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when gas gets low

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by feethanddooth, Feb 23, 2005.

  1. feethanddooth

    feethanddooth New Member

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    this it the first car i have owned with an electronic gas tank display. so once it is on the last bar, i find a station asap. my question is, does the prius alert you when you are very low? when does that come? how much longer do you have til you are empty.

    and here is my big question, will the battery support you if you are out of gas for a period of time of a gas station is not as close by as you need it to be?

    thanks for any responses.
     
    #1 feethanddooth, Feb 23, 2005
  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    The last bar will begin flashing and you'll get a "Add Fuel" message on the MFD before you run out of gas.

    That comes at varying times depending upon a lot of conditions. Some think it is set up to do so when you've used 9 gallons of fuel. My experience is that it occurs at around 8 gallons used in summer and closer to 7 gallons in winter. But it varies from car to car and you'll need to play around to find out where yours cuts off. I'll say that it's very safe to drive until that last bar starts flashing and you probably have at least 2-3 gallons reserve when it does, but don't count on that much.

    You 'can' drive on battery alone for a short distance (max. 1/2 mile with full battery charge) if absolutely necessary...but you should not do it and if you have hybrid system problems and Toyota finds out you did so you could run into warrantyissues. They strongly advise against running the hybrid system without the ICE running as it allows deeper than normal HV battery discharge. That being said, many people have run on the battery after running out of gas without apparent harm from the single episode.
     
    #2 efusco, Feb 23, 2005
  3. PriusDreamer

    PriusDreamer Member

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    I've had my car for about 2 months. Not getting great mileage. Last fill-up got about 38 mpg. Took 9.6 gallons with one bar (no flashing). So I guess the gauge internal measurement varies wildly from car to car. The fill-up prior I got only 30 MPG. I do have a very short 1 1/2 mile commute and it had been cold (no chance for the car to warm up). I have the fronts set at 42 and the rear at 40. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise I loooove my prius. Story about acquisition and 14 month (that's right 14 month ) wait to follow shortly to be posted in dealers and Pricing section.
     
    #3 PriusDreamer, Feb 23, 2005
  4. DanMan32

    DanMan32 Senior Member

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    Short trips are a killer, and you have shorter trips than most. 30ish MPG sounds right, that is about the average the MFD shows for the 1st 5 minutes.
     
    #4 DanMan32, Feb 23, 2005
  5. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Try a 30-40 minute commute at no faster than 40 km/h when it's -40. You'l see what sort of fuel economy you get then.
     
    #5 jayman, Feb 23, 2005
  6. jeepien

    jeepien Member

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    I've heard some people who had a mere 20 miles after the bottom gas bar began flashing until they ran out.

    If it's just a few hundred yards, or if you have an EV switch and can get the car into EV mode, you may have a chance. But if the engine is trying to start and failing, your battery won't last long.

    Best advice: If you run out of gas, call Roadside Assistance. Do not try to limp to a station.
     
    #6 jeepien, Feb 23, 2005
  7. Prius Maximus

    Prius Maximus Senior Member

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    Don't do it. I did, accidentally. I didn't like it. That big red triangle scares the bejesus out of you. I had gone 73 miles on the last bar after it started flashing on the previous tank before I filled up, and was only able to pump in about 9 gallons. At 70 miles after the flashing bar on the next tank, I ran out of gas. Luckily, I had just passed a gas station, and got back after 1/4 mile, which used up about half my battery. So if you have a full battery, you have 1/2 mile at the most before the battery goes dead. This can cause serious damage to the battery.

    The car drives, but s l o o o o o w w w w w. Very little acceleration. All electrical appliances work, but turn them all off immediately to save what little juice your battery has.

    To be safe, when you get the add fuel warning and the last bar starts winking at you, get gas within 20 miles.
     
    #7 Prius Maximus, Feb 23, 2005
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