Philip_G

interesting article about some TICKED OFF hybrid owners.

http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/0...w=wn_tophead_1

I'm curious to hear from HTF'ers with hybrids

Lew Crippen

What I found lacking in the article was a discussion on how non-hybrid cars performed under similar conditions. I believe that the owners reporting gas mileage well below the EPA city numbers is accurate. And I expect that the Consumer Reports study is also (under their testing conditions) is also accurate.

But what mileage would those same owner get compared to the city EPA numbers for conventional cars? And how would conventional engines fare in the same CR testing conditions?

It would be far more interesting to see the comparisons.

¡Time is not my master!

Shawn C

With a hybrid, it VERY much depends on how you drive one. From what I understand, your gas mileage can vary substantially based on the conditions that you drive in.

You can "force" your hybrid into higher MPG by being easy on the throttle and trying to run the electric motors as much as possible. That's what I hear anyways...

It looks to me that over on that PriusOnline site that they are getting pretty decent mileage averaging 40+ or so overall. That's still pretty good.

Joe Szott

I agree with Lew, seems like a comparison to non-hybrids and stated gas milage is warranted.

Also, common sense needs to come into play here. If you drive your car at 65+ to work everyday, your milage will always be worse than driving at 55. I take a 30 min trip to work through mostly farmland, I can take back roads at 50 or the highway at 65. I notice the gas lasts a lot longer if I take the scenic route in my '96 Saturn. I haven't measured it, but I must get 5-10 more MPG at that generally lower speed.

Not everyone can choose how fast to drive to work or school (some places going slower than traffic can be bad for your health ), but conservation doesn't need an electric motor to be viable.

GordonL

Or is it because your backroads actual miles is less than your highway miles? 65mph * .5hr = 32.5 miles. 50mph * .5hr = 25 miles.

Philip Hamm

My motorcycle gets about 43mpg on average everyday driving. I've been using it more and more as personal transportation.

Philip Hamm
Moderator Emeritus

DarrenHo

philip:
getting about 45mpg on my fz1. i only put 6000miles on the car last year and 12000 on the bike. will probably be at least as much milage on the bike this year with gas at $2.20 per gallon.

Matt Stryker

My Jetta TDI gets the as advertised 43 MPG in the city and 48-51 MPG on the highway at 80 MPH over slightly hilly interstates. The EPA shows 42/49 as the mileage estimate for the car.

I think i read somewhere that the optimum speed for most passenger cars is around 45 MPH, something about the motor's efficiency being too low at speeds below that and wind resistance being a factor at speeds above.

Philip_G

jesus christ, my bikes got 20-30.
the bike's fault? nah

Garrett Lundy

Are you drag-racing a Honda Rune or what? That mileage is terrible even for a lead-wrist that cruises at 80.

My Vulcan800 gets just under 50mpg I've found if I'm riding one-up in fifth gear at @65mph. I'll need to do much more "testing" at 75mph on the highway this summer before I can get an accurate number for those speeds.

"Did you know that more people are murdered at 92 degrees Fahrenheit than any other temperature? I read an article once. Lower temperatures, people are easy-going, over 92 and it's too hot to move, but just 92, people get irritable."