Fuel economy: Is it you or is your hybrid a dud?
Is it a hybrid dud, or is it you?
Finding blame for bad hybrid fuel economy
Drive a hybrid just like any other vehicle, and it will usually still achieve considerably better fuel economy than a similar conventional vehicle, especially in city conditions. However, smart hybrid drivers can often significantly increase their hybrid’s fuel economy by letting a hybrid be a hybrid.
Still, when fuel economy comes up short, when is the problem the hybrid, not the driver? And when is it the driver, not the hybrid?
Recently, Lynn bought a used 2006 Toyota Highlander hybrid and is complaining that its fuel economy is coming up short. On her first tank of gas she is only averaging 18 mpg in mostly highway conditions. Whereas, according to the EPA, she should be averaging about 25 mpg, within a range of 21 – 30 mpg.
So, did she buy a hybrid dud? Does she need to learn how to ‘drive a hybrid’?
Since almost all her mileage is highway driving, it seems doubtful that it’s a hybrid, or a hybrid driving, problem. Nonetheless, it could still be driver error. For instance, is Lynn a heavy speeder that loves air conditioning? Also, what are her driving conditions? Flat, hilly, etc?
Nevertheless, Lynn has not yet even used an entire tank of gas. In fact, she’s only gone 75 miles thus far in a car that can go about 450 miles on a tank of gas. Thus, she has not had the chance to manually calculate her mileage, which is one of the first things she should do if she suspects a problem with her hybrid. Perhaps if mileage were calculated manually, Lynn might find she is within the range of average of fuel economy, and if she turns the AC down a bit and keeps the speed under 75, she might even average 25 mpg.
Then, again, maybe Lynn isn’t a speeder, nor does she care for AC.
If you’re worried your hybrid is a dud, pay attention to your driving style. Shut off the AC. Any difference? Drive slower. Any difference? Try different gas. Any difference? Most important, calculate your own gas mileage, especially in older hybrid vehicles. If after that your hybrid’s fuel economy is still far below average, then it’s time to visit your dealership.
–> Related: Love or hate your hybrid? Add your hybrid car testimonial.
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I agree Itman, just leaving that out there as a possibility.
Likewise, and unfortunately, the case for hybrid cost effectiveness is a pretty tough one to make. If you’re a very heavy congestion driver, maybe there is a small case to be made, but its not a very convincing case.
I hate saying that, but if real change is the goal, it won’t be achieved until these vehicles become more cost-effective – at least it won’t be achieved by these vehicles until they become more cost-effective. Sadly, the cost-effectiveness of plug-in vehicles is even far less cost-effective.
Still, I don’t really believe that the full cost of gasoline is issued at the gas pump. Why isn’t coast guard costs to protect oil shipping lanes, for example, assessed at the gas pump? That’s several billion, minimally, every year – even before Iraq – and possible tens of billions according to some estimates. Likewise, forget CO2, but what about all the other well-know pollution costs of gasoline? I don’t believe they’ve been fully accounted for at the pump either.
Granted, adding these oil-related costs to the price of gasoline at the pump directly still might not make hybrids cost-effective, but the economics would at least improve.
I don’t know if I’ve seen such a chart Larry, plus there is even contention along that angle.
For instance, take the Camry hybrid. With the extra torque and horsepower provided by the electric motor coupled with the 4 cylinder engine, the Camry hybrid is more like the 6 cylinder than the 4, at least according to Consumer Reports. Others compare it to the 4 cylinder version. Which is the right comparison?
Typically, the generalization says about 20 to 25 percent improvement over a the non-hybrid in mixed driving. However, if you drive mostly highway miles, the difference could be less; whereas if you drive city miles, the difference is greater.
For instance, my friend is a welder here in LA, and he asks me about the Silverado hybrid all the time as he drives the conventional Silverado. As he spends most of his time in congestion, he achieves terrible fuel economy, well under the EPA’s estimates. On the other hand, according to the EPA, he could increase his fuel economy by as much as 50 percent since almost all his driving qualifies as ‘city’ driving.
On the other hand, if he drove mostly highway miles and little congestion, his fuel economy would probably be less than a 20 percent improvement.
Randy-
I didn’t say 75 mpg equals a tank of gas. In fact, I even stated that Lynn has NOT used a whole tank of gas. Perhaps you might try reading a little further before jumping to conclusions. After Lynn drives another 325 miles – which would equal her tank size – her average could be far different, and within range according to your beloved EPA.
Likewise, it is a fact that hybrids provide their biggest fuel economy gains in city driving. Maybe you should do some research. That’s why I specifically stated, and you even quoted, that it doesn’t appear to be a HYBRID technology related problem. That doesn’t mean their isn’t a problem with the Highlander UNRELATED to the hybrid technology.
