Going from a 45 mile commute to a mere 5 mile commute

If you do no other driving than what you've described here, I'd guess you can probably expect ~40 MPG in LA weather. Somewhat worse when you have to use the A/C. My significant other does a similar-length commute to you and, when the weather is nice out here in CT, she manages about 40 MPG. When it gets cold, she's lucky to get 35 MPG.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pricoaster @ May 29 2007, 07:10 PM) [snapback]451804[/snapback]</div>

Well, that's great news. Regardless of what your MPG is, you'll use much less gas overall - and THAT should always be the goal. Seriously.

I'd excpect to leave the car at home most days and get in better shape by riding my bicycle.

 

Even in the warm climate, an engine block heater would help you, assuming you have somewhere to plug it in. It has its greatest effect in the first 5-10 minutes of driving. I easily get 40-50 MPG in my first 5-minute segment with it.

 

I'll guess about 45 mpg. As darelldd said, regardless of your mileage, a 5 mile commute is way better than a 45 mile one. Living close to work (or working close to home) is a big, big plus.

Tom

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ May 30 2007, 07:47 AM) [snapback]451985[/snapback]</div>

Besides what you'll save in gas (even if you're MPG isn't as good), you'll be spending a lot less time in your car (as much as I love my Prius, I don't want to live in it!), which means for time for family, fun, etc.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimboK @ May 30 2007, 07:18 AM) [snapback]451970[/snapback]</div>

Jim,

What are speeds and techniques for the first 5 mins. With a block heater, I think the best I see is 30-35 mpg.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(VABeachPrius @ May 30 2007, 09:50 AM) [snapback]452035[/snapback]</div>

Probably the best example I can give is coming out of my fiancee's house. Her driveway is about 500' and slightly downhill, so I can baby the car and not pull too much from the battery during S1. I'm generally at S2 by the time I pull onto the road. I accelerate (keeping RPM in the sweet spot) until either it gets unsafe, I'm at risk of a ticket (45 MPH limit), or the ICE temp hits 158F (triggering S3 operation). I figure since the ICE insists on running anyway in S2, I might as well get as far as I can on it. With the pre-heated ICE on these warm mornings, that's only about a mile. Once at S3 I can warp stealth down into P&G ranges, depending on traffic, until I hit a stop sign about a mile and half into it. I turn either right or left depending on my destination. The route from the left turn involves two more turns within a half mile, so I accelerate until I can start gliding again, and glide down to a speed at which I can safely make the turns. A right turn is onto a lightly traveled road that's usually ideal for sustained P&G. In light traffic on that route I've actually hit 60-65 MPG on the first 5-minute segment, but I didn't want to create any unrealistic expectations for the more typical driver.

To the OP and others: If the description of my driving techniques overwhelms you, don't fret. Even with "normal" driving the block heater should make a considerable difference in that first 5-minute segment.

 

I have a 5 mile commute over pretty hilly terrain. Speeds range between neighborhood and 55 mph. There are 13 traffic lights on my commute. Without a block heater I can manage low fifties in the spring summer and mid forties in the late fall/winter.

 

I do the same commute, short trips and all, only over 7 miles. My guess is 50 will become a struggle for you, but I don't see you going below 45 (on average). I get 48 to 49 in the summer, but those last two miles help me out.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(VABeachPrius @ May 30 2007, 08:50 AM) [snapback]452035[/snapback]</div>

Chris, I can regularly get 50 to 60 MPG on my first 5 minute. Starting temp is 130-145F, start car, let car run at 1280 RPM for 1/4 mile (mostly on battery, basically not more than 15 MPH). By the time I'm at the arterial street my temp is over 157F and I can start gliding from my first stop. If the stage 4 idle check has not happened and I'm over 160F I will push the gas to light up the engine at a stop and let the car do the idle check, much better than having the engine come on at some random point. And I still have my grill block in.

Wayne

 

I have about a 3 mile commute to work, and I've been able to get 50 - 55 MPG (summer weather, I've only had my baby for 3 weeks). There are 4 stop signs until I get out of the immediate neighboorhood, and I'm on EV almost exclusively through all that, with regen coasting to the stops. Once I hit the first real stretch the car's ready for P & G. I hit VERY heavy traffic once I get downtown, but I use very slow speeds to maintain my buffers (P & G between 7 and 18 MPH or so). The key is to maintain your buffers, whatever speed that takes. As a result, if I'm lucky and no one fills my buffers and blows my timing, I won't have to stop at any of the MANY lights downtown either.

