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Low electric mileage

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by mwhelm, May 3, 2019.

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  1. mwhelm

    mwhelm Junior Member

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    My electric mileage seems to have abruptly plummeted. Dash shows 13.2-13.8. Charges on
    L2 (or L1) no problems.
    I would get roughly this mileage out of it, but I didn't test closely (however I am mindful of the
    charging rates & usage because we have a new ETOU electric billing here & I sometimes adjust
    the charging amount to cover small trips only).
    Noticed a few days ago that I wasn't seeing that all & the change seemed abrupt- distances that are about half that estimate, would use up the entire charge. Checking more closely with an odometer last night, a 4 mi local trip consumed the entire charge well before the trip was complete.

    2015 PIP with about 75k on it. Tire inflation is right on the recs.

    Any ideas/recommendations?
     
    #1 mwhelm, May 3, 2019
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    to be clear: you're saying that a full charge used to go more than 13 miles, and now you can't even get 4 miles?
    if that's the case, you may have a serious issue. do you have a way of measuring charge amount in kWh?

    is it still reporting 13+ miles on a full charge?

    does it take the same amount of time to charge?

    any decrease in mpg's?
     
    #2 bisco, May 3, 2019
  3. Sarge

    Sarge Senior Member

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    Yeah, something does sound fishy about that. I presume you are this is a consistent and reproduce-able situation now, that the display range depletes much faster than actual range? If so, it should be pretty easy for a shop to hook up and diagnose if there is a problem with the battery? Assuming it is a battery issue, I believe that should be covered under the battery warranty, which I think is 100k miles? (I know it is 160k KM in Canada).

    As I side note, I don’t think I have ever seen >13 miles (~21km) on my ‘14, I usually have 16-18km (10-11 mi, and usually closer to 10) on a charge, and it has been this way since I got it at 2 years old. Now I am wondering if there is something wrong with my battery, LOL. :confused:
     
    #3 Sarge, May 4, 2019
  4. QuantumFireball

    QuantumFireball Active Member

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    In my experience, seized rear brake caliper slide pins led to a reduction in range, though it was only somewhere around 1 mile for me. They're worth checking out, especially if you're in an area where roads get salted in winter.
     
    #4 QuantumFireball, May 7, 2019
  5. mwhelm

    mwhelm Junior Member

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    I think "13.2-13.8" miles actually resulted in about 12-12.5 miles, but I wasn't looking as closely. I just know the
    rough mileage between home and a couple of sites and what I would expect. I have been mindful of ETOU costs
    and trying to charge only what I need for short trips during the ETOU peak window.

    Measuring charge amounts - my charging station has history. The full charge time of 1.15 hrs and ~2.4 kwh seems to be
    constant.

    The full charge estimated distance has fallen from 13.5-13.8 to 11.5

    Gas mileage seems unaffected. I'm not watching it closely so it's just my feeling, but I have the same week-on week pattern
    and about the same fill up rate (1x / 9 da)
     
    #5 mwhelm, May 9, 2019
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  6. mwhelm

    mwhelm Junior Member

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    We should have a reasonable warranty here, but it's going to cost me to test it. Negotiating for this is like
    negotiating for a specialist at the HMO - I have to wait for the battery guy to come back from vacation.
     
    #6 mwhelm, May 9, 2019
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    where are you, and what are you driving?

    i'm still not clear, but again, if you're only getting 4-6 actual miles on a full battery, something is definitely wrong.
    in the united states, it is not covered under warranty
     
    #7 bisco, May 9, 2019
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