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Decreasing Mile Range

Discussion in 'Prime Technical Discussion' started by BobInCT, Nov 19, 2017.

  1. BobInCT

    BobInCT Junior Member

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    When I purchased my Prime back in April and charged it up the "charge miles" shown on the dash was roughly 25 miles and I could get 25 miles on the battery, I drive 27 to work and this was with the AC on. Over the summer the charge miles increased to a maximum of 30 miles as shown on the dash indicator and for a while I was getting to work with up to 1.5 miles to spare, life was good!

    Then in late August the charge miles began to decrease and at this point it's down to 21.5 miles and that's about what I get driving to work. Needless to say I'm quite disappointed over this. I've had the car back to Toyota twice and each time they've said all is working normally.

    The one thing I can think of that might affect this is that I live in Connecticut and the temperature is dropping, it was in the mid 40s today while I charged the car - and it's outside all the time, no garage. So the question is whether this should be considered normal or not? Last summer I read on the forum where a few people were bragging that they got up to 40 miles after the car was a few months old.
     
  2. bat4255

    bat4255 2017 Prius v #2 and 2008 Gen II #2

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    Do you have the heat ob when you drive?

    Does the prime have electric heaters?
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    bob, this is completely normal, and the worst is yet to come. cold has a major effect on battery charge, storage and discharge. also, increased friction when driving and all the fluids are thicker, including wheel bearing grease. even tyres are less efficient, so pump 'em up. this has been documented thousands of times here, over the years, even regular prius drop about 20% mpg in winter. just a fact of life. no worries, and pray for spring!(y)
     
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  4. BobInCT

    BobInCT Junior Member

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    I don't really know if it does or not. If I put the cabin control on Auto then the Charge Mile indicator drops a mile and I would expect that and if I turn it off then I get that mile back. But that isn't to me the question, it's why will it only charge up to 21.5 miles on the dashboard indicator or am I looking at the wrong thing and why?
     
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    prime has a heat pump. much more efficient than resistance heaters, but still uses electricity, like the air conditioner.
     
  6. BobInCT

    BobInCT Junior Member

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    Ok but that still doesn't answer why the charge miles will only charge up to 21.5 when this summer it peaked at 30. Fluid viscosity doesn't speak to battery charging in my feeble mind, that's what I actually get. I would think that the charge miles indicator would be an actual indication of battery capacity.
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    didn't you read the second sentence?(n)
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    the prime, like all cars, is tested at 72 degrees ambient temp by the epa. at that temp, they give it 25 miles range.
     
  9. BobInCT

    BobInCT Junior Member

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    So what you're saying is that the dashboard display that I'm referring to as the "charge miles" is guesstimating the miles based on conditions? i.e. temperature, etc.? I can understand the reduced miles because of the cold, but didn't understand that relationship to the indicator since the car hasn't moved yet. And yes, I did read the second sentence, it's this relationship that I didn't understand.

    And back in the summer when it was still in the 80s, the charge miles dropped from 30 back to 27-28 so temperature would not have had an effect.
     
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yes, the dash display is simply a calculation of past performance, not a measurement of battery capacity. the battery capacity isn't a good indicator of how many miles you can travel, because conditions and driving style have so much influence. for that matter, the range indicator is only accurate when you drive the same way all the time.

    as for why your range went down in august, i can't speak to, except that there are so many potential factors, you would have had to document them all at that time.
     
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  11. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    It remembers the recent miles on the previous charges, and knows how much energy those required.
     
  12. CraigM

    CraigM Active Member

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    As mentioned, the guess-o-meter estimates future miles based on history.

    Here’s a test you might consider. Go out tomorrow and do 10 flat out, foot to the floor, acceleration runs 0 to 60mph in EV mode / PWR mode. Then return home and plug in. I bet the guess-o-meter would be stupid low when the charge is complete because the car “thinks” that is going to be your new driving procedure. Switch back to ECO mode and drive sanely and you will be able to drive miles further than the guess-o-meter had indicated right after charging.

    Craig
     
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  13. priuscatprimeguy

    priuscatprimeguy Senior Member

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    can't we just wait for spring? or is your God going to fast forward us into spring?:p
     
  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it might come sooner!:) i'm too old for waiting.:eek:
     
  15. DonDNH

    DonDNH Senior Member

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    If the meter were an indication of battery capacity, I'd think it would be labeled as such. As it is, its a guess at how far the charge will take you.

    Has the charge mile indicator been somewhat accurate in giving you the actual miles you get on a charge?
     
  16. priuscatprimeguy

    priuscatprimeguy Senior Member

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    Go BO warming?:confused:
     
  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yes, i have been very appreciative of the warmer winters, might save me a fortune not going to florida.
     
  18. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Charge miles is the same as a distance to empty for the gas tank. Doesn't tell you how much is in the tank, just an estimate based on past burn rates.

    Your tire pressure has dropped with the cold. Pump them back up, and you'll regain some range.

    You probably started seeing the range decrease in August because of increased A/C use, then the temperature drop in fall came into effect.

    This efficiency drop from cold is completely normal for all cars. You likely just weren't paying close enough attention to notice it before.
     
  19. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Excellent analogy!
     
  20. BobInCT

    BobInCT Junior Member

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    All - Thanks for the info. One thing that I didn't mention is that my previous Prius was a Plugin and I got a pretty consistent 10-11 miles out of that year round so when I see an almost 30% drop over several months (30 mile high to 21.5 now) I have to wonder. "Guess-O-Meter" seems to cover it and I do need to check the tires. It's been so warm this fall that I haven't gotten around to it.

    As to whether I actually get the miles shown on the meter, I'm thinking not but will need to verify that. As you can probably tell I'm not terribly into the technical aspects of the Prius, I find them somewhat confusing and would rather just drive it. I do find the driving experience quite good, much better than the older versions so am quite happy with that part.
     
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