 

I have a 4- or 5-mile commute to the Metro station each morning -- a number of traffic lights, fairly heavy traffic, and small hills. It takes 15 or 20 minutes to get there. I do not have a engine block heater. The first 5-minute bar is always below 25 mpg -- if I have along wait at a light it will be really low. The second bar, assuming I don't hit too many lights, will generally be around 30-40. After that, during warm weather, I usually get over 50, up to 75. Overall mpg is much lower than during the few times I've taken long trips. I started out at over 50 mpg average because I was doing a lot of driving. Since then, it's been low 40's (30s in the Winter).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FireEngineer @ May 30 2007, 07:06 PM) [snapback]452408[/snapback]</div>

Wayne,
Morning temperatures are in the 60's with afternoon temps in the 80's & 90's. My first 5 minutes are always under 50mpg (usually around 25), morning, noon, and evening. My commute is 35 miles, mostly highway zoned 40-55mph. I don't have any extra gauges and I'm not going to install a heater. Do you really think it is safe for me to run a blocked or partially blocked grill? Would I want to block the upper or lower grill?

 

JimN,

Blocking your upper grill is fine. The lower grill, when above 50F really needs some way of monitoring engine/inverter temps. Do the top unless you get a scangauge.

But without the block heater your warm-up cycle will not change, blocking only helps retain heat, not create it. Jim, if you can, I recommend the block heater.

Wayne

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pricoaster @ May 29 2007, 10:10 PM) [snapback]451804[/snapback]</div>

Assumptions. You drive to work and return home 5 times in a 7 day period and you always average 52MPG. Price of gas assumed to be $3/gallon.......currently in Augusta, GA it is $2.59/gal at communist Wal-Mart

Your yearly total for your 45 mile commute is 23,400 miles. I will take the average you said and reduce it by one to make 52MPG to be conservative. This equals 450 gallons of fuel burned in that year. At $3/gal that equals $1350/year for fuel only. I didn't throw in all the oil changes required for 23K miles.

Now I will do the same for your 5 mile commute. The yearly total is a whopping 2600miles. Need I mention you do not need to change the oil because of miles but due to months attained. I will assume 40MPG's which is very low. That makes a total of 65 gallons of fuel consumed in a year. Again at $3/gal this will be $195/year on fuel.

The difference is $1155/year in fuel savings due to distance to work change. I think you can afford to buy a modification like a block heater and have it installed to increase your MPG's......this will offset the price of your block heater even more. On one of the forums the block heater cost under $60 shipped from a dealer in the chicago area????? Or the current price at metrotpn.com is 49 plus shipping if they have it in stock.

Hope this all makes sense financially.
D Rock

 

If people were really concerned for the environment, rather than competing for the highest mpg numbers, they'd post gallons per month rather than miles per gallon. Your greatly reduced commute will lower your mpg, but it will lower your gallons per month a lot more. That's what really matters. So congratulations on doing something real for the environment!

 

sounds like you are going to get bad mileage but you have a/c running for sure and that will be a killer on a long trip. especially if its 70% freeway. but u are going from a 60 min commute to a 5 min commute. i would probably have opted for a 60 min to 15 min commute and found a way to get there by surface streets that might have boosted the mileage.

i have a commute that is 5.2 miles one way and 5.5 miles coming back (one way streets cause my route to not be the same distance) and like you i could do about the same. i could do a route that is about 7 miles with 4 being freeway and do it in half the time. but i feel that a 15 min commute is more than acceptable and i dont need to save 10 mins.

now, it took me a bit to find a commute that would get me better mileage but that was partially learning the lights, flow of traffic, etc. it really only took a few days to find the best route in both directions.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pricoaster @ May 30 2007, 11:10 AM) [snapback]451804[/snapback]</div>

You can see your fuel consumption screen and expect what knid of mpg number you can get.
The first 5 min will be 25-30 mpg and second one will be 50.
It is difficult to get 50 mpg average in 10 min drive.

Ken@Japan

 

daniel is right. The MPG figure is meaningless in the big picture. Only shallow people would focus on your MPG and make fun of you for getting "only" 35-40mpg, without paying any attention to your very short commute and all that that means--MUCH lower fuel costs, MUCH lower emissions, you have time to have an actual life now, etc.