Driving differently for best fuel economy

I drive more purposefully since I got the prius. Lowered my cruise speed on the highway to go with the flow instead of passing everyone. Driving intelligently isn't a burden; it's natural now.

 

after 20,000 miles, i am not as mesmerized gy the display as i once was. but that is not because i want to know what the car is doing. i think its because of the CANVIEW i have. have had it 2 months or so... already have had 3 updates for it, the last one was HUGE... great improvement.

at $200 (more or less, dont remember the exact amount) plus 50 for the flash. its becoming one of the best bargains i have bought for my Prius. as the product progresses and becomes available for more types of Priuses, i would have to say its a must buy for anyone who truly wants to understand what their car is doing

 

I've noticed that my driving style has changed pretty significantly in the 8 months I've had my Prius. Having the instant feedback has been key, as it tells you if you want to floor it to unecessarily pass someone because they are only going the speed limit, that you'll be paying for that $$$ later.

I think I look at the display less now than I did in the first few months though. I've got a good enough feel and hearing of the engine to know when I'm being efficient and not.

I'm not sure if anyone has heard this one or not...but my buddy at work told me that he saw somewhere where a Honda Insight owner was fed up with getting dirty looks from road raging drivers for not speeding. So, he riggs up a device that projected his current MPG onto his back windshield so the guy driving passing him in the SUV could see what kind of Mileage he was getting. Pretty neat if you ask me.

 

That is so cool!! I would totally pay for something like that!!
My Prius has taught me to be a better driver overall. I don't look at the screens so much anymore and I am just at 6600 and 5 months. My foot has become light and very effective. I am one with the car...... :lol:

 

No, I don't think that trying to maximize your gas mileage (since you have the tools to do it) wears off. You'll still be looking at the MFD, more to verify what you're feeling, or if you're wondering why you can't get the car into "electric-only" mode, or whatever, but over the long term it is still fun to see how high gas mileage you can achieve. And the easiest way to track that is to see what the MFD has to say.

There's also the "health of the car" issue, verifying that everything is working okay.

-Roger

 

there was a link posted here about signs that are programmable that run about $250 or so. check with your local laws. those signs are illegal on cars in some states. most consider it a dangerous distraction

 

I see it that new drivers will "find" that b watching their consumption screen they will learn how much gas they waste by some of their habits. Once they modify ntheir driving style, they will no lnger get a great deal of benefit with watching the consumption screens. Satisfaction-yes.

The good part is that this driving style will help them in non-hybrid cars as well.