Hybrid Drivers Provide Real-World Mileage Data

Jason Siegel writes "Hybrid cars seem like the answer to rising gas prices, increased pollution and growing dependence on foreign oil, yet EPA tests have failed to produce reliable mileage estimations for consumers. Dependable fuel economy figures are now available at GreenHybrid.com, where hybrid owners have logged over 5,000,000 miles of driving information in real-world conditions. Unlike government tests and individual accounts, the database analyzes thousands of actual experiences to provide true mileage statistics." Read on for the rest.

The hot-selling Toyota Prius averages 48 miles per gallon among over 150 cars from across the country, with most drivers achieving between 45 and 51. The V-6 Honda Accord Hybrid delivers 30 miles per gallon while Ford's Escape Hybrid SUV averages 28. All hybrid owners are encouraged to post their data for these and other cars on the Internet's largest hybrid mileage database.

Reliable fuel economy figures are increasingly important as consumers explore their options in an emerging hybrid car market. Hybrids, like the new Lexus RX 400h, pair combustion engines with electric motors that recharge while driving to improve gas efficiency. "Until lately," said GreenHybrid creator Jason Siegel, "consumers have associated hybrid vehicles with a small niche of fuel-conscious environmentalists, but today's hybrids offer the best combination of high performance, great mileage and luxury features of any cars on the market."

Better fuel required

[BaCkBuRn]

And ./'ed within 5 seconds... They should switch to a premium unleaded/apache method :)

Anagram of Slashdot: Shalt DoS

[Anonymous Coward]

Coincidence? I think not!

Re:But...

[barzok]

Call all the Toyota dealers near you, even 200-300 miles away, I can almost guarantee that you'll find one in stock, at MSRP

Who the hell pays MSRP?

Re:But...

[Anonymous Coward]

People who don't want to pay MSRP + 5000, obviously.

Re:My 1978 Mini gets over 55 mpg

[Anonymous Coward]

Will it survive a collision with a SUV?

Re:MPG science

[Everleet]

YMMV

Nice.

Re:But...

[metamatic]

I've driven a Cavalier, and I feel sorry for your parents. What a piece of shit. Did you even look at reviews of the car?

Re:I don't want luxury

[metamatic]

I don't want to buy something else unless the fuel efficiency would pay for the thing in a year or two. So probably I'll be driving what I have until the wheels fall off.

Pity you didn't get a Ford, you could have been shopping for a shiny new car by Christmas.

Re:MPG science

[Yaztromo]

That doesn't mean that 34 is the best gas mileage I get, of course.

I think you need to run some more tests there, as you should be able to do significantly better than that.

For example, if you leave your car parked in the driveway and walk, you should get near infinite fuel efficiency at 0 kph. You only have to worry about evaporation and the natural breakdown of the fuel in your tank.

(Sorry -- the mathematician in me decided to come out and be a smart-ass. The physicist in me would like to point out the the mathematician that we can do even better by putting the car in neutral while the engine is stopped and pushing it off a cliff -- you'll get ~9.8m/s^2 of acceleration without burning any fossil fuels whatsoever! Some days I just can't help myself...).

Yaz.

Re:MPG science

[flyingsquid]

...and rolling down a very large hill on the way to NY from AZ I watch my MPG reach 100 (it wasn't very accurate for long but I just wanted to see the number reach 100.)

Screw hybrids- just think how much gas we could save if we made all the roads downhill!

Re:MPG science

[britneys 9th husband]

That's easy. Just go to the road between my dad's house and his school and put the car in reverse.

Re:MPG science

[rhennigan]

Screw hybrids- just think how much gas we could save if we made all the roads downhill!

You fool. They've been working on this for YEARS. If you don't believe me, ask any old person how often they had to travel uphill back in their day. Most of them will tell you more often than not, it was uphill BOTH ways. I'm sure you've heard it. These days, on average, you usually go uphill around 50% of the time. I'd say thats a drastic improvement to our road infrastructure. It's gonna be awesome when they finish.

Re:Stopping distance is another big lie.

[mdarksbane]

"Almost everyone knows you "steer into a skid" but how many people do that instinctively?"

Especially when you're driving a friend's car and all your reflexes are trained for your own front wheel drive compact.

I'm not proud of it, but by the time my brain had recalled what I learned in driver's ed about handling a skid in a rear-wheel, we were sitting in the ditch, and my girlfriend had a new embarassing story to tell her family.

Re:One of the most useful things about the Prius..

[Anonymous Coward]

Damn straight, computers suck up so much power it's ridiculous. Oops, now if you'll excuse me I have to pour another gallon of gas into my cell phone...