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

[cwerdna]

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

The lab drove two groups of Prius test vehicles (one 40-car fleet and another 75-car fleet) from early 2008 until March 2009 for almost 500,000 miles and found that the average fuel economy tallied 46 and 49 mpg, respectively

I haven't had a chance to look at their data yet, but it sounds like the drivers need some Prius driving lessons.

[hill]

The consumer report folks. They know how to run the pack down, and continue to drive heavy footed. That takes expert testers, right? I wonder why they don't take other cars out to see how 'bad' they can make the mpg go.

[alevinemi]

Originally Posted by cwerdna

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



I haven't had a chance to look at their data yet, but it sounds like the drivers need some Prius driving lessons.

CR has a point.

When you buy a PHEV, you have to consider how you drive. If you live in an apartment, park in a lot, and can only plug in once a week, it ain't gonna help you much.

If you have a 2 hour commute every day, it ain't gonna help much.

The problem with the study is these people were people who were GIVEN plugins. Not people who WANTED plugins. Presumably, people who want/buy them will use them more and get closer to their potential, because they have studied the benefits.

That said, Hymotions claims of 100+ MPG and range are optimistic, and probably should be scaled back. The estimates should be based on 'normal' driving.

-->Adam

[DeadPhish]

Originally Posted by alevinemi

CR has a point.

When you buy a PHEV, you have to consider how you drive. If you live in an apartment, park in a lot, and can only plug in once a week, it ain't gonna help you much.

If you have a 2 hour commute every day, it ain't gonna help much.

The problem with the study is these people were people who were GIVEN plugins. Not people who WANTED plugins. Presumably, people who want/buy them will use them more and get closer to their potential, because they have studied the benefits.

That said, Hymotions claims of 100+ MPG and range are optimistic, and probably should be scaled back. The estimates should be based on 'normal' driving.

-->Adam

Then there's the biggie....PRICE....which isn't mentioned.

Yep these are some of the key reasons why the PHEVs won't make any difference in the initial years. They will be curiosities and they will serve a very select few very nicely but they aren't for the general population at all. They have to be brought to market simply because at some time in the future such vehicles will be required, necessary and capable of doing more.

It won't occur in the next decade I believe. Our national driving fleet for the intermediate term of 10-20 yrs will consist of ultra-efficient small engines in small vehicles combined with 'traditional' hybrids across the rest of the product lineup.

[PriusSport]

In my experience, add about 10% to the CR average mileage, and that's what you will get in average driving. Right now, in warmer weather, I'm getting about 50 mpg in mixed driving--highway plus short local trips with cold starts. That drops to about 45 mpg in the winter. Tire pressures 38/36 psi.

I'm not sold on the plug-in concept. Actually, the best concept in my view is the synergy drive perfected by Toyota. The self-charging battery system is much more convenient than having to stop and do it yourself.

[mikepaul]

The feedback at the bottom of the page included Prius Haters and Hypermilers. Not that the general message from CR will change just because a few people have anecdotes based on more practice driving a Prius for economy...

[David Beale]

????
They drove a fleet of 40 cars and another of 75 cars and we didn't hear about the glut of Prius on the road? I find this very hard to believe! Perhaps they drove -one or two- of each fleet. Or perhaps these are cars the govt. supplied as govt. transportation cars to the agency and they are just reporting the statistics they recorded over the last year?

Sorry, this report just doesn't make sense to me. Too many cars, too little time.

[chogan2]

This is the third or fourth (?) report along these lines, starting with information from the Fairfax County VA Plug-in Prius a couple of years back.

Their mileage is pretty low, but it makes sense to me.

We routinely get 100 MPG tanks with ours, and I don't recall having a tank under 80. But almost all our driving is in-town and we work at not using gasoline. (Basically, try to keep power demand below what the electrical motors can produce, and use the EV button whenever possible).

But the Gen II Prius is not set up optimally for PHEV, precisely because the electrical motors are small. You have your 40HP or so to work with, max, and that's it. I can definitely see where fleet drivers who typically deplete the pack (says that in the detail below the article) would get mediocre mileage improvements. (Though they did not say what these people got in a stock Prius on average.)

[robbyr2]

The consumer report folks. They know how to run the pack down, and continue to drive heavy footed. That takes expert testers, right? I wonder why they don't take other cars out to see how 'bad' they can make the mpg go.

I think they do. Look at the mileage figures not only for the Gen II Prius, but the TCH and the Highlander vs. "real world" experiences (not to mention anything that isn't Honda). They obviously work hard to achieve the worst results possible for anything that isn't a Honda.

On the larger issue, I suspect that the PHEVs will show similar results as long as their in fleets. For some reason people drive vehicles differently when it isn't their vehicle they're trashing, and when someone else is paying for the fuel.

I suspect Toyota is pleased however, since they too are not that excited about the plug-in option. Hard to blame since the hybrid synergy drive system works so well.

[MSantos]

Originally Posted by robbyr2

...They obviously work hard to achieve the worst results possible for anything that isn't a Honda.

I will kindly disagree.

In their typical "just drive it" attitude, they've trounced Honda and Toyota hybrids in the past as well.

Asking or expecting some people to leverage the inherent capabilities and fuel economy potential of a hybrid platform appears to be too tall an order, and in the end, mediocrity is the inevitable result.

Cheers;

MSantos