You are currently browsing the daily archive for October 11th, 2008.
Today is our 11th year wedding anniversary. We have a babysitter coming over this afternoon so Karen and I will go see a movie and then go out to dinner. I forgot didn’t have time this week to get a card for her though. When I was teaching at MCAD, I had a bit more flexibility in my schedule but working an eight hour day now has made it a bit more difficult to run the errands I used to be able to spur of the moment. This morning I told her that and that made her quite happy. Her direct reply was, “Ha, now you know how it feels!”
I suppose it was probably the best present I could have given her today. Mind you last year she forgot that it was our tenth year anniversary. Actually, she also forgot that it was our anniversary. I did give her a card last year. I think I’m still ahead.
btw the traditional 11th year anniversary present is steel.
These are some driving tips to increase fuel mileage on your Prius. It’s from the Green Inc blog of the New York Times. This is a posting by Micheline Maynard as part of her Prius Diary. The blog is a series of reflections from Ms. Maynard, a business correspondent in Detroit, on her recent switch from a Lexus S.U.V. to a hybrid electric Toyota Prius.
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Tip No. 1: Light Foot on the Pedal
Learning to get the most out of my Prius.
Overwhelmingly, you told me that with the Prius, a lead foot defeats the purpose of achieving high fuel economy. “If you drive like a madman, you’ll get bad mileage,” Tom Harrison, a reader from Newton, Mass., wrote in. Mr. Harrison and his wife own two Prius cars (is the plural of Prius “Prii,” as my friend Peter Sagal insists?), and they regularly achieve 52 m.p.g. in the summer, although their mileage drops into the 40s during the winter.Jack rabbit starts are something else to avoid. “I have become a different type of aggressive driver. No more jack-rabbit starts or trying to be one of the fastest cars on the freeway (though the Prius certainly would support such behavior),” reader Howard wrote us. “I am now an angry nut about other drivers that cause my gas mileage to decrease.”
Tip No. 2: Cruise Control
Readers also say that with the Prius, the best gasoline mileage comes at slower speeds. Indeed, the Prius’ best performance is supposed to come in city driving, not on the highway, although I averaged more than 50 mpg when I drove to Chicago last month. Reader Dave, whose blog, Rattling the Kettle, is full of Prius tips, recommends slowing down and using cruise control to maintain an even speed.
Dave sets his cruise control at 55 mph, and says he regularly gets 60-65 mpg for entire tanks in his Prius — sometimes even higher — although the mileage drops if he uses the air conditioning.
Another reader, Jim, tested the concept of cruise control versus ordinary driving. On a trip from Fairbanks to Anchorage, AK, he averaged 46.8 mpg without cruise control, and 52.1 mpg on the way back using it. “Cruise control is a more efficient driver than you are; use it when you can,” Jim said.
I have never been a fan of cruise control. My main concern is that it can allow a driver to become distracted, and increases the risk of becoming drowsy, since the car is doing the work for you. But I’ll do my own test, and report back my results with and without cruise control.
Tip No. 3: Use the Hills
Everyone, from my saleswoman to Times readers, has shared the same advice on hilly driving: take your foot off the gas going downhill and let the car be carried rather than powered. This seems to work wonders. The times when I’ve seen the consumption gauge hit 100 mpg have been while traveling downhill.
Reader James says this is when you don’t want to be using cruise control. “Learn to use momentum and gravity: let the car slow a bit as you crest the top of a rise, then let gravity speed you up on the downhill, instead of the engine,” he wrote.
Tip No. 4: Make Use of “B” Mode
“B” Mode is still a mystery to me. On the Prius transmission, there is a settlng labeled “B” that the owners manual says is meant to provide engine braking when going down a steep hill, without actually having to use the brake. It is the subject of plenty of discussion on Prius enthusiast message boards.
Readers disagree on whether “B” mode is an effective tool for getting better gas mileage.
“One trick is to use the transmissions ‘B’ (for braking) setting whenever you need to slow down, e.g., when going down hill. That change increases regenerative braking and charges the battery,” reader Rex wrote to us.
But reader Matt replied, “Rex: Do not use B in the Prius when slowing down. It does not use the regenerative braking system; it spins up the engine for drag. It is a total waste of energy and you cannot possibly do better by using it. It is there for if you completely top off your battery, you’re still going down a mountain, and you don’t want to use your friction brakes.”
Tip No. 5: To A/C or Not A/C
The universal debate about air conditioning and fuel economy has extra meaning for Prius owners. Many people automatically sacrifice air conditioning thinking they will get better performance. But it turns out the Prius air conditioning system is engineered differently than the one on my Lexus. I grew accustomed to turning on the A/C and having frigid air hit my face within seconds. The Prius doesn’t work that way.
Instead of focusing on the direction of the air, the system is designed to ensure a cool environment throughout the car, and it adjusts the blowers accordingly.
There’s a good explaination of its system here. I’m going to come down on the side of “use it if you like it,” rather than sweat to save a fraction of a gallon.
