PriusChat's own TheForce just finished up an astounding 2502 mile, 299 MPG tank of gas in his 2006 Hymotion PHEV Prius. Here is the post from TheForce: Yes a PHEV does work and it works very well despite what fleets or car reviewers say! I just filled up today with 2501.7 Miles and 299.43MPG on one tank of gas and I still had gas left over for 500+ more miles. This tank started on March 28th 2009 and ended today July 14th 2009. It ended because I'm heading up to Hybridfest and I wanted to start with a fresh tank. This tank was mostly my commute to work and back. About a month ago I moved into a new house which my commute distance did not change much but I gained much better low speed near level roads. With these new conditions I believe I can achieve 4k even 5k miles now on one tank of gas. My new routine is as follows. I start out on 35mph roads in EV mode. I take a back road which is 25mph to the highway. Once I get on the on ramp I exit out of EV mode to let the engine warm up though S1. By the time I get through S1 I enter into the city and go into EV mode all the way to work. On my way home I do the opposite. I EV all the way to the highway. Once I enter the 55mph zone I go through S1 and by the time I get off the exit to the 35mph roads I can get into EV mode. Then its EV all the way home. According to my ScanGauge this totals out to about 400-500MPG per trip. So here is the data you have been waiting for. Distance: 2501.7 miles Calculated MPG: 299.43MPG Gallons gas used: 8.355 @ $2.599 Watt hours used: 439556.7 @ 8 cents per kWh Watt hours per mile: 175.7 Total tank cost: $56.88 Cents per mile: 2.3 Here are some pictures. Mileage MFD reading 27% gas remaining. ScanGauge reporting not very accurate. Since I had to reset my CAN-View here is the last 323 miles. The CV tops out at 255MPG so I set it over to L/100km to get a better reading. The CV is worse than the SG reading. There is so little fuel used its hard to get accurate numbers.
Jay, congrats, you have the needs a PHEV is best suited for. When you get to hybridfest I'll buy you a bottle of Sta-Bil. Wayne
Jay, roomie, I'll buy you some Smirnoff on the rocks if you promise to not make fun of me when I order flavored Smirnoff on the rocks. I prefer Stoli Raz but will make concessions for company. And CONGRATS on the steller tank. I did some quick math of my own and here's what I got: 2502 miles at 60mpg = 41.7 gallons. At $2.75, that's $114.675. You spent $56.88 in gas and electricity, saving $57.80 and 33.35 gallons of gas.
Awsome results! Which PHEV conversion did you install? How far do you go on each stretch? I.e 35mph for x miles, 25 for y miles, and 55 for z? I have a 150 mile round trip commute each day to and from work and that's about 90% or more of my driving. Do you think I could benefit from one of these conversions? How well would the Return On Investment work out? Thanks for the thread!
I'm guessing he's still using the kit at http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...57-review-hymotion-battery-plug-in-prius.html.
Good queestions. I'd like to know that myself. Also, does the Prius recharge the Hymotion battery like it does the reguar traction battery? Or does the Hymotion only recharge when it's plugged-in?
For a 150 mile commute, the plug in won't be a very good option (I'm sorry to say). The batteries are good for approximately 25 - 30 miles (maybe a tad more under ideal conditions) of assist before you switch over to the normal Prius mode. But, since the batteries add an additional 200 lbs or so, your fuel mileage will decrease by a few MPG's because of the extra weight. As I recall, The Force has a nearly ideal commute distance (something like 25 miles, round trip) and an option to plug in at work if need be. He has many roads that keep him in the ideal 25 - 35 mph range, so he is an ideal candidate for a plug in. I'd love to get a prius and do a plug in option as well, but with a 35 mile commute (one way) and no decent plug in option at work, it wouldn't be an ideal situation. Now my wife, running errands around town, with shorter commutes, would benefit (although I'm not sure how the engine warm-up affects things).
Congrats! I'm really happy to read this thread. I saw I had an email from you and had totally forgotten about the old thread. DARN, I was thinking that ou should have had a 2500 mile tank with 250 mpg radio button....little did I know that I was underestimating you even with that! lol
Appears to only be capable of triple digit MPG numbers due to the fact that you don't have to use the ICE (or go above 41MPH) for very long. I'd have maybe three miles of my 25 mile commute that would fit the above. While it's great for some, that whole HAVING to run the ICE above 41mph makes the great expense of adding the PHEV battery and equipment just not very appealing or economical in any sense for most of us.
This is insane! Your next goal should be 5,000 miles per gas tank. This way... you change engine oil and refill your gas tank together.
Jay!! its people like you that really TICK ME OFF!!...i have often wondered why, instead of buying my Zenn (dont get me wrong, still love the car. it still does the job) i didnt just get the hymotion so i would have had two Pri's and still been able to EV to work. but in my situation, my tanks would have literally lasted me forever since my commute is all 40 mph and less and only 7 miles one and i am allowed to plug in at work. all kidding aside, you are showing people that plug-ins can work even for limited EV ranges. keep putting out the word, the world needs to know! and the best part?? ...heck you still had TWO FULL BARS LEFT!! LOL!!
nice figure's the force : you make my air cleaner:rockon: congrats if you life near the highway you can do highway assist with this kit like any others and have really good highway and 25 mile MPG
yep at 2.3 cents per mile it adds up slowly. my last tank on my 2010, i got 4.39 cents per mile and thats with more than 62 mpg!!... even with better than average number (at least for me) Jay is still getting 2.1 cent per mile better. lets relate that... i have a free oil change and tire rotation coupon for the 2010 for $54.95 which his last tank would pay for plus some. now mind you, that is synthetic oil changes which are a lot more than standard oil changes. not sure of the difference, but will be taking the SPM in the next few weeks so will find out. which brings to mind a side note (not the same as off topic!!) Jay, since the engine duty cycle is much less, what interval are you doing oil changes??
The last time you filled up was March 28? Wow!!!!!!!! 2501 miles? Dang!!!!!!!!! Did you accelerate, shift into neutral, glide, and repeat, or did you drive a constant 25mph and 35mph? Did you plug it in at work, or were you able to go a round trip on one charge? If not, then with your new commute route, do you think you will able to go a round trip on one charge? (note: gasoline consumption would Not be affected by an increase in vehicle weight (batteries) because weight only affects acceleration and deceleration. If you are going a constant speed, the only forces you are pushing against are air drag force and rolling resistance (and incline, if there is any, which yes, would be affected by the weight of the car. But who drives up hills anymore these days? ) ......if you slowed to below 41mph, would the EV be enough power to go up a reasonable incline? (yes, "reasonable" is a VERY relative term)
If ever there is a case for synthetic oil this is it. Time breaks down synthetic oil more slowly then regular oil. I admit the oil is harley being used but I would hate to put regular oil in there and have it be in the engine for a year before changing!
Actually, you may still be a good candidate for a Hymotion kit. I used to commute 30 miles each way into SF, but could plug in at work. This is a very hilly commute and I could sometimes eke out 40 miles from the Hymotion battery. I recently drove from my office in S.F. to Roseville, and made it to Douglas Road (100 miles) at 70 MPG by toggling the Hymotion on and off at various points (i.e. switching off on downhill grades). As you know, it is a slight climb to Roseville and I was going with traffic in the fast lane - 70 - 75 MPH. If nothing else, you would double your mileage for one leg of your commute, and get perhaps a little bump for the other leg, and you would have the ability to cruise around on weekends running errands while using little or no gas.