Mileage experience (electric & HV)

Hi.Ho.Silver

Hi.Ho.Silver

Active Member
On electric we have been getting 50+ miles between charges. Yesterday we drove 50 miles and used 13.5 KWH to recharge last night. Our weather has been mild so our use of heat and AC has been minimal. These electric mode results have exceeded my expectations as I was a bit skeptical of the 47 mile claim.
We have taken one trip thus far. A 570 mile round trip to DC last weekend. I was a bit disappointed in my mileage for that trip as we got about 39MPG overall after adjusting for miles travelled on electric.
What are others experiencing?
 
Hi.Ho.Silver said:
On electric we have been getting 50+ miles between charges. Yesterday we drove 50 miles and used 13.5 KWH to recharge last night. Our weather has been mild so our use of heat and AC has been minimal. These electric mode results have exceeded my expectations as I was a bit skeptical of the 47 mile claim.
We have taken one trip thus far. A 570 mile round trip to DC last weekend. I was a bit disappointed in my mileage for that trip as we got about 39MPG overall after adjusting for miles travelled on electric.
What are others experiencing?
Click to expand...
THE SAME ON LONG TRIPS- BUT HEY THE CAR IS 5000 LBS! AMAZING TO GET 50 ELECTRIC MILES FOR LOCAL TRAFFIC
 
39MPG was the average I could get on my Avalon Hybrid and it is similarly sized, but not as heavy as the Clarity.
 
Yes, 39 mpg is great for a 4000 lb large car on the highway. EPA test lacks sustained higher speeds, so usually get 10% worse than it unless you drive 55-60 mph on flat ground. It has been too cold here to accurately determine MPG, but achieved 35 mpg at 70 to 75 mph over 700 miles or so road trip (not counting electricity).

Also, Clarity is EPA rated at 40 mpg on the highway so to me you are right inline with rating (assuming that was mostly highway driving?). Also, difference between 39 and 42 mpg is small, difference between 16 and 19 mpg is relatively large. Point being that at high mpg numbers a small change isn't going to make a big difference in gas usage or cost.
 
Good points. Most of my drive was at 70-75 on the highway in HV mode. I used HV charge mode for about 50 miles total to experiment with it.
 
We see between 37 miles range and 50 miles range after a full charge. For us it's rare to have a day when we use 40 miles between charges so we are basically 100% EV.

The only trip we've taken was in early December, a trip of about 300 miles (details posted elsewhere on this forum). For that trip we played the game with the HV Charge mode, charge the battery, then drive until the battery is depleated, then charge again, over and over for the whole trip. The road was straight and level. We averaged about 42 mpg. When we make the same trip again we're going to do it without the HV Charge mode. Most of the trip was at 75 mph.
 
We got over 52 mpg on two 200 mile loops. Speed was between 50 and 65 mph and mostly about 55 mph. The mileage was based on actual odometer readings and actual fill ups (and subtracting out EV miles). The car was in HV mode and holding over 50% of battery charge. Interesting, the OP mentioned how depleting the battery caused the ICE to race. That never happened for me. In fact, the energy monitor showed cycling through all kinds of different modes including using significant battery power when needed and then recharging when most efficient to do so. The ICE was humming easily and was even shut off for some periods. I think the car has fewer mode options if the battery is depleted. The most likely factor for the difference is speed. The wind resistance at 75 mph is much greater so getting 42 mpg is no less remarkable than 52 mpg going 55-60 mph.
 
When I'm driving with my wife along I'll stick to the 75 mpg speed (posted 70). When I'm alone on a 100+ plus trip I'll drop to 60-65. The difference is 2 to 4 mpg and I'm not in a hurry so the extra few minutes doesn't matter to me.
 
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