Hybrid auto road trips

[Chuckanut]

I am considering a hybrid auto such as a Prius. I am wondering how the perform on long cross country road trips? Over the Rockies? Through the dessert? 500+ miles a day, after day, after day? Please let me know your experiences if you have a hybrid.

 

[BigMoneyJim]

My sister and I drove her Prius on 1200-mile round trip including some New Mexico mountain driving in warm weather. I don't recall any special considerations or problems. It's a car. You drive it and put gasoline in it every now and then.

If road trips are your primary use for the car, the hybrid-ness won't do that much for you as a hybrid (oversimplified) turns the engine off when running it would be inefficient. Long no-stopping drives are where engines are most efficient and the energy storage density of gasoline/diesel are most appropriate.

Or more simply on a road trip the gas engine will run constantly, albeit at the ideal RPM for fuel efficiency due to the inherent CVT of the Synergy hybrid system.

I'm a big guy and found the trip comfortable, and there is decent cover-able (read hide-able) storage in the back. I'm also a fan of the electric A/C compressor which can run without the engine on at stops.

 

[Alan]

We did an 8,500 mile road trip in our Prius this year, followed a couple of months later by a 1,500 mile road trip to Big Bend National Park.

The main trip included driving to and staying in Utah for a week at 8,400', then through Idaho to Oregon, staying for a week on the slopes of Mt Hood, including a drive up to the ski resort on Mt Hood itself. Then through Washington, stopping for a week at DD's in Belleview. Up to San Juan Island where we stayed for a month. We then drove to Montana, staying in Missoula for a few days then onto Wilson, Wyoming for a week. Visited Grand Tetons NP several days, then up to Yellowstone for the first week in July. Down to Moab, Utah for a week, driving into Canyonlands and Arches. Then onto Colorado to Ouray for a few days, down the million dollar highway to Durango, across to Grand Sand Dunes NP for a few days. Then back through New Mexico and Texas, stopping a couple days at Palo Duro NP.

In 2010 we drove to Colorado and stayed in a cabin for a month in May, taking many trips up passes at over 13,000'.

The Prius didn't skip a beat, and loves mountains as far as mpg goes. We had 2 full tanks of gas that averaged over 60 mpg.

 

[Meadbh]

I do not own a hybrid, but a friend in Calgary has had one for years and loves driving it long distances regularly. Having said that, as BMJ just said, the greatest bang for your buck in terms of fuel consumption will be in the city. For storage, as well as better rear visibility, I would recommend the Prius V, which was my second choice when buying a new vehicle in 2012. The principal reason I did not buy the Prius V is that 4 wheel drive is not an option.

 

[Alan]

For long trips I have never had less than 40 mpg, and even between Houston and Baton Rouge, which I've driven a lot, I usually get at least 45 mpg.

Even on the Interstates there are ups and downs to charge the batteries and when driving at 70+ mpg you can see from the interactive display that the electric motor is used a lot to assist the gas engine. The long trip from Salida, CO, to Armadillo, TX was one of those times we averaged 60 mpg because although we were driving fast the roads had long uphill and downhill sections.

 

[HFWR]

Only one roadtrip so far, from Tx to Tn and back. MPG slightly above 50, about usual.

 

[audreyh1]

For long trips I have never had less than 40 mpg, and even between Houston and Baton Rouge, which I've driven a lot, I usually get at least 45 mpg.

Even on the Interstates there are ups and downs to charge the batteries and when driving at 70+ mpg you can see from the interactive display that the electric motor is used a lot to assist the gas engine. The long trip from Salida, CO, to Armadillo, TX was one of those times we averaged 60 mpg because although we were driving fast the roads had long uphill and downhill sections.

There's an Armadillo, TX? Well I'll be!

 

[JakeBrake]

My sister and I drove her Prius on 1200-mile round trip including some New Mexico mountain driving in warm weather. I don't recall any special considerations or problems. It's a car. You drive it and put gasoline in it every now and then.

