new owner here

First... WELCOME to the "Wonderful World of Prius Ownership!" There's so much fun in store for you. PriusChat is a terrific source for practical information and assistance.

You will increasingly learn to maximize re-generation by 'coasting' whenever traffic permits - thus more 'little green cars' each worth 50 WattHours back into your big, main traction battery.

As you read more posts regarding the fuel bladder you will find that it's not unusual to pump only 7 or 8 gallons, particularly in cold weather. The theoretical 11.9 gallon capacity is not realistic with the bladder feature. I usually pump from 7 to 8.5 gallons at the last 'non-blinking' pip on the GUESS gauge. I have no fascination of being able to 'brag' that I was 'able to pump 10.8 gallons... some Prius owners seem obsessed with how much fuel they can pump. I treat fuel capacity much as I did light aircraft - it's USEABLE FUEL that's important.

My advice [for the 2¢ value it may have] is {a} Don't PUSH the fuel to the point of running dry - it's bad for the big battery and can be very inconvenient, even dangerous; {b}Bear in mind that the GUESS gauge is not linear - that is, if you see half of the pips showing that doesn't mean you still have half a tank of fuel available; {c} Don't fall into the trap "Well, I've got over 11 gallons of fuel and I'm showing 41.5 MPG on the display, so I can drive 456.5 miles before needing fuel."

ENJOY YOUR NEW PRIUS...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lkylsr @ Mar 3 2007, 08:41 AM) [snapback]399499[/snapback]</div>

Regenerating used energy means that you were wasting it in the first place. The trick for getting good mileage is to produce as few green cars as possible on the consumption screen. Anticipate stops, coast as much as you can and minimize the need for using your brakes.

 

I just posted a reply to a thread (sticky) you should read (this had the benefit of "bumping" it up again, if you do a View All New Posts). There's a link in there from efusco that bears reading. And welcome to PC and congrats on your Prius!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Susanne101 @ Mar 3 2007, 02:21 PM) [snapback]399548[/snapback]</div>

Susanne,

The speed of the scenic route is a sweet spot for mpg. Use of the instantaneous screen rather than the 5 minute average screen will give you a better idea of what is happening.

Coasting with your foot off the gas causes regenerative braking. Keep a little pressure on the pedal to glide. It takes practice so just be patient.