I commute 110 miles every day (not my choice
)
I was driving my 2000 Taurus (200 HP 24 valve) and getting from 26 to 29 MPG, at 69 mph on CC. With an 18 gallon tank I can comfortable get gas every 3 days, 4 if I strech it. I figure that I spend at least 11 hours a year sitting at a gas station, waiting to refill (if it only takes 10 minutes average).
So I decided to get a Prius.
After a 9 month wait, I got a '04, gold, pkg#9.
My hope is that I could refill every 5 days, saving 5 hours a year.
So I studied the mileage that I was really getting for 5000 miles (51 mpg at 69 mph on CC), before trying to strech it. According to those numbers I should be able to get 609 miles to empty, 591 with a 3% error.
Well, the other day, with the display claiming a 51.2 average, the car run out of gas after 530 miles :!: :?
I was on the NJ turnpike, and the ICE shut off in a perfectly flat stretch.
I was able to go in EV mode for a couple of miles on the shoulder until that quit too. (The display was telling me that I needed gas.)
I got my cell and was looking for the AAA number, when I decided to try to start the car. Guess what! The ICE started, all warning lights went off, it drove normally and I made it to a gas station... phew :!:
Why did the car think that is was out of gas :?:
I know that when you are going up or down a hill and have little gas in the tank, the pump might suck air and stall. This was not the case...
Does anybody know if the Prius intake is in the center, front or back of the gas tank :?: (In other words, you could stall by going up or down a hill.)
If you run out of gas and then run down the battery, how can you start the car :?:
(The user's manual explains how to jump start the 12 volt battery. Is that what you will need to do in this case?)
What is the 12 volt battery used for :?: I was told that it powers accessories. Is it also used to start the ICE if the big battery is down?
I read in this forum that the US version has a bladder in the gas tank.
What makes the bladder descend against the gas :?: Just gravity, or is it pressurized :?:
The bladder must reduce the amount of gas that fits int the tank, unless it is extremely thin.
What is the fuel capacity of models without the bladder? Can I remove it to gain fuel capacity?
I was driving my 2000 Taurus (200 HP 24 valve) and getting from 26 to 29 MPG, at 69 mph on CC. With an 18 gallon tank I can comfortable get gas every 3 days, 4 if I strech it. I figure that I spend at least 11 hours a year sitting at a gas station, waiting to refill (if it only takes 10 minutes average).
So I decided to get a Prius.
After a 9 month wait, I got a '04, gold, pkg#9.
My hope is that I could refill every 5 days, saving 5 hours a year.
So I studied the mileage that I was really getting for 5000 miles (51 mpg at 69 mph on CC), before trying to strech it. According to those numbers I should be able to get 609 miles to empty, 591 with a 3% error.
Well, the other day, with the display claiming a 51.2 average, the car run out of gas after 530 miles :!: :?
I was on the NJ turnpike, and the ICE shut off in a perfectly flat stretch.
I was able to go in EV mode for a couple of miles on the shoulder until that quit too. (The display was telling me that I needed gas.)
I got my cell and was looking for the AAA number, when I decided to try to start the car. Guess what! The ICE started, all warning lights went off, it drove normally and I made it to a gas station... phew :!:
Why did the car think that is was out of gas :?:
I know that when you are going up or down a hill and have little gas in the tank, the pump might suck air and stall. This was not the case...
Does anybody know if the Prius intake is in the center, front or back of the gas tank :?: (In other words, you could stall by going up or down a hill.)
If you run out of gas and then run down the battery, how can you start the car :?:
(The user's manual explains how to jump start the 12 volt battery. Is that what you will need to do in this case?)
What is the 12 volt battery used for :?: I was told that it powers accessories. Is it also used to start the ICE if the big battery is down?
I read in this forum that the US version has a bladder in the gas tank.
What makes the bladder descend against the gas :?: Just gravity, or is it pressurized :?:
The bladder must reduce the amount of gas that fits int the tank, unless it is extremely thin.
What is the fuel capacity of models without the bladder? Can I remove it to gain fuel capacity?