Thanks. Referring to a previous reply, I did notice that when my
battery is fully charged that I can stop and go in traffic with just
the electric motor if I'm easy on the accelerator. The day I wrote my
original message must have been when my battery was a little low by the
time I got to the traffic.
dbs__use...@tanj.com wrote:
> > I have a 2001 Prius that I just bought. This morning I got stuck on
> > the freeway in stop and go traffic. Maximum speed was 5 MPH. Every
> > time I pressed on the accelerator the ICE would start up and when I
> > would stop, the engine would shut down. We were moving about one car
> > length at a time. My 5 minute interval display showed that I was
> > getting about 10 miles per gallon for the hour I was in traffic. I was
> > under the impression that in stop and go situations that I could run on
> > just the electric motor and basically not use any gas except when the
> > battery needed a charge. My overall miles per gallon went down one MPG
> > during my one hour in traffic. Unfortunately, I could not just let my
> > foot off the accelerator and coast. I did not have any accessories on
> > at the time (headlights, AC, etc. all turned off). Is this normal or
> > do I need something checked out with my computer?
> >
> As others said, it is normal. Keep in mind that if you had maximum
> speed of 5 MPH and you were stuck in stop and go for an hour, you only
> traveled for 2 miles. 2 miles at 10 mpg is 1/5 of a gallon. If you
> compare that with a conventional car, you may see that they burned a
> gallon or more in the same time.
> While 10 MPG is attrocious, it's really not too bad for an hour of stop and go
> 5mph traffic.
> To maximize the battery usage, push very gently on the gas pedal to
> accelerate, and anticipate the car ahead of you stopping, coasting as
> far as you can before hitting the brakes. You might be able to hit 15,
> 20 or more MPG in those situations.
>
>
> Daniel
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> > the freeway in stop and go traffic. Maximum speed was 5 MPH. Every
> > time I pressed on the accelerator the ICE would start up and when I
> > would stop, the engine would shut down. We were moving about one car
> > length at a time. My 5 minute interval display showed that I was
> > getting about 10 miles per gallon for the hour I was in traffic. I was
> > under the impression that in stop and go situations that I could run on
> > just the electric motor and basically not use any gas except when the
> > battery needed a charge. My overall miles per gallon went down one MPG
> > during my one hour in traffic. Unfortunately, I could not just let my
> > foot off the accelerator and coast. I did not have any accessories on
> > at the time (headlights, AC, etc. all turned off). Is this normal or
> > do I need something checked out with my computer?
> >
> As others said, it is normal. Keep in mind that if you had maximum
> speed of 5 MPH and you were stuck in stop and go for an hour, you only
> traveled for 2 miles. 2 miles at 10 mpg is 1/5 of a gallon. If you
> compare that with a conventional car, you may see that they burned a
> gallon or more in the same time.
> While 10 MPG is attrocious, it's really not too bad for an hour of stop and go
> 5mph traffic.
> To maximize the battery usage, push very gently on the gas pedal to
> accelerate, and anticipate the car ahead of you stopping, coasting as
> far as you can before hitting the brakes. You might be able to hit 15,
> 20 or more MPG in those situations.
>
>
> Daniel