Quote:
Originally Posted by SixSpeed
. . . N. of SF have probably seen the lime Green Gen 2 Prius that weaves in/out of traffic, going full bore. He's a weekly nuisence @ ~4pm-5pm. . . .
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I have no problem with complaints about a specific individual ... stupidity is an equal opportunity employer and I have my list too. Keep complaints specific to the individual and we'll have no problem and I'll even join in the laugh. But blanket complaints about Prius drivers, well Dixie has had a little 'history' with that kind of thinking and I am a Prius owner and driver.
As for our respective rides, they are tools and to the degree we take a dispassionate, engineering approach to finding out what they do, I'm all for it. But as soon as it turns into an ego trip or a stunt, I have to 'change the channel.' Now to address a technical question, how to drive a Prius like "Top Gear."
This is a maximum acceleration graph of my 2003, NHW11 Prius, fully warmed up with a maximum charge on the traction battery. The instrumentation includes fuel consumption so you'll notice the 'green line', which is the instantaneous MPG at any given speed. Clarkson reported 17 MPG which can be achieved by:
- maximum acceleration to 75 mph (MPG approaches 17-18 MPG)
- maximum brake to a stop - make sure the ABS brake system engages and if skilled, shift into "N" when braking to disable all regenerative braking
Do this cycle for as long as it takes or until someone gets car sick. Clarkson could have gotten worse, 10 MPG, by just going to 30 mph and maximum brake to a stop. He actually walked away from making the Prius look worse than a tractor trailer truck.
In physics, what he has done is imposed the maximum inertial load on the engine and drive train and then used the maximum brake to exceed the regenerative capacity of the braking system. So instead of charging the battery, the kinetic energy is turned into heated brake shoes, rotors and drums. This is Clarkson style driving.
Now where Clarkson lied was when he tried to imply the following car was doing the same thing. Yet strangely, I'm OK with that.
That Clarkson fooled those who want to believe his nonsense instead of the EPA or European or Japanese or any other government mileage test results is perfectly fine by me. It is not my mission in life to separate fools from their folly and there is a lot of folly around. But since there was an implicit use of Clarkson as an example of Prius performance, I have answered with the facts and data.
We will get along fine when folks address our shared interest in the engineering and technical aspects of our respective rides. We'll also get along fine if folks refrain from blanket condemnations. As long as we keep it technical, we'll all have a chance to learn something.
BTW, if you want to study 'driving style,' one of the better places to visit is
www.cleanmpg.com. But if you want to discuss improving your ride or my ride or someone elses ride, the vehicles themselves, well this is one of the best places to hang out.
WARNING: Some technical content recommended.
Bob Wilson