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I managed 67MPG: so much for the EPA and EU cycle test ratings...

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Fuel Economy' started by pakitt, Mar 25, 2012.

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  1. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    ...as well as those who do not believe that hybrids can actually save fuel...

    See attached pic, taken yesterday. Adding my lifetime MFD optimistic 6.46% error, that's a 3.5L/100km=28,5km/L=66.95MPG

    Conditions:
    - fair weather, 17C
    - A/C on, set to Auto, 21C
    - Radio on (volume 30)
    - Headlights on half of the time (about 25min ride) in tunnels
    - some traffic lights
    - winter tires (195/50R16 on steel wheels) - pressure 2,7/2,6 bar front/back
    - average speed is 45km/h, average speed limit is 50km/h, so I was not driving like a granny
    - some flat, some hilly roads (i.e. Munich is not as flat as a pancake...)

    I need to drive another conventional car to see if you can beat the EU cycle ratings so much...and so easily...I mean, I beat it with winter tires on! and not at 25C! and not on a flat road with no traffic lights at constant speed!!
     

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    #1 pakitt, Mar 25, 2012
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  2. Flying White Dutchman

    Flying White Dutchman Senior Member

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    EPA and EU cycle are based on other drive cycles
    so you where in better situation then the EU or EPA drive cycle test and so you get better results
    i see on your spritmonitor that your ave : 5,28 l/100km
    so thats way below EPA or EU .
     
    #2 Flying White Dutchman, Mar 25, 2012
  3. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    So much for EU tests? You're obviously not driving smoothly enough :)

    [​IMG]

    11.4 miles/18 km, 91 mpg UK, 75 mpg US or 3.10 litres/100 km at average speed of 34 mph/54 kph.

    So yes you can beat the official ratings if you take care. I can show you many other picstures of much longer journeys with fuel economy figures that beat the official ratings. And my car has 65,000 miles/104,000km of hard taxi miles.
     
    #3 GrumpyCabbie, Mar 25, 2012
  4. cyclopathic

    cyclopathic Senior Member

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    It is relatively easy to get this kind of numbers over short trip. On warmed up engine, ideal route, ideal conditions.

    Better indication is MPG over full tank, YMMV
     
    #4 cyclopathic, Mar 25, 2012
  5. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    Yes, because if you drive in a town that has average yearly temp of 8C, and it is in the middle of the alps, and the average speed on the highway is 120-140km/h (otherwise you get honked...)...

    My point of the post is simply, no matter how ideal (especially the EU cycle test) the official FE ratings are, you can relatively easily achieve better mileage without too much effort and in conditions which are not necessarily ideal.
     
    #5 pakitt, Mar 25, 2012
  6. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    I see a contradiction here.

    Actually 67MPG looks low considering you slow speed.
     
    #6 Former Member 68813, Mar 25, 2012
  7. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    What were you expecting considering all the conditions mentioned above then? 75MPG?

    If you can do considerably better than 67MPG in city traffic, with traffic lights and all, at the average speed posted above, in hilly terrain, and with all the conditions I posted, let us know...
     
    #7 pakitt, Mar 25, 2012
  8. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    Slow speed and traffic lights is MPG killer in regular cars, but not prius since you can do power and glide cycles from one stop to another. If I start with a warm engine, I typically do 70+ MPG in my city driving @ 22 MPH (average registered by display) speed.
     
    #8 Former Member 68813, Mar 25, 2012
  9. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    Warmed up engine? I never mentioned that.
    Ideal route? I never said this. I actually even got a mini-traffic jam, had to go through 6 red traffic lights.
    Ideal conditions? Winter tires are ideal condition? at 17C? headlights on most of the time? A/C on?

    Come on - that doesn't seem too ideal for me. If it were ideal, I wouldn't have posted this.
     
