Anecdote: Successful Cold Winter Fuel Economy

Discussion in 'Prime Fuel Economy & EV Range' started by Oniki, Jan 8, 2018.

  1. Oniki

    Oniki Active Member

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    • How cold ? into the low 20s F. The ICE coolant is at about 32F according to the smartphone app 'Torque' after a cold soak.
    • Climate: Pretty dry (I think below 30% humidity usually) on a cold but sunny day
    • I drive about 45 miles to work, and then 45 miles back 12 hours later.

    Windshield fog/snow/ice: Typically only in the morning. I scape, squirt ~ 50% Isopropyl alcohol, and if needed scrape again. Then I flow cold outside air on to the glass to keep it low humidity until the ICE is warm enough to heat the cabin.

    How Successful ? 90 mpg (and one full battery charge) for 90 miles. This is way reduced from the ~ 110-120 mpg I see in 70F weather but still quite impressive for an ICE car. I've been able to reproduce the fuel economy through the past week. Go Prime !

    Please share successful winter driving strategies. So far as I can tell, Isopropyl alcohol is benign towards the environment, but please let me know if there is information that says otherwise or if the chemical is bad for the windshield wiper tubing. I do intent to keep a squirt bottle in the car, if for no other reason than to clean the rear glass.
     
    #1 Oniki, Jan 8, 2018
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2018
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  2. priuscatprimeguy

    priuscatprimeguy Senior Member

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    I use a hairdryer to thaw out the front windshield instead of remote climate because remote climate is not as efficient as a hair dryer directly on the windshield plus by not using remote climate I skip the subsequent battery charge that occurs after remote climate is used. I'm paying my landlord $15.00/mo for the unlimited use of his electrons so I'm going to milk the system for all it's worth.:D:p
     
    #2 priuscatprimeguy, Jan 8, 2018
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  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Sunday driver DIY’r

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    Be careful with the hair dryer, use it gradually; could it crack the glass?

    I supposed hot air from the vent system on the inside isn't that different though.
     
    #3 Mendel Leisk, Jan 8, 2018
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  4. drysider

    drysider Active Member

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    Can you break down the EV/HV miles (i.e., how many of the 90 miles are in EV)?
     
    #4 drysider, Jan 8, 2018
  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    That'll be my concern too but as long as he's not directing the hot air to a specific place for a long time (long being relatively here), he should be ok.

    But yeah, I've seen people crack their windshield using the defroster.
     
    #5 Tideland Prius, Jan 8, 2018
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  6. Oniki

    Oniki Active Member

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    Tesla Bjorn demonstrated in a Video just far powerful the warm airflow in the Telsa is by directing it towards the windshield covered with ice ... and cracked the glass.

    Poor guy. All in the name of video blogging.
     
    #6 Oniki, Jan 8, 2018
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  7. Oniki

    Oniki Active Member

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    No idea, since I don't use my EV miles uninterrupted during the drive. I can look at the EV miles/kWh readings if you are interested but they are influenced by overall elevation decline one way and rise the other way.

    My only reproducible data point compared to summer is from always leaving home on EV for at least the 16 miles or so. In the summer SoC would drop ~ 30% while in the cold winter SoC drops ~ 40% for the same distance. I think this SoC drop is influenced by starting out with a cold motor, tyres, etc since the final one way commute over 45 miles is better than the first 16 miles would suggest.
     
    #7 Oniki, Jan 8, 2018
  8. stevepea

    stevepea Senior Member

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    Other than "Move to California"? :)
    (Hey, one bad winter storm is apparently what got my grandfather to move to Calif from the east coast years ago...)

    Nice to see the Prime does well even in cold weather!
     
    #8 stevepea, Jan 9, 2018
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  9. Weasle543

    Weasle543 Member

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    Bjorn already had a rock chip in his windshield when he did that.
     
    #9 Weasle543, Jan 9, 2018
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  10. Oniki

    Oniki Active Member

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    My fuel economy has improved a bit of late while the weather is the same.
    I now consume about 0.95 gallons + 1 full charge per 89 miles.

    Winter driving in a Prime really benefits from a temp monitor.
     
    #10 Oniki, Jan 16, 2018
  11. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    1) Drive south. ;)

    2) I pre-condition the car/seats while on 240v in the garage and via phone app @ work and drive 100% EV both ways. Because of #1 above, I usually get better FE in our mild winters due to less HVAC usage to combat humidity and/or heat. (y)
     
    #11 fotomoto, Jan 16, 2018
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  12. Amymonel

    Amymonel New Member

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    In regards to the frozen windshield - I've had success with using a thick towel covering the main areas that i need visibility on. No defrosting or scrapping. Take the towel off and ready to go
     
    #12 Amymonel, Jan 16, 2018
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  13. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    I dump a gallon of NG heated near boiling water rapidly across mine and squeegee it off.

    COST $0.06 instead of nearly a quarter, windshield stays clear quite long after, eliminated the need to condition or heat up anything.
     
    #13 Rmay635703, Jan 16, 2018
  14. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Sunday driver DIY’r

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    I'd have the same concern though: might crack glass?
     
    #14 Mendel Leisk, Jan 16, 2018
  15. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    Tempered auto safety glass, as long as you try to apply evenly across there isn’t any chance, unless of coarse you have a small crack or chip already in the window
     
    #15 Rmay635703, Jan 17, 2018
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