Hybrid...how many mile from a full tank?

[Hicardo]

Sorry...no idea what mileage a full tank gets, as I usually refill at about a quarter left - super cautious I suppose 

[Cyker]

With the weird fuel tanks newer Toyotas have, I think that is sensible, not super cautious! 

When I started driving round with New Yaris I did 300 miles by the half way, and was pretty chuffed as that's what I'd get with Old Yaris. However, when I went past half way it dropped so fast I barely got 80 miles out of it before I panicked and refueled!

So if your fuel gauge is anything like New Yaris, where the first half is much more than the second, then I think refuelling at a quarter tank remaining is very sensible indeed! 
 

[Andy H777]

I normally get nearly 500 miles per tank normally 58-60mpg but now it is 45-50mpg

I think the reason for this as was in the past, is the fan under the back seat needs cleaning(keeps the Battery cool)

but not something you can do yourself as you can`t get to it. When cleaned before if I can believe toyota! I gained 100-150 miles per

tank of £40-45. If mpg really bad, how much is your engine off when driving?

When mine played up the engine stayed on for 3 hours coming out of london which it should NOT do.

Never happened when batteries cold in the morning though so I knew it was a heat issue.

Bad design as no filter near the fan.

[Catlover]

I noticed the cold weather last week, despite the snow, was dry, and I started seeing the mpg in the hybrid getting better. Today after a 100 mile return trip to Llandudno I am about 2mpg better in from one week ago. Now at 55.6 on the Toyota computer.

[Tazz96]

Bought my Auris Hybrid in November second hand with only 5900 on the clock and using a spread sheet to calculate average I'm getting 39 mpg. I'm hoping the cold weather and the mainly town driving is keeping the average down possibly the wife's driving style too ;) although it does get the occational long run. Find the car computer is being optimistic. Looking forward to the warmer weather to hopefully see the average go up

[Sir Jestalot]

3 hours ago, Tazz96 said:

Bought my Auris Hybrid in November second hand with only 5900 on the clock and using a spread sheet to calculate average I'm getting 39 mpg. I'm hoping the cold weather and the mainly town driving is keeping the average down possibly the wife's driving style too ;) although it does get the occational long run. Find the car computer is being optimistic. Looking forward to the warmer weather to hopefully see the average go up

A friend of mine has recently bought a brand new Auris hybrid (after a few years of owning a Yaris hybrid), and he said he habitually uses the cruise control whenever possible because he considers it gives the best MPG.  I travelled with him on a 60-mile round trip a couple of weeks back, and his driving style is, shall we say, "stately", so I would expect him to get fairly good MPG.   I'm currently getting about 46mpg from my 2015 model which I tend to drive a little more assertively, but am expecting this to improve as the weather starts warming up.

[Andy H777]

Cruise control will always be worse mpg

[Rumdogrees]

Had a 2015 Auris Hybrid for nearly a week and have done 500 miles, currently averaging 55-60mpg. Did two 130 mile trips up and back down Wales so very hilly, got about 62 each time and am happy with that! When it’s a bit warmer would like to see if I can edge that closer to 70! 

[j66]

On 25/03/2018 at 11:11 AM, Andy H777 said:

Cruise control will always be worse mpg

Hi new member,

I always use cruise control and let the car sort it's self out, I drive mixed motorway 47 miles one way @60mph and town mixed fuel + EV 20 miles, seeing 60mpg, one thing I have adopted is when i set cruise to 60mph i let it run for a while then I give the control stalk a little flick down, it's still doing 60 but the needle on the eco gauge drops by about 5mm bring the engine revs down increasing consumption, these figures are from Feb to now so the colder months, I'm hoping to improve these figures as the weather warms.

With the car in cruise @ 60mph I often see the car using nothing just gliding along or using electric to push along @ 60mph but mostly in petrol mode, Air con on using as normal, I chose the car based on Auto estate with good fuel MPG low running costs, I opted for the Auris HSD because of the drives I usually make are motorway and town driving I find this a good mix for battery regen which enables me to get the most from my hybrid, I also looked at the routes I take, they are mostly flat motorway with a couple hills then to the coast which is very flat, this doesn't help with regen but long braking and using B helps keep the Battery topped up. I'm hoping to improve my hybrid driving skills and get as much as I can from this superb car.

 All the best Mark.

[Mike J.]

