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Time or Mileage?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by TonyPSchaefer, Sep 14, 2004.

  1. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    I have a new dilema. The first five or so miles of the main highway I take to work is ALWAYS backed way up. It's single-lane and bumper-to-bumber for at least three miles. I've always taken a side road and joined back up with less than a mile to go.

    The stretch that is backed up is in a large bowl. Slight downhill at the beginning, long flat stretch, and a slight incline at the end.

    Prior to getting Priapus, I timed the two options and found that on average, taking the side route trims ten minutes from my commute.

    I can continue to take the side road and save about ten minutes of my life every day or stealth along in traffic for those ten minutes, achieve probably 100mpg and give my average milage ahefty boost.

    What would you do?
     
    #1 TonyPSchaefer, Sep 14, 2004
  2. hdrygas

    hdrygas New Member

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    I would measure it over several tanks. Ya that will take a lot. Measure MPG and your time. Weigh the benefits and the risks. Make an informed decision.
     
    #2 hdrygas, Sep 14, 2004
  3. jfschultz

    jfschultz Active Member

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    The major issue here is how soon the car gets into stage 4. With the jam on the highway, you might not get to the speed threshold as soon as on the side road. I would reset the mileage display for each day's commute to record and average several day's trips for each route.

    I find that getting to stage 4 appears to be the key. There is a traffic light that usually stops me long enough for stage 4 going to or from work. It is much closer to home so I get better MPG going to work (low 50's) than returning home (mid 40's).
     
    #3 jfschultz, Sep 15, 2004
  4. MarinJohn

    MarinJohn Senior Member

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    Time is MY most valuable commodity, so I'd choose to save time over fun driving my prius. Can you tell I have had my 04 for many months now?
     
    #4 MarinJohn, Sep 15, 2004
  5. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    Drove the main highway this morning. That will never happen again.

    It was great for the first five to seven minutes. I cruised along and had one bar at nearly 75mpg and the second at a full 100mpg. Life was great. Then the ICE kicked on for no reason. Switched Info screens and there was my reason: the battery was showing two bars and the ICE was recharging.

    Because the ICE was racing but I was putting, the mileage plummeted. My third bar (since sitting in traffic) was below 25mpg. My fourth was up slightly above 37. My two initial trends gave my mileage the anticipated boost and gave me a warm-fuzzy. The third and fourth undid any positive gains in both areas. Though I do not track individual trips’ average mpg, referencing the trended mpg for the trip gave me suspicions that I lost.

    Conclusion: there seems to be no advantage to intentionally sitting in traffic with the hopes of boosting average mpg.

    To top it off, I left home ten minutes early, sat five minutes longer than anticipated, got to work just barely late.

    All results are unscientific and represent my experiences only. If you wish to sit in traffic in your own car and waste your own time, that’s entirely up to you.
     
    #5 TonyPSchaefer, Sep 15, 2004
  6. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    If you MUST go along in very slow traffic, golf-cart mode is more efficient than running the ICE. But there is no free lunch. That 100 mpg segment will be paid off with extra power taken from the ICE later on. You will get much better average mpg taking the side road, where you can keep moving.

    Until, that is, all those other drivers discover the side road and turn it into a parking lot just like the highway.

    Until then, take the side road.

    Another way to put it is that the most fuel-efficient speed for the Prius is probably somewhere around 40 or 45 mph. Very slow and very fast speeds are much less efficient. Golf-cart or EV mode gives you a big advantage over other cars in stalled traffic. But you're still better off if you can keep moving.
     
    #6 daniel, Sep 15, 2004
  7. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    take the route where you use the brakes less. that is the way to take full advantage... every touch of the brake will result in a loss of 90-95% of the power needed to replace that momentum lost.

    as for me? i agree with others here in that time is the most important for me... but realize that i am on call 5 days a week and my start time is 5 AM so when i go to work, it is by the quickest means available. however, on the way home, i frequently take the slow way home simply because it relaxes me better than nearly anything i have experienced (other than sex of course!!)

    the feeling of being one with my Prius as we both strive to lighten our footprints across this great Earth is both calming and exhilerating.
     
    #7 DaveinOlyWA, Sep 16, 2004
  8. Wolfman

    Wolfman New Member

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    As somebody that is forced to sit in gridlocked traffic, I'd LOVE to have a side route that would get me around that mess, and to work more quickly. As much as I love my Prius, I have MUCH better things to do, than sit in the middle of a highway.
     
    #8 Wolfman, Sep 17, 2004
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