REPORT: 115 Plug-in Priuses fail to crack 50 mpg average in year-long test

[cwerdna]

Google has a small fleet of plug-in Priuses. Go to rechargeit.org for more info. I've seen a few of their cars driving around in the SF Bay Area.

[robbyr2]

Google has a small fleet of plug-in Priuses. Go to rechargeit.org for more info. I've seen a few of their cars driving around in the SF Bay Area.

Thanks. That is encouraging!

[burritos]

Originally Posted by cwerdna

Google has a small fleet of plug-in Priuses. Go to rechargeit.org for more info. I've seen a few of their cars driving around in the SF Bay Area.

Thanks for the link. Here's a direct link to the google fleet results: RechargeIT.org



Looks like the drivers at google understand how to benefit from the plug in adaptation. However, it's harder to get a job at Google than it is to get into Harvard, so the average american driver isn't going to be as bright/capable.

[F8L]

That is because Google has the best lunch and recreational system of any company I've ever have the opportunity of mooching off of. Multiple times.

[Jared]

"even to programming in a slight creep when you take your foot off the pedal at a stop, and slight braking when you take your foot off the pedal while moving. There is no need for an electric or hybrid car to do this"

I disagree. The creep allows you to slowly move forward at stoplights when the car ahead move without touching the gas. It gives you more control. It also "holds" the car when stopped on a slight slope so you don't need the brake.

[usbseawolf2000]

Toyota has been saying exactly what we are seeing. Plug-in benefit varies very widely. It depends on the driver, habits (plug in at night or not?), driving distance, speed and other conditions.

These numbers are based on the conversion of the Iconic model. The 2010 Plugin with EHR system benefits are built with PHEV in mind and we have yet to see real-world MPGs. I am guessing it will be much better. I hope so because if the result is good, they should sell it to the public.

[Jared]

I drive about 100 miles a day. Plug in would not benefit me enough to justify the bigger battery.

[drees]

Originally Posted by burritos

Looks like the drivers at google understand how to benefit from the plug in adaptation. However, it's harder to get a job at Google than it is to get into Harvard, so the average american driver isn't going to be as bright/capable.

Actually, those are the results from their designated test drivers driving on a designated course instructed to drive each vehicle as similarly as possible.

If you look at how the actual "fleet drivers" do, their fuel economy is substantially worse, though not as bad as the ones in the study in the OP.

[DaveinOlyWA]

google's FEH #'s are not very impressive. i know a guy in town getting almost 40 mpg.

however, the google data, staged as it was i would definitely consider valid. google is become a company imm (whether deserved or not is another topic) that thinks more on my level than any other company its size i know of. i think they pulled all stops to insure a good database which does include relative data points (the ICE vehicles) to compare with...i just about busted out laughing when "unexpected maintenance issues" came up....(shall we blame the ford for this one??)

i still studying the final data since i have to wonder how they put together the final chart especially when both the FEH and Pri PLEV were getting around 133 watts per mile which is not a realistic figure. i guess they are using charge depleted over miles driven which include miles where the battery pack was empty which would lower that figure.

also wondering if the figure is using charge depleted with the data logger or if its using power input from the wall ala Killawatt or something?

[cwerdna]

Originally Posted by burritos

Thanks for the link. Here's a direct link to the google fleet results: RechargeIT.org

Keep in mind the above is from their experiment. They posted the methdology at RechargeIT.org.

They have a small fleet for which they have data at Google.org. They list economy for non-PHEV Priuses at 40.1 mpg and 57.6 mpg for their larger set of plug-ins. Glancing thru the June 09 for some of the cars, some have undergone very short drives and days of non-use (no driving) in between, so the coolant in the thermos has probably cooled down signifanctly.