1 hour ago, j66 said:

.... and using B helps keep the battery topped up.

Not in the Yaris Hybrid it doesn't - B means spin the petrol engine to give more downhill retardation and thus less regeneration. As the system should be the same with the Auris, I suggest re-reading the manual to confirm.

[j66]

Hi Mike,

Next time you use B check the position of the needle in the charge range, using B does use engine breaking but also depending on the conditions puts the needle firmly into the regeneration section. A a long downhill stretch I use charges the Battery from 3 bars to almost full using the B option.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PeteB]

Using B will still charge the Battery (unless it's full), but because engine compression is doing some of the braking, less electricity goes into the Battery.

B Mode makes more sense if the HV Battery has maxed out (which most will never experience unless they live somewhere with long, steep hills), and occurs quite a while after the battery gauge lights up all 8 bars.  It's also wise to use it when it helps to control the car, just like down changing with a conventional transmission.

I'd done about 75,000 miles in just over three years in my original Gen 1 Prius before I experienced a maxed out battery for the very first time on a holiday in Scotland.  (During the holiday, it was a daily occurrence, but took 4 or 5 miles down a steep hill before it happened).    The Gen 1 didn't have an EV button, but once the battery was full, the car ran like an EV for a while as it desperately tried to make space to save regenerated energy.

[Andy H777]

I I go down reigate hill, stating at 6 bars, it is usually full at the bottom then ev mode will take me round reigate and up cockshot hill! 

If the Battery fills completely in B mode then the engin revs far more as it can no longer put charge in suggesting that B mode charges more than D mode or braking.

I guess doing this regular would not be so good for the Battery as most elec cars recommend charging to 80% unless more is needed.

 

[j66]

I've only owned the car since Feb 18, only once have I seen a full charge, the car only uses around 60% of the Battery the 20% margins at both scales are controlled by the computer to avoid damaging the battery, Although I suspect when it's showing full on the dash it's not really full in real life again another safety margin, a bit like when it shows the reserve tank you still have 6-7 liters in.

 When charging any battery they always charge to 1.5 - 2.5  volts over the figure quoted, this is usable energy, so 7.2 becomes 9.2 fully charged, 11.1 becomes 12.6, a leisure Battery @12 volt can go to 14.6,  when a 7.2 volt Battery is depleted it will read around 6.3 then it will need charging, my guess is the battery is charged at the middle of the battery level indicator as mine will run along at 40+ mph on a flatish road with 4 bars showing the condition, then as the battery bar depletes it can not maintain this speed so drops to 30 mph max then after sometime it drops to 20 - 25mph at 2 bars, using B when slowing before any junction from which you could maintain momentum can throw another bar in helping you maintain EV mode @ 30mph with 2-3 bars showing without slowing the car too much so you have to waste energy accelerating again from a standstill, B allows this smooth flowing so i guess overall puts more in than you have to take out.         

 

 

[Mike J.]

1 hour ago, j66 said:

I've only owned the car since Feb 18, only once have I seen a full charge, the car only uses around 60% of the battery the 20% margins at both scales are controlled by the computer to avoid damaging the battery, Although I suspect when it's showing full on the dash it's not really full in real life again another safety margin, a bit like when it shows the reserve tank you still have 6-7 liters in.

If you use an Andriod app called hybrid assistant and an OBD connector you will find that the car's software tries to keep the Battery charge between 40 and 60% full - max on screen is 60%, min (2 bars on Yaris) is 40%.

[Mike J.]

1 hour ago, j66 said:

...... using B when slowing before any junction from which you could maintain momentum can throw another bar in helping you maintain EV mode @ 30mph with 2-3 bars showing without slowing the car too much so you have to waste energy accelerating again from a standstill, B allows this smooth flowing so i guess overall puts more in than you have to take out. 

As mentioned before, B is not to be used in normal driving, manual says it is to be used for "Applying moderate engine braking when driving down hills or on steep slopes". I would go further and say that B should only be used when going down hills and the Battery is full (no more regen.). It says for D: "For good fuel economy and noise reduction, the D position should usually be used".

[Mike J.]

12 hours ago, Andy H777 said:

If the battery fills completely in B mode then the engine revs far more as it can no longer put charge in suggesting that B mode charges more than D mode or braking.

Regeneration is supplied by the traction motor MG2 which is connected to the wheels via diff, etc. If B mode is used, then you are just connecting (via the epicyclic gearbox) an air pump - pistons sucking against a closed throttle - nothing efficient or regenerative there!

