08-29-2006, 03:50 PM
mella,
I think you mean that your gas mileage is lower in cold weather, given the same car in the same locale. I believe this has to do with less fuel efficiency at lower ambient temperatures. Also, when you run heater fans, windshield wipers and headlights, this draws more energy from the battery, requiring more charging by the engine. So, this is the benefit of driving in a warm and moderate climate year-round.
In regards to the larger Hawaiian gallon, I'm not sure if this will improve gas mileage. And it appears that we're already paying more for a gallon anyway.
Our 2nd generation Prius has a flexible bladder instead of a rigid steel gas tank. In cold weather, it holds less gas because the bladder material doesn't flex as much. It's not significant, but because you can constantly monitor your fuel efficiency, you can see it. Although our driving isn't exactly comparable between CA and HI, we were getting around 44 MPG overall in CA in winter, compared to 49 MPG in HI in spring and summer. We lived in the mountains in CA at 2100 ft. and are at 4000 ft. in Volcano. Whether driving up and down a shield volcano or the Santa Cruz Mtns., the benefit of going downhill is cancelled by the extra fuel needed to go back uphill. At least our volcano drive is relatively straight both ways and not winding. Another small benefit for some of us in Hawaii.
Les
Edited by - Les C on 08/29/2006 19:51:13
Edited by - Les C on 08/29/2006 19:51:41
I think you mean that your gas mileage is lower in cold weather, given the same car in the same locale. I believe this has to do with less fuel efficiency at lower ambient temperatures. Also, when you run heater fans, windshield wipers and headlights, this draws more energy from the battery, requiring more charging by the engine. So, this is the benefit of driving in a warm and moderate climate year-round.
In regards to the larger Hawaiian gallon, I'm not sure if this will improve gas mileage. And it appears that we're already paying more for a gallon anyway.
Our 2nd generation Prius has a flexible bladder instead of a rigid steel gas tank. In cold weather, it holds less gas because the bladder material doesn't flex as much. It's not significant, but because you can constantly monitor your fuel efficiency, you can see it. Although our driving isn't exactly comparable between CA and HI, we were getting around 44 MPG overall in CA in winter, compared to 49 MPG in HI in spring and summer. We lived in the mountains in CA at 2100 ft. and are at 4000 ft. in Volcano. Whether driving up and down a shield volcano or the Santa Cruz Mtns., the benefit of going downhill is cancelled by the extra fuel needed to go back uphill. At least our volcano drive is relatively straight both ways and not winding. Another small benefit for some of us in Hawaii.
Les
Edited by - Les C on 08/29/2006 19:51:13
Edited by - Les C on 08/29/2006 19:51:41