For 2011 until the end of October 2011:
- 52 MPG - 1.5L, 2003 Prius
- 52 MPG - 1.8L, 2010 Prius
For 2012, I have a new project, a 1.8L:
After inspecting it on one trip, I bought it and needed to get it from Canton IL to Huntsville AL. First I got a trailer and modified it:
I then drove our 1.8L, Prius, 600 miles:
38 MPG at 62-63 mph.
We loaded the plane, in a cold rain, and I drove it back through the wind and rain over the Thanksgiving weekend including one sleep-over:
getting 28 MPG at 53-54 mph.
So the plane is in Huntsville and stored in a 10ft x 10ft x30ft, rented shed:
Notice the wings are hanging from the rafters . . . a hangar.
I began converting the shed into a proper aircraft rebuild and repair facility. This includes a 'wing ladder' that lets me move the wing about as needed:
The "A" frames have a padded sling and is built so the hydraulic lift platform can slide under and roll it about
:
Since there is no power, I'm using my Prius powered, 1 kW inverter:
I'm finishing the legs and the whole table will be on dollies so I can work on either side.
The Prius powered, inverter provides 9A, 110 VAC to power the lights and hand tools. So I built a canard-fitted dolly for the fuselage:
The shed is just large enough provided everything can be moved about by one person. Being able to move things about easily and use the space efficiently is the key to success.
So I've been 'distracted' working on a two-seat, VW powered airplane with exceptional performance:
Roughly 55 MPG @110 mph and 40-50 MPG @140 mph depending upon altitude. My
project log has more details.
As for 2012:
- 40-45 MPG - 1.5L Prius due to powering aircraft repair shed
- 45-50 MPG - 1.8L Prius due to towing aircraft as needed
- parked - 1.8L Dragonfly undergoing rebuild/repair
Bob Wilson
ps. You asked.