My Mile/MPG Break Even Point - Volt vs. Prius

Hi Justin,

Glad to see you on this board again...

Are you saying that the Volt vs the Prius even's out on LONG trips or SHORT trips? I note your lifetime is well over 100 MPG, but the current tank is saying 50 something.

It seems logical that the data would say LONG trips is the even out point since the VOLT uses electricity much better than the standard Prius does when referencing the battery only usage on the Prius (golf cart mode) (EV Mode) and the limitation thereof on the distance that can be traveled solely on battery power.

Nice display with plenty of info for the volt!

Ron

 

what is your total miles and ratios of electric to gas so far?
what is difference between Summer/Winter numbers? guessing it wont be as much as I see but should see at least a little?
have you seen any degradation or changes in performance? Due to tire wear, you should see a slight increase from the early days

 

I don't see anything wrong with the Volt here, you just drive too many miles on 1 charge and too fast. With my 31.2 mile daily total commute, I would use gas only when i leave town.

 

I do not necessarily think of savings. IMO, there are 3 really good things about a Plug-in hybrid like the Volt. Yes, dare I call the Volt a Plug-in hybrid!
1. Charge at home
2. Electric driving
2. Absolutely no range or charge anxiety

Check this out! A Two-Day Battle to Charge My Car Convinced Me We're ... - Wired

 

My ratio is nearly the same as yours. For 2o14, I should drive about 16,800 miles in the LEAF and roughly 5,600 miles in my Corolla. The Corolla was purchased due to a year long experiment I am running on the value of good used car verses Electric. Granted, determining ROI is a very personal thing and highly dependent on one's location and transportation options and needs but it appears even with everything that can be tipped in the Corolla's favor, the LEAF will still win. There is still a few weeks left to go before I even start crunching the final numbers so we shall see.

As my transportation needs evolved based on work demands, I am now considering a lease of a Fusion Hybrid mostly because I know someone at the dealership who can get me a really good deal and my expectation that I will be getting the longer range LEAF in Dec 2016 when my current lease runs out.

 

You went 134 miles with 2.64 gallon of gas so it is displaying 50.8 MPG. That's just gas consumption. You also used 18 kWh of electricity.

With 15% charging loss, it used 0.63 gal equivalent.

Your total fuel economy is 134 miles divided by 2.64 + 0.63 gals = 41 MPGe.

To compare fuel economy with 50 MPG Prius, you should use 41 MPGe.

Since you got free electricity, your cost is just the premium gas. So, I understand why you would want to focus on gas consumption.

For those who pay for their own electricity, fuel economy is more meaningful.

 

I have a feeling/speculating that GM will also announce a 200 mile Ev in January.

 

Excellent points. The MPGe numbers are nice to have, but bottom line is the cost/mile based on how and where you drive. And of course, there's the cost of the cars to consider, though that is subjective because they all provide difference levels of comfort, features, performance, etc. Probably 70% of our miles are long-distance trips over 5,000 miles, while 80% of daily use are trips under 10 miles, so I' still not sure if I should consider a PiP/Volt when I get ready to trade (3-4 years). I pay between $.10-$.13/kWh, but I never checked to see what changes I'd need to make to the garage (charging station?) to add a PiP/Volt, how much (extra?) that costs, etc. I don't see a lot of PiPs, Volts or Leafs here. Obviously, the Leap is out of the question unless I want 2 cars and since I'm retired, there is no commute involved. The more I drive the Prius, the more I like it, so I'm totally sold on hybrid technology and don't want to be left behind as the technology improves.

 

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And I appreciate all the info provided here. I probably should have looked harder at the PiP before I bought the Prius, but chances are I would have made the same decision because of the price premium. My guess is it would take a long time to recoup the cost difference with so much of my driving being long trips.

 

LOCATION does far more to spread "garbage" in reality. At least with MPGe, there's a clear understanding that it is just a standardized measurement taking all fuel energies into account.

When a tread like this is starting, it provides a great source of real-world data for readers to analyze and comment about, but it is so far off from reality for those living in the north, there's no benefit from it. In fact, without a disclaimer of it only be representative of mild-climate driving, the data can be very misleading.

That's why comparisons being the regular model Prius and the plug-in still don't have any generalizations associated with them. You just plain cannot. It doesn't set an appropriate expectation. The fluctuations in temperature make are far too much of an influence. So comparing to a totally different approach, like Volt, skews outcome even more.

Sorry, but that's the reality of the situation.

 

MPGe uses a scale that is not realistic so it should only be used in a passing reference only. MPGe is like using the EPA MPG rating without regard to what ou actually pay at the pump. I see people do this all the time to justify their gas cars when they don't realize they get 10-20% less efficiency in Winter.

I use a "cost per mile" instead since it covers what we all understand and that is the depth of "out of pocket"

but when I say my LEAF has averaged 1.92 cents per mile this year, do I not include free charging?? no but then again, I do include charging fees, so IOW, my figure is a measure of real life. It is the ACTUAL out of pocket expense I experience.

 

Fuel price differs. To compare efficiency, use EPA MPG(e).

As for the point of OP, to break even, the price of electricity and gasoline would play major role.

For me, if I use electricity for highway, it would be more expensive than gas. So, highway capable EV or PHEV is not for me.

 

it is highly dependent on your situation and in my case, I have one of the lowest electrical rates, top solar program and top 3 gas tax rates in the nation so its also a no brainer here