Difference in EV mileage between Base and Advanced?

fat cat napping in the engine bay

 

bole weavils?

 

Is he transporting flour?

 

The Advance is 22 pounds heavier with the OEM tires. This will likely have little effect in hybrid mode, but might in EV with the lower power output. If the current tires are heavier than the factory installed ones, that extra weight will have a bigger impact as unsprung weight.

So it might well be a fat cat.

edit: Looked up the tire weights. The Michelin Defender is the same weight(19lbs) as the likely OEM tire, and the Goodyear Eagle LS-2 is pounds lighter than that. So the Advance has tires that have a higher rolling resistance, which is exacerbated by being new, than the other car's, and they are also heavier.

The Tirerack site doesn't say, but check the tires to see if they are unidirectional(there will be an arrow), and if they are mounted in the right direction. Rolling resistance will be worse if they are not.

 

As mentioned previously, the motor alone has less power than the total hybrid system. Perhaps the tires are providing enough additional resistance to push the motor into a less efficient power range.
The additional weight from the tires and trim will have bigger impact the more stops there are on the route.

Does the advance have the Technology package? Toyota Prius Plug-in Interior, Exterior & Safety Features
I don't see the foglights drawing enough power to have much impact even if left on all the time, same with the better head unit, but the sensors for the Pre-Collision system might. Any extra current draw will add on to the tire and weight difference.

Don't mean to be a bother if this was asked before, but has the alignment been checked recently? It is possible for it to be off and not be detectable by driving.

Swapping the wheels between the two cars would be a good test. Check the tires while they are off with a tread depth gauge. That will help find unusual wear that might go unnoticed.

 

Greg, you said you have decided already which one to keep.
If the 2012 still have the original 12V battery I would swap batteries and keep the newer on the 2012 even if it is not improving the EV miles.

 

Try rebooting.

 

i think you may have hit on something...

 

dang.

 

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but: your two plug-ins are different model years. Is it possible Toyota's changed the software, between the years, allowing a bit higher EV percentage?

 

anythings possible, but we haven't heard much mention of drastic changes. everyone seems to be in about the same boat, except those with severe short range problems.

 

my head is spinning.

 

at the same time you switched tyres, you charged before driving, instead of the night before.

 

just wondering if the 2012 could be losing any charge overnight.