Cold Weater Mileage Drop

[JohnnOhio]

Had the coldest temp so far last night here in north centeral Ohio. (15 degrees) Drove into work this morning in the cold and mileage has dropped to 38.2 mpg.(33 miles on the freeway at 70mph w/ cruise set) Winter hasn't even started and getting these temps. I'll have to get me some of those grill covers I keep reading about and see what happens.

[fotomoto]

Anybody remember the leather bra fad of the 90's?  I had a factory one on our Honda Civic SI.  They could mar the paint if dirt got underneath but otherwise worked well and were easy to take on/off.  A modern version that covers up the grill like truckers do might have a market.  

[ptjones]

Had the coldest temp so far last night here in north centeral Ohio. (15 degrees) Drove into work this morning in the cold and mileage has dropped to 38.2 mpg.(33 miles on the freeway at 70mph w/ cruise set) Winter hasn't even started and getting these temps. I'll have to get me some of those grill covers I keep reading about and see what happens.

I will gladly sell you a set of Grill Covers if you're interested. :)

 

Paul

Edited November 26, 2013 by ptjones

[JohnnOhio]

Arctic air still around. Maxie is holding on between 38 - 40 mpg on the freeway at 70 with heat on. This morning 12 degrees wind chill -2 got 39.5mpg on my 33 mile trip at 70. Feel bad for the Canadians with this cold for months. Ohio generaly stays around the freezing mark all winter + -. This is colder than normal.

[ptjones]

Arctic air still around. Maxie is holding on between 38 - 40 mpg on the freeway at 70 with heat on. This morning 12 degrees wind chill -2 got 39.5mpg on my 33 mile trip at 70. Feel bad for the Canadians with this cold for months. Ohio generaly stays around the freezing mark all winter + -. This is colder than normal.

Wind chill affects people not CMAX's, but that is pretty darn cold and your MPG's are what you would expect for those conditions. Just for an experiment cover up the center and lower grills with tape or cardboard and see what happens. :)

 

Paul

[Her Diamond 2]

With the temperature drop I've noticed a drop in fuel mileage. I'm investigating the grill covers but I haven't been able to find the engine temperature gauge on the instrument cluster. What am I missing?

[ptjones]

With the temperature drop I've noticed a drop in fuel mileage. I'm investigating the grill covers but I haven't been able to find the engine temperature gauge on the instrument cluster. What am I missing?

Go to MyView in display mode and set Empower for right side and Temp for left side by toggling up or down. :)

 

Paul

[Tdefny]

I experimented with the heat this week on my Energi. I would normally use it on a highway trip where the ICE needs to run anyway but have been using only the seat heaters for my short 7-9 mile depending on route) commute.

 

The Energi uses the traction battery to heat the car so you don't get a mileage advantage out of it but the car gets warm fast. The ICE also runs hotter when heat is required so it doesn't shut down at lights early in the commute.

 

Bottom line is that MPGe (includes electric use) drops from 108 to 39-40 on a short trip in cold weather. This compares with 140-150 in the summertime for the same trip. I found I burn around .1 gal on this short trip, so most of the loss is the electric heater. The bummer is that the EV miles are reduced and the only way to save them is to keep the heat off.

 

I don't think the hybrid has electric heat so it is not an issue for most of you. My Prius has it to warm up the engine quickly and there are days when it can get crappy mileage on a short trip on a cold day.

[JohnnOhio]

I experimented with the heat this week on my Energi. I would normally use it on a highway trip where the ICE needs to run anyway but have been using only the seat heaters for my short 7-9 mile depending on route) commute.

The Energi uses the traction battery to heat the car so you don't get a mileage advantage out of it but the car gets warm fast. The ICE also runs hotter when heat is required so it doesn't shut down at lights early in the commute.

Bottom line is that MPGe (includes electric use) drops from 108 to 39-40 on a short trip in cold weather. This compares with 140-150 in the summertime for the same trip. I found I burn around .1 gal on this short trip, so most of the loss is the electric heater. The bummer is that the EV miles are reduced and the only way to save them is to keep the heat off.

I don't think the hybrid has electric heat so it is not an issue for most of you. My Prius has it to warm up the engine quickly and there are days when it can get crappy mileage on a short trip on a cold day.

My sel has to warm up the engine to run heat. It must still use the radiator to run heat. The blower will stay off until the ICE has warmed up also. Thought the ICE will warm up no matter what to warm up the CAT for emissions. Just takes longer in cold weather.

[ptjones]

I would think Grill Covers would speed up the process. I think it would improve MPG's also.

 

Paul

[Tdefny]

Most likely they would. I wish I could disable electric heat if the ICE is on though.

[dijman]

I am in Michigan and I have noticed a dramatic drop in my CMax SEL mpg's in the cold (below 25 degrees) temps. I consistently get 44 to 48 mpg on my 16 mile ride to work in the summer (even hit over 50mpg a few time). In the cold weather it has dropped to about 38mpg. This is more of a drop than expected. Would everyone say this is a 'normal' drop in mpg? I have pics below of trip summary in the summer and winter for the my trip to work.

 

 

[JAZ]

Depending on how warm you like the interior and many other variables, those figures aren't out of line, though more data points might narrow the spread.  If someone has never before calculated the difference between summer and Michigan winter fuel economy they're in for a bit of a shock.