[j66]

On 01/04/2018 at 9:55 AM, Mike J. said:

Regeneration is supplied by the traction motor MG2 which is connected to the wheels via diff, etc. If B mode is used, then you are just connecting (via the epicyclic gearbox) an air pump - pistons sucking against a closed throttle - nothing efficient or regenerative there!

So when using B mode the fact that I see the Battery level increasing is actually a hallucination, I think you are mixed up with the most efficient use of regeneration using long easy breaking and B mode which still regenerates but less efficiently, if the hill is long and steep enough then charging will fill the Battery to its pre programmed capacity.

On 01/04/2018 at 9:48 AM, Mike J. said:

As mentioned before, B is not to be used in normal driving, manual says it is to be used for "Applying moderate engine braking when driving down hills or on steep slopes". I would go further and say that B should only be used when going down hills and the battery is full (no more regen.). It says for D: "For good fuel economy and noise reduction, the D position should usually be used".

The charge controller will take care of the charging, as I said before the Battery will never become full it will stop charging at a set point.

As for fuel economy the ICE uses no fuel during B mode selection.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sir Jestalot]

2 hours ago, j66 said:

I've only owned the car since Feb 18, only once have I seen a full charge, the car only uses around 60% of the battery the 20% margins at both scales are controlled by the computer to avoid damaging the battery, Although I suspect when it's showing full on the dash it's not really full in real life again another safety margin, a bit like when it shows the reserve tank you still have 6-7 liters in.

I'm never sure what "reserve tank" is in the Auris Hybrid, and when it comes into effect, though I am familiar with the term because I am also a motorcyclist.  I take the mileage countdown measurement on the Auris as being down to Empty, or is it a countdown to Reserve?  I haven't risked taking the countdown all the way to zero :-)   The fuel warning light comes on with about 45 miles to go on the countdown, though this seems to vary.

[Mike J.]

3 minutes ago, j66 said:

So when using B mode the fact that I see the battery level increasing is actually a hallucination, I think you are mixed up with the most efficient use of regeneration using long easy breaking and B mode which still regenerates but less efficiently, if the hill is long and steep enough then charging will fill the battery to its pre programmed capacity.

 

I repeat, regeneration is only via the MG2 motor which is always connected to the transmission. In B mode, the petrol engine is just an energy sink.

[j66]

On 01/04/2018 at 10:42 AM, Sir Jestalot said:

I'm never sure what "reserve tank" is in the Auris Hybrid, and when it comes into effect, though I am familiar with the term because I am also a motorcyclist.  I take the mileage countdown measurement on the Auris as being down to Empty, or is it a countdown to Reserve?  I haven't risked taking the countdown all the way to zero :-)   The fuel warning light comes on with about 45 miles to go on the countdown, though this seems to vary.

My reserve light came on and I only Managed to get 37 litres in to full ( actually brimming) tank, the pump clicked off at 35 litres and I squeezed the rest in right up to the filler neck, this supposedly left 7 litres in the tank that’s about 80 miles @ 60mpg.

 

[Catlover]

2 hours ago, Mike J. said:

As mentioned before, B is not to be used in normal driving, manual says it is to be used for "Applying moderate engine braking when driving down hills or on steep slopes". I would go further and say that B should only be used when going down hills and the battery is full (no more regen.). It says for D: "For good fuel economy and noise reduction, the D position should usually be used".

Surely safety comes before economy, if that is the case surely B assisted braking) should be used every time going down hills that if driving a car with gears you would change down to help control speed.

[Mike J.]

1 hour ago, Catlover said:

Surely safety comes before economy, if that is the case surely B assisted braking) should be used every time going down hills that if driving a car with gears you would change down to help control speed.

As a driver, I try to 'add value' and so chose to adapt to situations - I believe I can assess Battery charge and descent affects in real time using brakes, and B, if necessary.

[j66]

I’m on 400 at the moment 1/4 tank left.

See how we get on this week, I drive in normal mode all the time, been fully loaded as well with gear for my model club and stuff for our caravan being transported up and down from Lytham to Manchester.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sir Jestalot]

2 hours ago, j66 said:

I’m on 400 at the moment 1/4 tank left.

What does the '10' in the red circle (next to the cruise control icon) mean?  That doesn't appear on my 2015 model.