40 mpg Prius vs 50 mpg European Diesel cars

interesting, anyone know what causes better mileage in winter?

higher density of fuel due to cold? not running a/c? lower motor
winding resistance due to cold?

is this a common phenomenon?

is it true for non-hybrid cars, or only hybrid cars?

 

Right, and recovering energy in the process, energy that can be used on the
up-side.

 

It isn't true for hybrid cars if you winter where the snow falls.

 

According to the information on this site
http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/prius-technical-info there are 228
batteries roughly the size of a D-cell battery. There is a picture of the
battery pack on the site.

 

I'm not sure that hybrid vehicles get better fuel economy in the winter than
in the summer. For conventional internal combustion engines, the air is
denser in cold weather so theoretically, the air-fuel mixture burns more
completely. The engine takes longer to warm up in the winter so the
air-fuel mixture is enriched a little longer so in the real world, most
people tend to get better fuel economy in warmer weather.

 

Spring 66 to 67. 22 TASS at Binh Thuy AB about 6 km from Can Tho in
the delta. I was in Saigon only a few weeks in 66.[/QUOTE]

I was in DaNang during the TET offensive. I had been scheduled for a
short TDY to Hue, but it was postponed because of the anticipated
offensive that only we MI types believed was going to happen. That was
very fortunate because everyone in the office that I would have been at
was either killed or captured by the NVA.

-- Michelle

 

Thanks, bookmarked for later consumption. I'm told by the service
manager at my dealer the battery pack is surrounded by computers and not
user serviceable. Amazing technology and I think it will only get
better.

I have a friend who has a hybrid Highlander and likes it. He just
checked mileage in city driving and it was 36 mpg city driving. Not bad
for a vehicle of that size and weight. I just had my 04 Sienna on a
road trip this week and I checked the mileage, 27.63 MPG, also not bad
for a 4400 lb vehicle, gas only. I'm a prudent driver which helps.
--

 

I was in DaNang during the TET offensive. I had been scheduled for a
short TDY to Hue, but it was postponed because of the anticipated
offensive that only we MI types believed was going to happen. That was
very fortunate because everyone in the office that I would have been at
was either killed or captured by the NVA.

-- Michelle[/QUOTE]

Amazing luck. I'm happy we both made it out alive. I hope to make it
back to the Vietnam memorial at least once more in my lifetime.
--

 

You know, in my Passat (which I'm going to sell), I always
seemed to have so much energy left when I came to a stop (even
when I started braking/slowing WAY back), that I found myself
thinking about that a lot....

 

You can go to toyota.com and look at Prius faq's and info about hybrid
technology to learn why the Prius does not offer optional battery packs,
plug-in chargers, etc., even the response to a question about whether the
Ford Escape uses Toyota's technology (it does).

It is natural human nature for people to think that their ideas are better
than what the automakers have designed and built, but in most cases, the
automotive engineers have thought everything through pretty thoroughly.
Other factors to keep in mind are the marketability of a product, production
and retail costs, and utility of the product.

 

Okay, I see his point. Fair enough, if the flexibility you go on
to describe can be made to work.

My short-term expectation is that battery technology will shrink
the current pack. This would (a) release more space in the rear
of the car (for normal uses like carting around random rubbish)
and/or (b) allow more battery capacity in much the same volume.

 

yeah, I wonder what the corporate image makers were thinking with that
name? Is it supposed to suggest anything at all?

The only association that 'Prius' brings to my mind is 'Priapus', but
maybe that's just me?

 

Oh, I do not think I am smarter than Toyota's engineers. I figure they are
thinking about this or have thought about it and the idea has been at least
temporarily shelved under the heading of "infeasible" for reasons I don't
know or "unmarketable, except to that DH character and a few loons like
him."



I will check the faq, though, and see what they had to say. I hadn't
realized they would bother to put up a faq that included speculative items
like this.



*** ***

 

According to the faq section of Toyota's web site, "Prius" is derived from
the Latin prefix meaning "to go before"

 

It is not true, the real thing is that the Prius has lower mpg's at winter,
it is because it's main target is to be a close to zero emission vehicle, so
at colder weather the catalyzer needs more gases going through it to keep at
good work temperature to avoid contamination.

 

In message <>

You would still have your petrol engine for times when the battery got
low. But at least you could arrange to always start out with a full
charge. If you did a lot of short journeys, it would vastly reduce
overall fuel consumption.

 

<snipped>

Oh, I do not think I am smarter than Toyota's engineers. I figure they are

Toyota has a reputation among the public and automotive press for making
good cars. Toyota's reputation among automakers is that of being a
moneymaking machine and being perhaps the best in the world at "doing
business." i can tell you from firsthand experience that Toyota gives
thought to every actioin.

I've often thought that Toyota should have designed and marketed the
Highlander, RX 400h, Camry, GS, and LS hybrids for good fuel economy yet the
emphasis for these vehicles is more on performance than fuel economy because
Toyota is aware the hybrid powertrain does not make sense from a pure
dollars and cents view. Rather than market to people who are trying to save
money, they market to people with money who want performance and reasonable
fuel economy.

 

Generally you are correct. Problem though is if there is a lead foot behind
me I'm compelled to accelerate much quicker in city traffic. What happens
then is instead of the engine taking over at about 10-12 mph it kicks in
about 2-3 mph. I've had people pull up beside me and yell (like they're
ready to kill me) get that piece of shit off the road. My only recourse then
is to not move at all.
mark_

 

Yes - I think all variations stop altogether. In the Toyota system the
engine is cranked by using the pair of motor/generators differentially to
spin the engine up to 1100 rpm (IIRC) before feeding fuel and spark. Since
some Prius cars are over 200K miles and running sweetly the strategy must be
working. There aren't many engines that get oil pressure before being fired
up.

What amazes me is that except for the occasional shudder when coming to a
stop that Bill mentioned, I can rarely tell when the engine starts or stops.
I would hazard a guess the engine restarts an average of something like once
to ten times per mile in city driving. There is no starter sound ever - just
"hmmm" and the engine is running as if by magic. OTOH, having the engine
shut down is unnerving to new drivers (at least it was to my wife and me!)

Mike

 

Mine at least is US.

Mike