Prius c only getting 43mpg avg

Please answer the questions in link below here.
Fuel economy complaints/queries? Please copy, paste & answer these questions, esp. if you're new | PriusChat

Car and Driver: The Truth About EPA City / Highway MPG Estimates | PriusChat

As a data point, here were CR's test results:
The most fuel-efficient cars | Consumer Reports
Best & worst fuel economy | Consumer Reports

 

How about resetting your trip computer A and B.

 

I had my car about 6 weeks now. After reading this site I implemented pulse and glide and keep the car light on weight and increased my mileage. I also keep the windows up and AC on low. There is a video on YouTube on hypermiling techniques.try and keep the bar in echo side of he bar if possible. Foot off the gas when cars re topped far ahead. Drive 55-65 on highway for maximum mileage and 35-45 on local. Under 20 MPH use elec mode.

 

Please answer the answer the questionnaire. It's not productive for people trying to help to guess or to go back and forth (sometimes w/the OP never responding). We don't know how fast is "to fast". We also don't know things such as your temperatures, tire pressure and how you're using your HVAC system.

 

^^^
Thanks, but there are still many unanswered questions. Please check your tire pressure, for one. We still don't know how you're driving. If you're trying to accelerate so slowly so that you're in electric, that's generally not a good idea for FE.

If you're using the heater, you may be causing the engine to run unnecessarily (see Why mileage gets worse in winter | PriusChat). If you're using auto and AC is on, you could be unnecessarily running the AC compressor.

We also don't know how you're arriving at "43 mpg". Manual calculations? Trip computer? Incorrect manual calculations?

 

Doing that can cause the engine to run unnecessarily to provide cabin heat. While the engine is cold, I would NOT use auto, set the heat to high and fan to off when stopped/idling and at low speeds. Only when you need harder acceleration (where the engine must come on anyway) or you're driving above 46 mph (not sure what the cutoff/threshold is on Prius c) should you turn the fan on.

If you play w/the fan being on/off w/heat on high and a cold engine, you'll see what I'm talking about re: engine running to provide cabin heat.

 

The problem is, you're using heat when the engine's cold and still warming up. Engine is inefficient when cold, using even more fuel.

Why do you expect 50+ mpg? Have you read my link about what the EPA tests consist of and how they're conducted?

You're going to need to check a whole bunch of things and get back to us. It would really help if you answered the questions instead of this back/forth. We're still missing a lot of info.

 

Pretty close... my ICE is forced on when the speed is in excess of a point between 76 and 77 km/h which is around 47-48 mph.

 

Why is 46 mpg highway a "minimum"? Did you read about the EPA tests? EPA test results should not be interpreted as a mileage to expect.

They don't run them on a real road, but rather a dyno (rollers). They don't measure actual fuel usage (but rather derive it from tailpipe emissions). The highest AVERAGE speed of any of the test cycles is 48.4 mph. The highway test and the other higher speed cycle (both ~48 mph) are begun with an already warm engine.

Please read Your Mileage Will Still Vary and Many Factors Affect MPG.

Can any Prius c folks chime in an how valid the tips at HSI are for the c? (I have a Gen 2, so I have no HSI bar or anything like that.)

 

We're all still relative newbies to the model (and unsurprisingly it appears almost all of us are new to the Prius), but the tips on that page (and there's also a similar YouTube video doing the rounds) seem logical and largely appear to hold true. My 2c however is that I've stopped worrying too much about keeping away from the edges of zones as most guides seem to recommend - if my intention is to be in the upper half of the ECO zone, then anywhere in that zone is fine by me.

I've yet to get a Scanguage and in the c you can't have the HSI and instant MPG shown at the same time, so without that data it's hard to do any more than get a feel. This said, my lifetime mileage of 55.5 is currently in the upper quarter of c's reported on Fuelly and above the overall model average of 51.5, so I'm reasonably happy.

Toyota Prius C MPG Reports | Fuelly

I'm still trying to target the impossible though - the Australian standard figures which are 3.7 l/100km (63.6 mpg) urban, 3.8 (61.9) extra urban and 3.9 (60.3) combined - yes, combined is the worst figure. Just 6% of c's on Fuelly are hitting these levels... but hey, you have to aim high.

Agree with what you're saying though... the OP would be well served to go through Fuel economy complaints/queries? Please copy, paste & answer these questions, esp. if you're new | PriusChat to get more informative answers here.

 

There is one trip I make where I get 38 MPG. It is mostly uphill. When I drive the ice is always on in power mode. My suggestion is now you have figured out how to drive and understand the mileage techniques you should reset your trips a and b and start fresh. I think your damage was done during your learning curve and you are trying to overcome that low stat. Has some of the new trips meet your 50 + mpg criteria? Are you driving with high head on winds? Practice and technique will show improvement.

 

Check out this video.

 

This is gonna sound like Sacrilege on here. I drive the car like a regular gas car. I am not easy on the throttle, but don't gun it. I brake as I have always braked, not slamming on them, and coasting to a stop where I see it happening. I check my tires as I always have after each fill up, which is about once a month. I use the heat, I use the A/C in auto mode. I drive mostly rural roads so anywhere from about 40-50 mph for 5.7 miles to and from work. Not the best for getting the absolute most from the car by any means. I still get 47-50 MPG. The only thing I have noticed in milage on my tank is type of gas. If I use ethanol gas, I will take a 3-5 mpg hit in milage for that tank. I try to use non ethanol gas as much as possible (easy with our range on the car). This also keeps the station that sells the gas (local) in business as his prices are a couple of cents more.

My other car is a 71 Monte Carlo with a 402 big block. I am used to that kind of power from experience. Other then the Prius C sounding like it is working a little harder (cvt), it delivers. I didn't buy it for milage alone. I liked the styling, handling, etunes, easy iphone charge, seats, visiblity and overall drivablity.

Now that I have been long winded, could you be using ethanol gas?