[Ryan McEachern]

Dijman, yes that sounds about right.

[JohnnOhio]

sounds about right. That is what my summer and winter milage numbers have been almost exactly.

[fotomoto]

 

I am in Michigan and I have noticed a dramatic drop in my CMax SEL mpg's in the cold (below 25 degrees) temps. I consistently get 44 to 48 mpg on my 16 mile ride to work in the summer (even hit over 50mpg a few time). In the cold weather it has dropped to about 38mpg. This is more of a drop than expected. Would everyone say this is a 'normal' drop in mpg? I have pics below of trip summary in the summer and winter for the my trip to work.

 

Very simple math: 52+38=90/2=45mpg yearly avg.  :victory:

 

I'd suggest trying the pipe insulation in the grill slots on the really cold days.  Prius owners have done this for years and swear by the results.

Edited December 23, 2013 by fotomoto

[C-MaxSea]

and in the not-so-cold Pacific NW, 34-38 degrees F, 47+- MPG, loop run, mostly urban freeway at 55-58 mph in a 60 zone.

 

Nick

 

 

 

 

[ptjones]

and in the not-so-cold Pacific NW, 34-38 degrees F, 47+- MPG, loop run, mostly urban freeway at 55-58 mph in a 60 zone.

 

Nick

Your SOC was on empty! LOL There is no reason not to have some kind of Grill Cover on with the cold weather. LOL

 

Paul

[C-MaxSea]

Yes, Paul, that is as low as I've ever seen it - partly due to EV+, partly due to my driving style.  I tend to float home on EV (whether I want to or not), and grind out on ICE - like most I guess - and it all washes out trip to trip.  I was not expecting such a good number with the temp, and thrilled with the result. Temps are safely back into the 40's.   Nick

 

 

(Paul, I will check my "next trip" tomorrow)

(Next trip, actually two days / two loops, 18/18, 12/12, 61 miles tot., 36-38 degrees, 44 mpg (gauge) - not bad for four cold starts)

Edited December 28, 2013 by C-MaxSea

[ptjones]

I do the same and it kills mpg's the next trip. LOL

 

Paul

[pjurek99]

Something strange happened again...

 

Before I picked up the 'Max from the dealership (gps module replaced) I was achieving 40-46 MPG with ease. The temperatures were anywhere from 20 to 50 F.

 

Now it is driving like after the initial "mileage" recall ("no-power" and "unable-to-maintain-EV-mode" issues). And now the MPG dropped drastically down to low 30's... The temperatures from 30 to almost 70 F.

 

At this time I have no idea what happened again. 

 

They performed the tire rotation and left the tires with 30 PSI only. I re-inflated them to 38 PSI (as the sticker on the door jamb says).

The temperature inside is set to 70 F (no A/C) and the heated seats are used only in the mornings for 1-2 minutes.

 

Anybody experienced similar problem?

[ptjones]

Something strange happened again...

 

Before I picked up the 'Max from the dealership (gps module replaced) I was achieving 40-46 MPG with ease. The temperatures were anywhere from 20 to 50 F.

 

Now it is driving like after the initial "mileage" recall ("no-power" and "unable-to-maintain-EV-mode" issues). And now the MPG dropped drastically down to low 30's... The temperatures from 30 to almost 70 F.

 

At this time I have no idea what happened again. 

 

They performed the tire rotation and left the tires with 30 PSI only. I re-inflated them to 38 PSI (as the sticker on the door jamb says).

The temperature inside is set to 70 F (no A/C) and the heated seats are used only in the mornings for 1-2 minutes.

 

Anybody experienced similar problem?

I wondering if the ICE computer is relearning again and will take some time to get up to speed. Try inflating tires to 48psi and don't use heater and make sure you are getting 98+% Brake score. It will take several starts and runs for some distance before the ICE computer figures things out. :)

 

Paul

[JohnnOhio]

Something strange happened again...

 

Before I picked up the 'Max from the dealership (gps module replaced) I was achieving 40-46 MPG with ease. The temperatures were anywhere from 20 to 50 F.

 

Now it is driving like after the initial "mileage" recall ("no-power" and "unable-to-maintain-EV-mode" issues). And now the MPG dropped drastically down to low 30's... The temperatures from 30 to almost 70 F.

 

At this time I have no idea what happened again. 

 

They performed the tire rotation and left the tires with 30 PSI only. I re-inflated them to 38 PSI (as the sticker on the door jamb says).

The temperature inside is set to 70 F (no A/C) and the heated seats are used only in the mornings for 1-2 minutes.

 

Anybody experienced similar problem?

I had the same thing happen to me. They had to reinstall the update. Something didn't take.

[Jmonty]

I can't believe how bad the MPG went down for winter. Recently I got ~32 in the interstate on a long drive (1,400 miles)

 

In warm weather on the same trip with more people and gear it was ~36-38.

Edited January 3, 2014 by Jmonty

[ptjones]

I can't believe how bad the MPG went down for winter. Recently I got ~32 in the interstate on a long drive (1,400 miles)

 

In warm weather on the same trip with more people and gear it was ~36-38.

Did you try covering your grills yet?