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New Prius Driver - Asking for Help with Technique
Hey guys,
Just purchased my 2009 Prius base yesterday and will pick it up on Tuesday. I've been doing alot of reading and video watching online trying to educate myself about the best ways to max out a Prius on mpg. Alot of the suggestions are easy ones that transfer from my old car to the Prius but I did have a couple questions about hypermiling in the Prius that may differ from a non-hybrid.
Here's a couple I found online but wasn't sure if they are completely correct...
Thanks for all the help!
*** Gliding (least aggressive) – While traveling, remove foot from accelerator. Then, ever so slightly, re-apply pressure until all arrows disappear from the Energy screen. You'll a feel slight surge forward. This technique will only work when the car is warmed up.
You can glide at any speed, but it's difficult to get the arrows to disappear at speeds higher than 40 mph. At the higher speeds, even if you are gliding, the internal combustion engine will spin in order to protect the smaller electric motor from getting damaged. Above 40 mph, the engine is spinning but no gas is being used. Under 40 mph, the gas engine is not spinning. (Some Prius drivers report a "sweet spot" at 39 mph.)
*** Idle versus Shutdown
If you need to remain stationary for no more than ten minutes or so—stopping to run quickly into your house or pick somebody up—place the Prius into park, but don't shut down.
Turn off the heating, cooling, lights, and other electric accessories. Push the "Park" button.
The goal is to avoid shutting down and restarting, at which time the Prius will run through a startup cycle that uses gas.
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