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Advice on picking a route to commute

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by Ichiro, May 13, 2008.

  1. Ichiro

    Ichiro Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2008
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    Location:
    SF
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    My commute home is from San Jose to San Francisco, and I basically have two options. I usually leave at 4pm, before rush hour gridlock.

    Option A
    101N to 380W
    43 miles
    Mostly flat highway, some congestion, slow & go. Sometimes stop & go. Avg speed is about 60mph, including the slow & go.

    Option B
    87S to 280N
    52 miles
    Lots of hills, almost always congestion free. Avg speed is about 70mph, although it is possible to go >85mph the entire way (280 is the local autobahn).

    Even though A is 9 miles shorter, typical travel time is about 50 minutes for both routes. I prefer B because it seems less stressful. 280 is just a nicer drive than 101.

    All else equal, it seems like the shorter route should be better if average MPG was also equal. Theoretically, which route should be worse for FE - ~40 miles of hills or ~40 miles of slow & go traffic?
     
    #1 Ichiro, May 13, 2008
  2. N3FOL

    N3FOL Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2007
    891
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    Location:
    Stewartstown, PA.
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    If that was me driving, I am going to pick route A. Just anticipate your speed as you slow down and accelerate...you should do better IMO.
     
    #2 N3FOL, May 13, 2008
  3. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2004
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    Location:
    Park View, Los Angeles, CA. U.S.A
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    i tend to used 85 to 101. stay 101 based. it gets you higher mpg.

    if you can use 85, it's all downhill on the way home! you can average almost 85mpg for that strip while heading home.

    when i used to work in san mateo, i used to average about 50mpg with that commute.
     
    #3 V8Cobrakid, May 13, 2008
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