Milage Sudenly Droped - Toyota Prius

[LAXMAN917576]

My car is toyota prius 3rd GEN 2010 MODEL I BOUGHT ON 2012 JUNE EARLIER MY CARS MILAGE IS FOR LONG TRIP 26 TO 30KM/L AND SHORT DISTANCE 15 to 17km/lbut now for last 2 months it reduced to 20 to 22km/ l and 12 to 14km/l please advice what is the reason

[GayanR]

Aney manda, all this trouble to save a few bucks at the pump. Sigh.

Save on gas, but spend on batteries.... what is the logic behind that?

Logic is saving the environment and waste more hazardous battery's...

[Komisiripala]

don't forget saving on brakes. because pads are so damned expensive and we have to replace them on normal cars every 3 days.

there's a mechanism that makes my car more economical when i take my foot off the gas. its called VTEC. honda invented it almost 2 decades ago.

so far no replacements. still works.

[k9master]

• The cause is most probably the 12 volt battery since a low battery can reduce fuel economy and the 12 volt battery needs to be replaced in the Prius more often than in normal cars

• Some Prius owners go 7 or 8 years before having to change the 12V battery and others have to do it in 3 or 4 years.

Another classic 180 degree turns after some one who knows the subject makes a post (refer below)

There is no logical or theoretical explanation to why the auxiliary battery in a Prius need more frequent changes (if it is the case!), but since this 12V 28Ah OEM battery is a AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) type one, one must realize that there are certain restrictions (In fact, it should be other way round given what the battery of a conventional car would have to go through) . AGM batteries are more vulnerable to damage under both high discharge and charge conditions as well as being sensitive to high temperature. Hence this battery should never be used for jump starting another car. Also with the charging current limited to 3.5A it will take a longer time to charge the battery compared to a battery in a conventional car with similar state of discharge. Also AGM batteries being more sensitive to deep discharge, one should not leave the cabin lights etc on for extended periods. If all these things are taken care of the aux battery in a Prius should last longer than that of a conventional car.

Edit: For a usage pattern of 30 min (took this as a bench mark considering a ICE car needing 15min driving to compensate start up discharge) of driving for six days a week and at a quiescent consumption of 40mA and a self-discharge rate of 30mA (rule-of-thumb), the 12V battery in a Prius will always be undercharged. Have I gone wrong somewhere?

Then again, I'll not be surprised if Cali finds a way to explain it

[Pericles]

don't forget saving on brakes. because pads are so damned expensive and we have to replace them on normal cars every 3 days.

there's a mechanism that makes my car more economical when i take my foot off the gas. its called VTEC. honda invented it almost 2 decades ago.

so far no replacements. still works.

Bit of an OT nitpick, but Honda didn't invent VTEC. At least, not the variable valve concept. The trademark VTEC, I'll give them that.

[Californikan]

Another classic 180 degree turns after some one who knows the subject makes a post (refer below)

Then again, I'll not be surprised if Cali finds a way to explain it

Listing the 12 volt battery as one possible cause among six possible causes, and then in the next post zeroing in on the battery is not a "180 degree turn".

And writing that some Prius owners get 7 or 8 years out of their 12v is not a 180 degree turn either. Some Prius owners do go 7 or 8 years on their 12 volt, but (on average) most Prius owners have to replace their battery sooner than normal cars.

It's not much different from writing that some people in SL live to a 100, but (on average) the life expectancy is 74 years. Is this a "180 degree turn" statement also?

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Edited April 28, 2013 by Californikan

[Watchman]

Some Prius drivers do go 7 or 8 years on their 12 volt, but most (on average) have to replace their battery more often than normal cars.

What value is there in your statement? you're saying either it will last longer or it wont last as long. No sh!t Sherlock! You really are one of those useless part of society.

[Californikan]

What value is there in your statement? you're saying either it will last longer or it wont last as long. No sh!t Sherlock! You really are one of those useless part of society.

It's not a difficult concept to understand:

For most - the majority - of Prius owners the 12v battery needs replacing earlier than in conventional cars, but for some - a minority - of Prius owners - that 12v battery can last 7 or 8 years.

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Edited April 28, 2013 by Californikan

[Watchman]

It's not a difficult concept to understand:

For most - the majority - of Prius owners the 12v battery needs replacing earlier than in conventional cars, but for some - a minority - of Prius owners - that 12v battery can last 7 or 8 years.

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If you're saying that a prius user can be either of the two how is that even helpful??? So basically buying a prius is like asking you for an opinion on a horse race... Most probably they wont win anything, but there IS a possibility of you winning too..

If you want to actually be of a "international forum standard", why dont you tell us what good driving/using practices cause batteries to last longer; or what bad habits cause them to die faster (and dont give is the generic check battery water shit)