Moreover, there have been countless studies regarding the EPA’s methodology for determining fuel economy, by many reputable groups and the fuel economy estimates are still off drastically in many situations, and NO they don’t fully take into account many conditions, such as hilly situations, ethanol mixes, and AC. The government’s own site, fueleconomy.gov conclusively verifies this fact in the wide ranges consumers experience, as has Consumer Reports data, JD Power, Edmunds, etc. – need I go on? There are independent studies, for instance, that show that in Chicago rush hour traffic that a hybrids like the Prius and the Escape can Far outperform the EPA’s estimates. And I can go on and on on this angle.
Furthermore, it also COMMON knowledge in the hybrid community that the onboard computers that provide the fuel economy estimate that Lynn was using are REGULARLY off by several percent and can even be off as much as 10 percent or more. That’s why there are many AFTER market products available to hybrid owners – and others – to more accurately determine fuel economy, as well as learn how to beat EPA estimates.
Finally, Toyota and Honda OPENLY ACKNOWLEDGE that it takes time to learn to drive their hybrids. Again, it is a well known fact in the hybrid community, that over time many drivers INCREASE their fuel economy. In fact, Cars.com recently supported this FACT after studying data as a result of a Civic hybrid software update.
Those are facts, Randy, unlike your unfounded accusations.
Inevitably, no one is saying that Lynn’s vehicle isn’t a lemon; however, after only 75 miles there are plenty of things that could be wrong, or even normal, that have nothing to do with either the vehicle or hybrid technology. That’s simply a fact, unlike your ridiculous, unfounded ASSumptions.
Larry,
A conventional SUV does not get more than 25 mpg. Essentially not matter what type of SUV it is.
Who is the biased dummy writing this article? “On her first tank of gas she is only averaging 18 mpg in mostly highway conditions.” “Since almost all her mileage is highway driving, it seems doubtful that it’s a hybrid, or a hybrid driving, problem.”
How is this writer coming up with his conclusions that it’s a driver problem? And where above does it state that a tank of gas equals 75 miles? Driver error…since when is air conditioning driver error. New EPA mileage estimates are supposed to include use of A/C, and if hilly conditions, would not the hybrid computer shut off the engine on downward grades? I know on and at highway speeds I use something called “Cruise Control”. I don’t guess you think this woman might have done the same?
This was a used hybrid less than 5 years old, (average time for payback) so why do you think the previous owner got rid of it…maybe more a lemon than you think!! I’ve bought a brand new Toyota before that was a lemon, it does happen! Do not go arbitrarily assuming and slanting a story towards driver error or stupidity. Makes me start to believe the rumors that most hybrid owners are self righteous primadonnas instead of normal people who care about the environent. Oops, does that me biased???
there are several cars out there that come in both conventional and hybrid models. Surely someone has done a chart that shows the MGP for both – and how much more the hybrid version costs.
For example, the Ford Escape was mentioned. What the difference in the MPG between the conventional and Hybrid?
what cars were expressly designed from the get-go as a hybrid rather than adding a hybrid version to an existing configuration?
Now, maybe they just wanted to believe that, to justify their hybrid purchase, or maybe they better understand how to get the most out of their hybrids.
I am pretty sure it is not the case. Just check fueleconomy.gov. I am also getting the average mileage (38 mpg), which is rarely achieved by conventional Corolla, let alone conventional Camry, which get usually 27-30mp on average.
Despite this great technological improvement, the cost effectiveness is still a major issue: at $3-4 dollars per gallon you don’t save much on fuel.
LarryG,
Ford escape hybrid is estimate 30-33 mpg and I know people easily get this mileage.
Dahc,
One of my Livejournal friend complained that his mileage for Prius was only around 40 mpg. It turned out that he was a rather speedy driver. Now he is getting almost 50 mpg. Another point is that hybrid car mileage varies greatly, because of the battery. In some modes, the battery is getting more charge than in others.
Well, in terms of the Highlander hybrid, the Camry hybrid and the Lexus RX400 h, I’ve talked to, and have testimonies of, people that have owned both the conventional versions and the hybrids. The ones I’ve spoken with have claimed that there have been big increases in fuel economy. Now, maybe they just wanted to believe that, to justify their hybrid purchase, or maybe they better understand how to get the most out of their hybrids.
Likewise, I agree that gas mileage, in order for an ever more accurate understanding, requires several tanks. Questioning fuel economy at 75 miles is a very premature, unless you’re averaging like 10 mpg’s or something.
Additionally, I’m not surprised that an aging SUV would start seeing less efficiency, whether it is a hybrid or not.
Unfortunately, the other thing about the Highlander hybrid, especially the older ones, is that they were tuned for both a mixture of efficiency and performance, not purely fuel economy. That might also come into play especially as these older models age.
gas mileage needs to be computed over several tanks – not just one but I’m not surprised that a heavy car is not doing that well…
The hybrid cars that do well are the ones that are specifically designed as hybrids as opposed to adding a hybrid to an existing configuration.
One of the Prius advantages has little to do with hybrid technology and everything to do with size and weight.
If you took a Prius clone of simlar size and weight and powered it with a conventional ICE powerplant – how would it compare to an equivalent vehicle configured as a hybrid?
In other words, all things being equal – what the the typical gasoline MPG advantage of a hybrid over an ICE?