Fleet experience - British Columbia
 

When I first got my 2003 Prius, used, in 2005, I searched the net for fleet data to get an idea of what to expect. One helpful site was this Canadian web site that has and continues to collect, credible fleet usage data:

hybridexperience.com - Home

Anyone looking for fact based, hybrid usage would be well advised to survey this site. It is also includes 'the warts' such as some of the "Driver Experiences." Regardless, knowledge is better than ignorance and this is an excellent and on-going resource.

Bob Wilson

Bob, you own a Prius? I never knew ;)

You should maybe drop the hammer on the mpg potential of that thar car :)
EcoModder Fleet list - EcoModder.com

I got a bit of a giggle out of this one: "One of the problems is the tires and their low profile. It is not suitable for logging roads..."

We have:

• 1993 Coachman RV (G30 body) - since June 2008
• 2003 Prius (NHW11) - since Oct. 2005
• 2010 Prius (ZVW30) - since May 2009

Mostly I'm curious about the vehicle system performance:
http://home.hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/pri..._MPG_Rev_B.jpg

I tend to analyze systems, to understand how they work, how they fail, and what can be done to improve them. So I tend to do these kinds of analysis:
http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/fillups.jpg
http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/pri_100mph.jpg
http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/pri_acc_120
http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/pri_cc_380.jpg
http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/pri_batt_020.jpg
http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/pri_batt_310.jpg
http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/pri_batt_320.jpg

I've got four years of collected data so this gives a better idea of what excites my curiosity. But every now and then, I like to have a little fun:
http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/pr...0mpg_trick.jpg
http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/pr..._15_10mile.jpg

Still, this is what 'cranks my tractor':
http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/pri_mpg_temp_110.jpg

As for ordinary commuting:
http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/pri_MPG_400.jpg

But this is more interesting:
http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/pri_mpg_500.jpg

You might say I've got a different type of "hammer." <grins>

Bob Wilson

You have been staring at and discussing your prius for a long time, did you know there are a few folks who have managed over 100mpg for an entire tank, in a non-prius (non-hybrid even)? And plenty more examples of low-tech cars getting 60+ averages.

But I do think the operator is a big part of any system. And of course any general-purpose automations can be out-efficiencied by a good operator.

This curious:
Yes, as was apparent in this chart:
http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/ca..._MPG_Rev_B.jpg
The Y-axis is the miles per gallon (MPG) and includes the segments by the drivers in the 2005 Prius marathon. The speeds came from their elapsed times and the MPG from their performance log. Together that team achieved over 100 miles per gallon for a single tank in a Prius. But I've always figured marathon driving was abusive because the labor hours spent were not proportional to the information gained.

After a car achieves steady-state performance in a closed loop or two-passes in opposite directions, any further driving provides no additional information. Marathon driving becomes a waste of human life and fuel. But it is their lives and money to spend.

Good for them. I believe "the Stig" achieved ~17 MPG in an NHW20 Prius test and ~22 MPG in a recent 2010 Prius test. My data shows he could have done worse ... certainly I can provide a cookbook on how to do it if you need one.

For me, it is enough to understand how any given performance is achieved. Then I look at the vehicle systems to see if it can be improved in reliability, performance or utility. It is what an engineer does not just for a living but as a profession ... it is my hobby.

One of the things that attracted me to Ecomodder is the ratio of members who understand the scientific method ... how to conduct an experiment. Of course not everyone but a high enough ratio that the signal-to-noise ratio is favorable.

Bob Wilson