Hybrid Mileage Comes Up Short

[Freddie Stubbs]

Hybrid cars are hot, but not as hot as their owners, who complain that their gas mileage hasn't come close to well-advertised estimates.

Don't knock the car companies for inflated claims: Experts say the blame lies with the 19-year-old EPA fuel-efficiency test that overstates hybrid performance.

Pete Blackshaw was so excited about getting a hybrid gasoline-electric car that he had his wife videotape the trip to the Honda dealership to pick up his Civic Hybrid. The enthusiastic owner ordered a customized license plate with "MO MILES" on it, and started a blog about his new hybrid lifestyle.

But after a few months of commuting to his job in Cincinnati, Blackshaw's hybrid euphoria vanished as his car's odometer revealed that the gas mileage he was hoping for was only a pipe dream. Honda's Civic Hybrid is rated by the EPA to get 47 miles per gallon in the city, and 48 mpg on the highway. After nearly 1,000 miles of mostly city driving, Blackshaw was getting 31.4 mpg.

more: http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/0,2554,63413,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1

[BlueEyedSon]

1. 31 MPG (real world city driving) is pretty good.

Especially compared to those coveted SUVs.

[SeattleDem]

2. a friend had a similar complaint, but fixed it

he went back the dealer, and if I remember correctly, they adjusted his tire pressure and he started getting the "right" miles per gallon.

This friend was initially very discouraged but was able to "correct" the problem.

[jobycom]

9. Tire pressure is a big deal

Normal cars use 32 psi pressure. Priuses use 36 psi. A lot of vans and trucks have different mileage, too, but if you go to a tire shop, they will automatically put 32. That creates a lot more drag. And if they do that on only one or two tires, it really interferes with the road resistance of the car.

[benburch]

3. I get around 44 mpg on my Prius

A lot depends on how you drive the car. There is a way of driving that uses least gas.

[jobycom]

6. I get 46 if I drive fast. I have gotten 55-60 when I try

I also own a minivan, and its mileage is far below the sticker mileage, too. All in all, I get three to four times better mileage with the same driving habits in the Prius.

[LosinIt]

4. Hell, I get 33mph or more in my Mazda Protege 5

zoom zoom zoom, glad I didn't go for the hybrid yet till they get it perfected

[jobycom]

7. Actual mileage, or sticker mileage?

The sticker on that car says 25/31. If you're exceeding sticker on that, you'd probably get the sticker mileage on the Prius.

[scrubjay]

5. Mini cooper mileage pretty good

By comparison, my 2003 mini cooper gets about 27mpg in city
(32mpg if I drive more energy friendly) and 38mpg on the
freeway (40+mpg if I drive more energy friendly

[LeftCoast]

10. Welcome to DU scrubjay!

:toast: :hi:

[hatrack]

8. How does Mr. Blackshaw drive?

I've averaged about 45 mpg (mixed) in the winter and 50 mpg (mixed) in the summer in a 2001 Prius. My best ever was 585 miles on 10.4 gallons for an average of 56.25.

Of course, I'm also a total mileage geek and very deliberate about accelerating. If you're not, you're going to get lower mileage, and of course EPA's estimates are always high, since they're treadmill tests, not real-world driving.

[GreenGreenLimaBean]

11. VW Turbo Diesel Jetta: 47mpg overall

and thats driving any speed I want.

why go hybrid when you can get this kind of mileage in a conventional car.

[texastoast]

12. Not quite clean enough yet

Although the diesel burning technology of today is better than it was even just a few years ago, the Jetta emits quite a bit of nitrogen oxides, a greenhouse gas.

With the biodiesel fuel coming into the mainstream along with continued engineering enhancements, this situation should improve. In any event, your Jetta kicks the stuffing out of the SUV mileage and is much better for the air quality.

[Ricdude]

14. And once we have low sulfur diesel fuel...

...the catalytic converters they use on diesel vehicles in Europe can be used here, and NOx won't be nearly the problem it is today. Biodiesel benefits from the same exhaust treatments, and doesn't tie us to a single source for energy importation.

[Bamboo]

13. Will next Prius be dimpled like golf ball for better MPG?

Driving style will affect Prius mileage,beginners do not realize that a big part is early braking and coasting so electric motor will use that momentum to recharge battery so gasoline engine does not have to do that job and consume fuel.Every time YOU tap the brake to stop the engine and coast YOU are "refilling" the batteries instead of the gas tank.Take responsibility for your mileage and make a committment to fuel efficiency.Sometimes I come to a stop before light because I did not make it all the way.Also knowing when to keep moving to conserve momentum instead of braking means using foresight and it is a different mindset which is not part of the morning commute for most people.I look at the display as a video game and ignore the passing cars.Prius tires are rated for 50psi maximum,I use 42front/40rear.A normal car does not have a MPG display so most people do not get the expected mileage either,if they knew how their driving style ruined MPG they might change their ways.