    #9 pakitt, Mar 25, 2012
  10. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    I don't live in the Netherlands, I have traffic lights and other cars are driving errantly in front of me, it is never 25C...I try my best everyday, this is all I get... ;)
     
    #10 pakitt, Mar 25, 2012
  11. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    This is the lowest I ever got, in August last year at 25C/77F.
    No A/C, no warm up (engine already warm) and 17" 215/45 stock tires.
    That's 3.1L/100km, with 6% MFD error, that's about 3.3L/100km or 71.3MPG.
    Average speed 38km/h=23mph.
    Same route.
    PS: I even noted in the pic name that I got this time all green traffic lights (you know, when planets align...).

    That's as closest to ideal I can get. Not much I can do in this town for flat roads and I cannot go any slower otherwise I am an impediment to traffic.

    It seems to me that there is no contradiction in what I wrote, in the value I got yesterday, and actually it seems that if I had 15" tires, 25C/77F "lab temperature" and flat roads I could even do a bit more than 71MPG...couldn't I?

    I think that a 67MPG in the conditions I explained in the OP is in no contradiction whatsoever and actually shows that likely I would be able to get even better values if *all* conditions were ideal (which they are not!).
     

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    #11 pakitt, Mar 25, 2012
  12. Codyroo

    Codyroo Senior Member

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    Can I join the fun????

    This is from last summer, under ideal conditions over a span of 2 weeks doing my normal commute to work. I may never be able to replicate this effort.

    [​IMG]
     
    #12 Codyroo, Mar 25, 2012
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  13. orangelj

    orangelj New Member

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    I have had mine for 6 days now and driven just under 500 miles in a combination of rural highway and city averaging 57.5 so far without really trying - just driving smart. I'm a convert and happy customer for sure!!
     
    #13 orangelj, Mar 25, 2012
  14. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    Please do!

    Wish I could do that here more often...with fuel prices hovering here in Germany at around 8$+/gal, that would help.
    Granted I drive less km/year (about 10k mi/year) than the average US driver...so the pressure on the pocket is somewhat reduced.
     
    #14 pakitt, Mar 25, 2012
  15. Misty fog

    Misty fog Junior Member

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    Under idealized conditions, i.e. good weather, ability to drive at any speed, etc... what is the maximum MPG that can be attained? Of course we will have to assume no wind assistance, equal elevation of the starting/ending points and equal starting/ending SOC. My personal best so far is 70mpg.
     
    #15 Misty fog, Mar 26, 2012
  16. ImeanGreen

    ImeanGreen Prius v Five BP Brigade #236

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    Whether we get 50 mpg, 70 mpg or etc at any given driving time, we should be very happy to know that our prius delivers. ;)
     
    #16 ImeanGreen, Mar 26, 2012
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  17. alfon

    alfon Senior Member

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    You will not get anywhere near 60 mpg in the northwest
    when its pouring down rain, 40 degrees, and wind blowing
    steady at 30 mph. Headlights on, windhield wipers on,
    defroster on, etc

    a calculated 45 mpg is going to be it....
     
    #17 alfon, Mar 26, 2012
  18. etkal

    etkal New Member

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    After my last fillup I traveled about 120 miles on backroads and was getting 65-ish. I find 30-50mph, no significant mountain-like hills, few stops, etc, is ideal. Once I had to drive on the highway the economy dropped, so I'm resulting in about 55 overall.

    I certainly don't think the EPA estimates attempt to match the driving styles that many of us here utilize in order to optimize fuel economy; most likely they use static speeds, possibly with starting/stopping thrown in. Have to make a note to actually investigate what methods are used to generate the ratings (I know they have improved considerably in order to not mislead the buyer as much as the older ratings could).
     
    #18 etkal, Mar 26, 2012
  19. tonyrenier

    tonyrenier I grew up, but it's still red!

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    Cabby,
    How about a tank at [​IMG] that's 63.6 when calculated in US gallons over 511 miles. Not just a little squirt arount the block.
    The only time I get below EPA is in REALLY cold weather like O F or below.
    Now, back to our usual programming.
     
    #19 tonyrenier, Mar 26, 2012
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  20. ghosteh

    ghosteh Member

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    I'm not in the 70mpg club yet, but look at my average speed & distance.
    You guys are a bunch of snails!
    :p
     
    #20 ghosteh, Mar 26, 2012
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