If road trips are your primary use for the car, the hybrid-ness won't do that much for you as a hybrid (oversimplified) turns the engine off when running it would be inefficient. Long no-stopping drives are where engines are most efficient and the energy storage density of gasoline/diesel are most appropriate.

Or more simply on a road trip the gas engine will run constantly, albeit at the ideal RPM for fuel efficiency due to the inherent CVT of the Synergy hybrid system.

I'm a big guy and found the trip comfortable, and there is decent cover-able (read hide-able) storage in the back. I'm also a fan of the electric A/C compressor which can run without the engine on at stops.

Can you run the A/C on the battery without the engine for 3 or 4 hours so you can take a nice nap at rest areas without outside heat and bugs?

 

[NW-Bound]

Even on the Interstates there are ups and downs to charge the batteries and when driving at 70+ mpg you can see from the interactive display that the electric motor is used a lot to assist the gas engine. The long trip from Salida, CO, to Armadillo, TX was one of those times we averaged 60 mpg because although we were driving fast the roads had long uphill and downhill sections.

I just looked up and found that Salida is at 7100ft elevation, while Armadillo is at 400ft. I am willing to bet that the drop in elevation helped the gas mileage despite the ups and downs. It would be interesting to see the gas mileage going in the other direction.

An observation that's off-topic: excuse me, but if one drives 500mi/day, day after day, what time does he have to rest and to do sightseeing? I used to drive 600-700 mi a day in our road trip, many years ago when we were trying to reach a destination city like SF or Seattle, and had to fit our travel into 1 or 2 weeks of vacation.

Nowadays, I take my sweet time, but then of course I have an MH which allows me to take nap mid-day, stop for lunch, etc...

 

[MichaelB]

I just looked up and found that Salida is at 7100ft elevation, while Armadillo is at 400ft. I am willing to bet that the drop in elevation helped the gas mileage despite the ups and downs. It would be interesting to see the gas mileage going in the other direction.

See Audrey's post above

 

[NW-Bound]

What google earth gave me was the elevation of Armadillo Clay, a pottery in San Antonio!

OK. So, Amarillo is at 3500 ft, still a descent from Salidas.

 

[JakeBrake]

I just looked up and found that Salida is at 7100ft elevation, while Armadillo is at 400ft. I am willing to bet that the drop in elevation helped the gas mileage despite the ups and downs. It would be interesting to see the gas mileage going in the other direction.

An observation that's off-topic: excuse me, but if one drives 500mi/day, day after day, what time does he have to rest and to do sightseeing? I used to drive 600-700 mi a day in our road trip, many years ago when we were trying to reach a destination city like SF or Seattle, and had to fit our travel into 1 or 2 weeks of vacation.

Nowadays, I take my sweet time, but then of course I have an MH which allows me to take nap mid-day, stop for lunch, etc...

Our usual route to Colorado high country:

1. Night 1 Bowie, Texas. However, it's just not the same since the Jim Bowie Restaurant burned down in 2008 (I think).

2. Night 2 Raton, New Mexico. On the way we have lunch at the Big Texan in Amarillo. I regard Raton as the gateway to the Rockies.

3. Night 3. Leadville, Colorado. We have lunch in Salida. There are a number of good restaurants in Salida.

We drive full-size current-year rental cars. They almost always get mid 30 gas mileage.

 

[audreyh1]

What google earth gave me was the elevation of Armadillo Clay, a pottery in San Antonio!

OK. So, Amarillo is at 3500 ft, still a descent from Salidas.

Gee, and I thought you'd really found it!

 

[REWahoo]

There's an Armadillo, TX? Well I'll be!

See Audrey's post above

What google earth gave me was the elevation of Armadillo Clay, a pottery in San Antonio!

When you finally do get around to that big trip to AK in your RV you might want to double check to see if your compass says you're heading toward the "N".

 

[Alan]

There's an Armadillo, TX? Well I'll be!

Oops, must have been the auto correct on the iPad. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[NW-Bound]

Why, there should have been a town called Armadillo in Texas.

Amarillo or Armadillo, it still conjures up the same animal in people's mind. My next RV trip will take me through there, most likely.

