. Buy the Plug in Prius. You will love driving around town only using battery power. You'll just need to plug it in when it's in you driveway. Can you park near the house to plug in, or do you park on the street? If all you really want is remote start for air conditioning, the are many small cars that you can buy that have or can have a remote starter installed.
It is 10 miles for me to go to Hardee's--closest place-- to get something like that. IF-- I do go, I usually get two and will microwave the extra the next morning. I did that Thursday, with pork chop and egg biscuits.
