Prius Marathon - The goal of 100mpg

[Tideland Prius]

Four drivers will be taking turns behind the wheel of a 2004 Prius August 5-7 in an effort to achieve the best possible mpg and longest distance on a tank of gas recorded to date.

Dan Kroushl has discovered a route near his home in Pittsburgh where
he has been able to consistently achieve laps of 100+ mpg and two of
the three drivers who will be assisting him have been able to
duplicate his results on the same course. The third they're confident
can do just as well, but he has not yet been there to try.

They'll start out Friday evening after rush hour and go until they run
out of gas, with each driver taking a four hour shift behind the
wheel on a 23 mile there-and-back portion of four lane road near Pittsburg with 12 traffic lights and two moderate hills. Their technique will be pulse-
and-glide going no faster than 40 mph and rarely slower than 30. Their
goal is to achieve or approach 100 mpg for an entire tank and go 1100-
1200 or more miles, running out sometime Sunday.



http://www.priuschat.com/forums/priu...html?highlight=


And for those who want the shortened version:

"The Final Tally!!

note: (I = Rich Evans in this quote):
I couldn't take it any more, so I called Dave's cell. Believe it or not, it
didn't end until 7 PM, exactly 48 hours after it started. As to the
blinking scenario, it could have been accurate. The blinking started at
1,111 miles and flashed for 9 hours and 286 miles!

Final numbers: 1397 miles! 109.328 MPG! 12.78 gallons!"

[WhiteRabbit]

i want that mileage!

[02RSX90camry]

yeah, hills are awesome for gas mileage in the prius. After driving it, i now notice all the little hills on teh roads, and let the car coast up them, and put a little gas on it on the way down, just enough to get 5-10 over the speed limit by the time i hit the bottom, so i can coast back up the next one, lol.

[Tideland Prius]

Rolling hills to be precise =). They help carry your momentum forward.

Odd how the Japanese test cycle rates the Prius at 35.5km/L or 83mpg US. Even Transport Canada's ratings are higher than the US - 59/56mpg as opposed to 60/50 mpg by EPA.

Note that some of the drivers are Insight and Civic Hybrid drivers.

[avalon01]

that is pretty awesome, lots of the guys on the forum also say they get 70+ mpg all the time.

[Tideland Prius]

60+ actually hehe.

I'm around low-mid 50s though.

[siraniko]

Wow, that what you call mileage! Makes me wish I had a fraction of that as my 4AG guzzles gas at 13 mpg. My Hilux does 34 but that's a diesel...

[Bernd]

and summarizes "pulse and glide" driving techique

Toyota.com : Hybrid Synergy View : 2005 : Fall : Prius Marathoners Top 100 mpg

[Tideland Prius]

www.drivingtelevision.com

Go to Episode 312 (if it's not the latest one) and click on Hybrid Commuter Challenge. They test the Prius, Camry, Accord, Accord Hybrid, Escape 4x4, Escape Hybrid 4x4 and Jetta TDI on a 200km route throughout the Lower Mainland.

[TTercel]

Wow just wow...................

[Lexo_600h]

That's pretty fantastic.

I drove a Prius for a while, but it was an engineering test car that had been thoroughly trashed. Still, no problem getting 50+ mpg in normal driving . . . and 70+ mpg in steady-state 45-50 mph cruise.

I love seeing how far and fast I can go and keep it in electric mode. I think 38 mph was my record.

For grins and comparison, a VW Lupo 3L diesel drove around the world (well, it cheated over some of the water parts . . . Pacific, Atlantic, . . .) on less than 800 liters. Best fuel economy was achieved in the Aussie Outback at a steady 60 kph or so: < 2.0L/100 km, or better than 120 mpg! (In fact, I think it did better than 160 mpg for a stretch.)

[Tideland Prius]

tops is 41mph before it goes into pseudo EV mode; that is, you're still using the battery but the engine is spinning.

[anto71]

I drive a brand new 2006 Prius in Athens, Greece (the traffic is pretty heavy). I used to drive a Toyota Yaris (1.0 lt engine) city car before.

The result is that the 1400 Kg/110 Hp Prius consumes 6.5 lt/100 Km, while the 780 kg/78 Hp Yaris scored a 8 lt/100 Km in similar traffic conditions. Sometimes, I use the EV mode, for sort distances (1 - 2 miles) and the consumption is absolute 0.


There is much debate on the real mileage of Prius, but it is clear that the new technology gives a lot advantages over the conventional cars. My real-life results show that Prius is an engineering miracle. We should all congratulate Toyota engineers and management for daring to invest on hybrid technology and delivering hybrid cars to consumers.

[Tideland Prius]

wow... 6.5? I get around 4.4 in the summer, closer to 5 in the winter. maybe even up to 5.4L/100km (mild winters)