 

[REWahoo]

Nowadays, I take my sweet time, but then of course I have an MH which allows me to take nap mid-day, stop for lunch, etc...

+1

I try to limit our daily drive to under 350 miles - around 250 is my target providing we can find a decent place to overnight.

 

[NW-Bound]

When you finally do get around to that big trip to AK in your RV you might want to double check to see if your compass says you're heading toward the "N".

From blogs of RV'ers, it seems that no matter which direction an RV'er originally takes, it will eventually take him through the Alcan Hwy.

It's just a long detour.

 

[REWahoo]

From blogs of RV'ers, it seems that no matter which direction an RV'er originally takes, it will eventually take him through the Alcan Hwy. It's just a long detour.

I understand you have to go through Armadillo, TX to get there...

 

[NW-Bound]

Of course! That's why it is a shorter drive to Anchorage for Texans than for Arizonans.

 

[Alan]

I just looked up and found that Salida is at 7100ft elevation, while Armadillo is at 400ft. I am willing to bet that the drop in elevation helped the gas mileage despite the ups and downs. It would be interesting to see the gas mileage going in the other direction.

We did it in the opposite direction on the way there, and as I said earlier, I've never had less than 45mpg on a long trip. I often get less than 45 mpg around town where we live because our average trip durring a tank of gas is ~10 mins and everywhere is flat.

 

[samclem]

Even on the Interstates there are ups and downs to charge the batteries and when driving at 70+ mpg you can see from the interactive display that the electric motor is used a lot to assist the gas engine.

Given this, if the electric motor/batteries are used to assist the IC engine at high speeds (and/or uphill grades, I assume), how does performance change when the batteries are drawn down to their min level and the electric motor goes offline? Does the IC engine have the reserve capacity to keep the car at 75MPH (or at, say, 60 MPH on an uphill grade), or do you need to back off a bit?

 

[Midpack]

I am considering a hybrid auto such as a Prius. I am wondering how the perform on long cross country road trips? Over the Rockies? Through the dessert? 500+ miles a day, after day, after day? Please let me know your experiences if you have a hybrid.

DW's Camry Hybrid has almost 70K miles on it and my Prius has 8K. The Prius did 1500 miles to from NC last year and the Camry has several 1000-2000 mile trips on it thru hot, very cold & elevations. I wouldn't have any reservations about a hybrid on a trip of any length or elevation, they're not different in use than an ICE car IMO. I'm trying to imagine what your concerns might be?

 

[Nords]

I am considering a hybrid auto such as a Prius. I am wondering how the perform on long cross country road trips? Over the Rockies? Through the dessert? 500+ miles a day, after day, after day? Please let me know your experiences if you have a hybrid.

I've never driven our Prius more than about 50 miles at a time, but I appreciate its "just drive it" convenience. Pick your cruise control speed and let the electronics worry about the rest.

I think your best advantage is the car's high mechanical/electrical reliability. There's also an engine-braking feature for long downhill transits. If you want more information about how best to use this (and to exploit other road-trip conveniences) you might be better off taking your question to PriusChat.com.

Can you run the A/C on the battery without the engine for 3 or 4 hours so you can take a nice nap at rest areas without outside heat and bugs?

You have to turn the engine to "Accessory" to run the A/C. When you do that, the electronics run the engine as necessary to charge up the main battery... probably every 10-15 minutes, depending on the weather.

The engine's not that noisy, especially when you're blasting the A/C. It seems possible to get in a nap without being interrupted.

 

[Alan]

Given this, if the electric motor/batteries are used to assist the IC engine at high speeds (and/or uphill grades, I assume), how does performance change when the batteries are drawn down to their min level and the electric motor goes offline? Does the IC engine have the reserve capacity to keep the car at 75MPH (or at, say, 60 MPH on an uphill grade), or do you need to back off a bit?

Absolutely, we regularly cruised for long periods at 75 mpg this year. The ICE is 1600 cc's and quite capable of easily cruising at 75 mph without added assistance from the electric motor. In any ICE the worst mpg is accelerating from a dead stop as the torque is very low at low rpm's, and the best mpg is cruising at your desired speed.