Dealer-filled first tank. Went until light came on when it said I could go 30 miles more. 559 miles, 9.64 gal The tank capacity is 11.3 gals? I don't think I'm going to test it though. I kind of babied it, but not super extreme. edit: The tank apparently holds 11.4 gals, per the manual: edit 2: Apparently 1.6 gal when the light comes on. At 50 mpg, that'd be...80 miles. If not on an uphill slope assuming the fuel pickup is in the front, lol. edit 3: The car computer said 2 mpg higher on the tank.
Congrats! I can't seem to ever get that high, but when I baby it I do get in the mid 50s. But I think the LE's do get a couple higher MPG then the XLE's due to the tire size. Yeah the light comes on very early. Just like you'll notice that you'll get about 70-90 miles before the fuel gauge starts to show below Full, I believe similarly you'd get about 70-90 miles once you get below Empty/0 MTG. Not the warning light, but 0 MTG. I'll sometimes let it get to around 0 MTG before I fill and it generally takes 9.5 gallons or so. I have my display above steering wheel set to show me MPG for current tank. If it shows me my MTG for the tank is say 55.5, then I know I easily can go 550 miles before refilling, regardless of what the MTG estimates. But I don't really test it below 0 MTG. Again, if I refill at 0 MTG it will take 9.5 gallons (give or take) at that point. Far from the 11.4 capacity. Scanning my Fuelly, I have only had 1 instance where I had a fill up over 10 gallons. Also, if your tank is mostly highway driving at high speeds, not only will your MPG be much lower, but the light comes on even earlier than necessary, and at 0 MTG it will take even less - like 9ish gallons.
Thanks! I'm not being quite so careful now. Should a goal be to keep the EV light lit up as much as possible, or could that lessen the life of the traction battery?
it won't hurt the battery, but it actually reduces mpg's, because it takes more energy to replenish the battery than it does to drive hv. for best mpg's, the goal should be to stay in hv, or you can research 'pulse and glide' for eco nuts. some say, 'just drive it'
sometimes. the system takes care of itself. so you won't be pure ev too often, but depending on the input from the go pedal, the required energy and the battery state of charge, the software is providing the best mpg's possible for a computer. naturally, there will be times when the battery needs to be bled down. in that case, the software will keep it in ev, or even run the engine to bleed off excess regeneration when going down a mountain. basically, it just means on't try to keep it in ev.
I find if I back off on the go pedal I can induce "EV mode", ie, the green light come on. I'm wondering if that's a bad thing. I imagine the system knows how to protect itself, but there was a statement in the manual about the life of the traction battery depending on the manner of driving.
that's just a legal statement for people who think their battery is not performing and want it replaced under warranty. if they thought there was anything an owner could do to damage the battery, they would mention it. there's nothing wrong with what you're doing as long as you are just gliding. if you find yourself pressing the pedal once you'veinduced ev to try and speed up or not lose spedd, that's where you start to lose mpg's, but it won't hurt the battery. the worst thing for the batteries is heat. people who have to leave it parked all day in the sun in warm climates.
To the OP, what trim is your Prius? Sounds like a very solid number to start off with! My best so far is 55.1 mpg with my 24' LIMITED AWD. It's been getting cold here lately and the number has dropped to about 50 mpg per tank, which is around my overall average of about 51-52 mpg. Last winter it went down to about 47 mpg during the coldest part of winter. The Prius lies to me about range, but I'm guessing it has to do with a safety margin that is built in. When I fill up (I use the same gas station, the same pump and auto fill the tank using the slowest setting. I don't ever pump more in or 'top it off'.) My Prius gives me a full range of about 470 miles. When I drive to empty (less than 20 miles range) my 10.6 gallon tank only takes about 8.5 gallons of gas to fill up meaning have about 2 gallons still in the tank or about 94-110 miles of range left. So my actual range is closer to 560 miles per tank. I will now drive home (23 miles) with nearly no range left with out worrying about gas until I get to my favorite gas station in my home city. Yesterday I drove home with 8 miles range left, drove the 23 miles and filled up with 8.55 gallons.
Thanks! It's an LE. I've got about 250 left to go on my second tank, with the gauge saying 61.7 mpg. I consistently let the pump shut off and give it one more shot...for better or worse. There doesn't seem to be a slow setting on NY pumps-they want you to have your hand on the nozzle, lol. I must admit I still can't help babying it, especially when I'm not impeding anyone. I do keep pace with traffic on the interstate, but in the slow lane, and I don't do too much highway driving. 55.1 on a Limited AWD is darn good, I believe. That's got the 19" wheels too and the AWD is a drag as well. It might be colder here than where you are, so I'm happy. I'll let it drop down to zero and then fill up, even if I have drive around aimlessly. Hey, I'm retired. I love the way the car drives. It takes curves and traffic circles just fine, and does have the power to merge and pass when needed. The amazing thing is this mileage is with plenty of hills thrown in. I love it.
