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Winter MPG in AK

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by Billinak, Nov 16, 2009.

  1. Billinak

    Billinak New Member

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    So it's officially winter in Anchorage, just below zero this morning with a high of 10 F. I keep my car outside at night with an EBH that turns on 4 hours before I leave, and pipe insulation in the grill. I have studded, 15-inch tires and a short 5 mile commute to work where the car sits outside all day before the same commute home. My last tank was a hair under 29 mpg. Is this what I should expect, given these conditions? I plan on running the 12V battery check later today, but I was wondering if anyone else had had this type of mpg in these conditions or if anyone had any tips (other than move to Arizona or build a garage)
     
    #1 Billinak, Nov 16, 2009
  2. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Sounds like you are doing the best you can with what you got. In my GenIII I am down from my high this summer of 56.4 to the current tank @ 46. These single digit temps are a real killer. My car has a garage so the mornings are not bad but it sits outside during the day.
    What numbers were you geting this summer?

    Peter
     
    #2 spiderman, Nov 16, 2009
  3. Billinak

    Billinak New Member

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    It was easily in the 40s all summer. It got better on longer trips, then dipped if I just stayed in town, but it was significantly better than now.
     
    #3 Billinak, Nov 16, 2009
  4. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    The cold hurts but your short commute is what is realy killing you. A longer commute in the same temps would net you much better MPG.
     
    #4 F8L, Nov 16, 2009
  5. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    30 mpg for your conditions sounds pretty good to me.
    If you terrain is flat, I'm curious how much different the to work mpg differs from the leg back home.
     
    #5 SageBrush, Nov 16, 2009
  6. BAllanJ

    BAllanJ Active Member

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    They don't have plug ins in the lot at work? I guess it's warmer there than in Winnipeg.
     
    #6 BAllanJ, Nov 16, 2009
  7. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Not so much in Anchorage (outlets)... further north like in Fairbanks, much more so. It would be nice for sure.
     
    #7 spiderman, Nov 16, 2009
  8. Celtic Blue

    Celtic Blue New Member

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    Billinak,

    I doubt you will get acceptable mileage in winter in Anchorage without a garage. Engine block heaters and grill blocking will help engine warm up...but not the battery. When temps drop into the teens I start seeing a massive hit from the control system trying to warm the HV battery. This is an aspect of the Prius that suffers compared to conventional autos. With a short commute your mileage will get hammered from "forced charging" into the green.
     
    #8 Celtic Blue, Nov 17, 2009
  9. Billinak

    Billinak New Member

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    Thanks for your replies everyone. The fact of the matter is that winter in Anchorage + outside parking = 29 mpg and I'll just have to get used to it. Luckily it's still better than any of my previous cars.
     
    #9 Billinak, Nov 19, 2009
  10. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    That's right, plus in the summer you will really be able to kick some butt. :)

    These sub-zero temps we have been having have been hammering my GIII mileage too. Down a full 10 mpg from this summer's best.
     
    #10 spiderman, Nov 19, 2009
  11. DetPrius

    DetPrius Active Member

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    It would be interesting to put a Scan Gauge in a comparably sized car and see what mileage it gets on the same route under the same conditions. I suspect your 29 MPG would suddenly look pretty good.
     
    #11 DetPrius, Nov 19, 2009
  12. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    I don't know... someone brought up a good point in another post: 20% of 50mpg average (10mpg) is much more than 20% of 20mpg average (4 mpg). Hope I did my math right but the point is there assuming the efficiency drop was the same for both vehicles.

    It would be nice to get those actual numbers though to see for sure.
     
    #12 spiderman, Nov 19, 2009
  13. pinkstars

    pinkstars New Member

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    We've been having the same issues with our Prius! We checked the battery and it was a bit low, so we now having it going at a higher voltage but we plan on replacing it pretty soon. We haven't gotten our EBH yet, but when we do we'll install and I'm hoping that will help a little bit.
     
    #13 pinkstars, Nov 20, 2009
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