That's right, 93.158 mpg with a Toyota Prius over the course of 3211.7 miles from coat to coast.
That's right, 93.158 mpg with a Toyota Prius over the course of 3211.7 miles from coat to coast.
In reply to J.A. Ackley :
Gerdes offers simple tips for everyday drivers to improve their fuel economy. He suggests slower take-offs from stops and keeping even pressure on the accelerator pedal. He also says when stops are ahead, easing off the accelerator early and using the vehicle’s momentum to glide as you approach the stop helps greatly with fuel economy.
Funny enough, I've adapted to using gentle take offs from stops because the CVT in my Fit can be a bit jerky if you aren't smooth with the throttle.
Good to know it could be saving me a few squirts of fuel.
With my Chrysler I get around 32-35 highway and 22 city. Slow take offs are a must in my car, it hates if you slam on the gas and I usually try to do the gliding to stops, also its a bit better for your brakes. The biggest thing that screws up my fuel economy? Other Florida drivers haha. The amount of times I have to slam on my breaks to avoid someone doing something that could cause an accident is way to high. This guy had to be the most patient driver in the world to get this type of MPG.
I wonder how many stoplight drags he won.
Paris Van Gorder said:The amount of times I have to slam on my breaks to avoid someone ...
I hate to be that guy, but, well, somebody else would do it. Or they would think they were being nice and refrain from doing it.
One can catch a break, take a break, or totally break something, but when we want to slow down, we apply the brakes.
Forgive me? 
I thought it said 93.158 mph and wasn't all that impressed. 
My 9th grade driving instructor had a tea cup bowl stuck onto the dash of their 4 door Chrysler drivers ed car with a small rubber ball rolling around inside and you would earn a demerit if it ever flew out of the bowl. He also didn't want to be able to feel the car start from or brake to a stop (no jerking). Kind of like a limo driver. Then I bought my Volvo 1800 and drove like a limo driver fleeing from the bad guys.
Shame about the rest of the Prius. The mpg and the looks are killer.
I'm most sad that this coast to coast trip did not originate from the Red Ball Parking Garage in NYC to The Portifino Hotel in LA.
Rather, they went from LA City Hall to NYC City Hall
In reply to Mndsm :
The visibility, because of the A pillar, and lack of utility when compared to the second Gen are it's greatest sins.
I can't wrap my head around driving cross country and only stopping for gas three times...and arriving at the destination with nearly a full tank.
In reply to Captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :
I recently read that the current Corolla Hybrid sedan outsells the current Prius, swoopy hatch design.
At base models, the Prius is nearly $5k more than Corolla!
In reply to John Welsh :
If they did the Corolla hatch with the hybrid, I'd be listening. As it is, I'm planning on going Civic hybrid sport touring hatch.
John Welsh said:In reply to Captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :
I recently read that the current Corolla Hybrid sedan outsells the current Prius, swoopy hatch design.
At base models, the Prius is nearly $5k more than Corolla!
at least in FL, the corolla is god. That tracks.
Captdownshift (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to John Welsh :
If they did the Corolla hatch with the hybrid, I'd be listening. As it is, I'm planning on going Civic hybrid sport touring hatch.
Bring back the Prius V! (I mean, I know it's not likely, but I can still rant about it online.)
How many people were stuck behind him?
In reply to Colin Wood :
Prius V, flat out GR lite coilovers, Prius off road lift kit, cat shield and mink E teardrop camper and I'm there.
The Prius V is now the Corolla Cross Hybrid or RAV4 Hybrid.
Hurting Prius sales the most is probably the fact that you can now get any Toyota as a hybrid.
93 mph Prius is fairly interesting.
In an era where electric cars use zero gas, a 93 mpg Prius is not.
Toyman! said:93 mph Prius is fairly interesting.
In an era where electric cars use zero gas, a 93 mpg Prius is not.
I find this statement disturbing. Your use of "use zero gas" seems to imply "use zero energy" and we all know that's not the case. We're just pulling energy off the grid, and that energy isn't necessarily any cleaner or more "carbon neutral" than that derived from petrol.
https://www.theclimateapp.earth/post/electric-vehicles-where-does-the-energy-come-from
I would argue that a 93 mpg Prius is pretty darn impressive.
The article doesn't mention it, but was this car modified in any way for greater mileage or was it all up to his driving?
In reply to stuart in mn :
Good question. I'll ask.
stuart in mn said:The article doesn't mention it, but was this car modified in any way for greater mileage or was it all up to his driving?
Hypermilling cross country sounds like such torture. That leads me to wonder if he stayed off interstates and took the most god awful, 25 mph route that he could concoct?
An oddity from the article is this pasage:
Gerdes’ journey of 3,211.7 miles across the country took him through a wide variety of terrain as well as unpredictable weather. He drove the Prius up mountain elevations as high as 7,000 feet and through unforgiving places like Mojave Desert where the temperature exceeded 105 degrees. He contended with strong winds coming from the Gulf of Mexico.
When on this trip is he near the Gulf? Was this residual hurricane weather? If so, that would have been East Coast and hardly much windier than a brisk day.
“For a record attempt like this, it’s a lot of planning,” said Gerdes. “You can’t just go sight unseen into doing this. You have to have that plan. But you also have to be able to work on the fly. So, if things change, you have to switch up your plan. Reroute. Figure out what you’re going to be able to do to achieve that goal.” "Above all else, never drive into a headwind."
Fixed it.
stuart in mn said:The article doesn't mention it, but was this car modified in any way for greater mileage or was it all up to his driving?
I opened the article to see how closely this Prius resembles a landspeed car, but it looks stock. It doesn't even have moon disc hub caps!
Appleseed said:How many people were stuck behind him?
If'n you're too lazy to pull out and pass, well, you are creating your own problems.
- That guy whose career depends on having a clean driving record
So, if things change, you have to switch up your plan. Reroute. Figure out what you’re going to be able to do to achieve that goal.”
Could it also be that he only drove on perfect condition days? Did he stay in the hotel for a day if it was less than ideal conditions?
This here is also the reason this should have started at the Red Ball Garage...
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