New EPA Estimates

[mpgFanatic]

Sorry if this has been posted before, but I could not find it.

Here is a link to the new substantially reduced EPA estimates for Prius and others.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calculatorS...amp;model=Prius

[john1701a]

Now a majority of Prius owners will be able to exceed the misleading estimate values.

[TonyPSchaefer]

Now a majority of Prius owners will be able to exceed the misleading estimate values.[/b]

Yeah. It used to be that a good feel for the car and practice created a Hypermiler. Now that the EPA has lowered the number, almost all Prius owners will be able to exceed the average and brag openly about it.

And those of us topping 60+MPG in the summer months will be as gods among men!

Those exceeding 70+MPG will be the Titans.

[daniel]

Thanks for posting that, Fanatic! WOW! Now even I exceed the EPA. Of course, my Prius should do even better now that it will never have to take any more trips under 15 miles each way. Whoopee!

[F8L]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ May 13 2007, 06:23 AM) [snapback]441011[/snapback]</div>

Yeah. It used to be that a good feel for the car and practice created a Hypermiler. Now that the EPA has lowered the number, almost all Prius owners will be able to exceed the average and brag openly about it.

And those of us topping 60+MPG in the summer months will be as gods among men!

Those exceeding 70+MPG will be the Titans.
[/b]

*bows before the 60mpg gods*



Do the math on MPG costs between the Prius dropping 9mpg (55 to 46mpg) and a full size truck that dropped 1-2mpg (from 16mpg to 15 mpg).

Prius 55mpg = $600 in gas over 10,000 miles at $3.30/ga
Prius 46mpg = $717
.............................
$117

Dodge Truck 16mpg =$2062.5
Dodge Truck 15mpg = $2200
..........................................
$137.5

Dodge $137.5
Prius $117
...................
$20.5

So with only a 1 mpg change to a Dodge Ram 4x4 and a whopping 9mpg change for the Prius, it still costs the Dodge guy $20 more than the Prius with the new EPA changes. So if someone every tries to slam you for getting worse milage because of these ratings keep that in mind.

[mpgFanatic]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(john1701a @ May 13 2007, 09:03 AM) [snapback]441008[/snapback]</div>

Now a majority of Prius owners will be able to exceed the misleading estimate values.
[/b]

While I agree that it will be nice for owners to get EPA claimed mileage with little effort, I enjoyed the challenge of having to work a bit to get the EPA numbers. It made me a better driver. With the numbers, I wonder if there will be any incentive for owners to work harder for better numbers.

[F8L]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mpgFanatic @ May 13 2007, 01:24 PM) [snapback]441172[/snapback]</div>

While I agree that it will be nice for owners to get EPA claimed mileage with little effort, I enjoyed the challenge of having to work a bit to get the EPA numbers. It made me a better driver. With the numbers, I wonder if there will be any incentive for owners to work harder for better numbers.
[/b]

It's not the EPA changes that give me less incentive it is the monetary difference. Saving $60 or less a year because of a 5mpg difference in fuel efficiency almost doesn't warrant the concentration and effort required to get that exra 5mpg. At least for me.

[Godiva]

More and more Prius drivers meeting or exceeding EPA mileage.

Will we now experience a smug shortage due to overuse?

[dmckinstry]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ May 13 2007, 06:57 AM) [snapback]441025[/snapback]</div>

Thanks for posting that, Fanatic! WOW! Now even I exceed the EPA. Of course, my Prius should do even better now that it will never have to take any more trips under 15 miles each way. Whoopee!
[/b]

Definitely Daniel. You shouldn't get less than 60 mpg in the summer. Of course, you'd probably have to keep your speed down (even on the interstate) to do that.

Dave M.

[daniel]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dmckinstry @ May 13 2007, 04:48 PM) [snapback]441285[/snapback]</div>

Definitely Daniel. You shouldn't get less than 60 mpg in the summer. Of course, you'd probably have to keep your speed down (even on the interstate) to do that.

Dave M.
[/b]

What really killed my mileage was that there are days when the only driving I do is to the grocery store. In fact, I seldom drive very far in a day. When I lived in Fargo, my daily commute was 10 minutes each way, including a stop at the grocery store on the way home. In Spokane I'm much farther from downtown, but I only go there occasionally. My short driving distances take a toll on my mileage.

So now that I'll be driving the Xebra for all my short trips, and the prius will only be driven on longer trips, its mileage will improve greatly.

On the other hand, The Prius burns more gas per mile on the freeway than it does on city streets, and most of my Prius miles will now be on the freeway to Coeur d'Alene. And I'm more like to drive 65 than 55. I'm not a hypermiler. The actual amount of gas you save driving 55 instead of 65 is small, even though the mpg number can look impressive.