EV mileage dropping over time

Being colder thickens oils and fluids, reduces the effectiveness of some battery chemistries, and increases heating and lighting loads.

 

not the lights. what constitutes winter in la? summer might be just as bad or worse due to a/c use and battery reduced efficiency. are you judging by miles actually travelled before the engine comes on, or just the dash estimator icon?

 

IIRC, it was actually colder in L.A. than Boston this morning. <link is being deleted>

There's a rule of thumb for every 10 degree temp drop there's an X mile reduction of EV range but I can't recall what "X" is ATM.

 

i think it was around 39 this morning. we've had a very warm fall.

 

My experience for actual distance is about 0.6 km/deg C, or about 2 miles per 10 deg F (if I calculated correctly)
Also, it is not linear, at about 17-23 deg C the 'X' is smaller...

 

I just purchased a used 2012 Prius Plug-In with ~37k miles on it. I thought it would be pretty cool to EV all the way to work (13 miles) and not use a drop of gas. However when I charge it I only get at most 9.4 miles of EV range. That's if I have the air conditioner turned off before I turn off the car. The manual says that the estimated EV range displayed depends on driving habits, so I suspect that the onboard computer is looking at the status of components that use energy before it makes its estimate. My typical driving style is pretty gentle--without charging the car I get 50 - 55 mpg. The worst EV range I've gotten is 8.7 miles. On top of that, there seems to be some kind of exponential drain that happens right after I charge the car, so although it will say I have 9.4 miles of EV range, it will drain down to 8.5 before I'm out of my driveway. I've spoken with the dealership about it, but I suspect that here in Texas they don't get enough of these PIPs to even know what to make of them. Is there something wrong with my PIP or does the charge capacity of the battery degrade over time? Or miles?

I just purchased a used 2012 Prius Plug-In with ~37k miles on it. I thought it would be pretty cool to EV all the way to work (13 miles) and not use a drop of gas. However when I charge it I only get at most 9.4 miles of EV range. That's if I have the air conditioner turned off before I turn off the car. The manual says that the estimated EV range displayed depends on driving habits, so I suspect that the onboard computer is looking at the status of components that use energy before it makes its estimate. My typical driving style is pretty gentle--without charging the car I get 50 - 55 mpg. The worst EV range I've gotten is 8.7 miles. On top of that, there seems to be some kind of exponential drain that happens right after I charge the car, so although it will say I have 9.4 miles of EV range, it will drain down to 8.5 before I'm out of my driveway. I've spoken with the dealership about it, but I suspect that here in Texas they don't get enough of these PIPs to even know what to make of them. Is there something wrong with my PIP or dose the charge capacity of the battery degrade over time? Or miles?

 

The last few times I fully charged my PHV, I only get 10 EV every time.

One time I noticed a battery drain as well, then I noticed I had the driving lights on, I turned them off now. I havnt had it long enough to see if that is the reason for the battery drain, but since it draws power, I decided to just turn it off since it is really unnecessary unless you are in a underground parking garage, mountains, etc.

What did you pay for your 2012 PIP with 37k miles? I got the exact same year and mileage 1 week ago?


iPhone ?

 

are you saying the dash estimate is 9.4, or the engine kicks on after 9.4 miles of your commute?

also, are you aware that if you turn the fan on, the estimate drops approx. 10%, but goes back up if you turn it off? it's just letting you know that potential a/c use will lower your range.

 

Welcome on board
First, what really counts is actual EV range! and it depends on temperature as well as driving style, road and traffic conditions etc. Please advise what average actual range you are getting in your commute for a certain temp?
You can expect longer actual range in the summer. 13 miles EV in summer is doable.
As bisco said, the drop from 9.4 to 8.5 on the estimate may be a result of operating the fan (even without A/C).
Yes, battery degrades in time (as any other battery), some reports on this forum indicate a degradation of 3-4.5% per year (time + miles (i.e. charges) - together).