Month of January 2022 (Nat'l Avg $3.286)

Today , 8 deg F in Naperville and Elk Grove.
35.1 miles , no wind , fcd = 54.2 x .943 = 51.1 MPG.
Most likely will not see above-freezing temps for the rest of the month.

 

Yes.

 

You betcha they are. Snoqualmie Pass (3000 foot elevation in the Cascade Mtns, will get to 34degF, today. & Snoqualmie Pass is further north than Chicago!

 

Whereas yours are generally in the same league as "upstate" South Carolina's lately, funnily enough. We make it up in the summer, though.

Are you using more heat than Edwin does in chilly weather?

 

That’s kinda personal. Ya know. My wife likes it warmer, I like it cooler. Ya know. Very personal. Ha ha ha

 

I use heat on the highway. I watch my coolant temperature to make sure it doesn't
go below 175 F. Mostly it is 185-190. No grille block at this time.

Today , 19 deg F in Naperville , 20 in Elk Grove Village.
35.1 mies , a bit of a tailwind , fcd = 59.1 x .943 = 55.7 MPG.

 

On a common 14.5-mile route on county roads with nice downhills, I can't keep mine that warm when ambient is ~40°F. Grill is ~60% blocked.

 

That’s true if you, just by yourself, only keep the driver seat & area warm. However, each regular-sized human body outputs about 100Watts of energy. If you have 3 or 4 extra people, that is a lot of extra on-board heat, before having to tap into the battery pack for extra heat. You may not need to turn up the heat as much as you think……unless you, yourself, normally like it cool, the back seats aren’t heated, or one person in your entourage asks for more heat.

 

Wow! Hey, hey, hey! Hope people are following James Webb telescope on the Neowise Comet thread. I just heard from a chat room that the “change in velocity” (delta) to insert JW around the L2 Lagrange point tomorrow, is only 0.7Meters per second or about 1.5 MPH. They said the Ariane launch rocket was accurate, after accelerating to 21,000+MPH. How ‘bout them apples shot off the top of the head……from 930,000 miles away.

 

For sedentary passengers, that agrees nicely with the figure I see in an engineering textbook, but only if we include the latent (water evaporation from respiration and perspiration) heat. Otherwise, more like 55 watts.

 

Since the bodies generate the respiration & perspiration & its in the EV, then 100 watts of radiant energy, it is. They say, the brain generates 30 or 40% of the body’s energy, while at rest. A strong portion of the brain’s energy output at rest, is to use brain energy to form the optical image construct from the electromagnetic wavelengths focused by the eye. IF the passengers close their eyes, brain output is lessened. That’s why people can relax easier with their eyes closed.

 

Today , 16 deg F in Northbrook and Elk Grove.
Some snow on roads.
I did actually use some heat on a few sections where I had a mile in between traffic signals.
16.8 miles , fcd = 52.2 x .943 = 49.2 MPG.
Expecting snow with accumulation later today.

 

Today , 3 deg F in Naperville , 4 in Elk Grove.
I took a shorter route this morning , so I could stop at
my Amoco in Naperville. 32.4 miles , fcd = 50.0 x .943 = 47.1 MPG.
Filled up for $3.359. 466.9 miles, fcd = 56.0 x .943 = 52.8 MPG.
8.726 gallons.

 

If you’re ever near Tinley Park (elevation 700 feet), there is E0. But it is 85 octane. I would love 85 octane E0, but wanted to be traveling above 2000 foot elevation when burning it. Other places in the wide region around Naperville, have 90 octane E0. I had 1 tank of 90 octane E0, & it ran very well & gave me the same expected MPG as my standard use 87 octane E0. But it was too expensive. As expensive as 87 octane E0 is, 90 octane E0 is worse.

 

Tinley Park is not too near my usual stomping grounds.
I wonder how the Prius would run on 85 octane.
I haven't experimented with fuel since the last time I was in
Iowa , maybe 10 yrs ago , and bought some E0.

 

Most 85 octane E0 sells & burns great at 3000-5000+ elevations. Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado & S. Dakota sell quite a bit of 85 octane E0. Nebraska has a little bit of 85 octane E0 & Pennsylvania has 1 station with 85 octane E0. For years I’ve said if I get to the higher elevations of Idaho, I have to burn some 85 octane E0. Idaho has 3 times more places selling E0 & 85 octane E0, than they did 20 years ago. Iowa has 4 or 5 times more E0 than 20 years ago, but no 85 octane E0, even in its higher 1300 foot elevations. It really surprised me to see 85 octane E0 selling at a service station under 1000 foot elevation at Tinley Park. I would think computer driven cars could adjust engine timings to burn it well. Might be sold at a lower price, too.
If you are really curious, empty your gas tank if you’re near Tinley Park area & put just a gallon or two of 85 octane E0 in the Prius. Drive around a bit. If it starts knocking, fill your tank with some 87 or 89 octane E10.

 

Well…..OK….well, NOT OK! After 170,000 total miles between our 2013 Hyundai automatic Elantra & 2016 Elantra manual, something failed. With 84,300 miles, the 2016 Elantra needed rear brakes. My mechanic said the front brakes still had a year or so to go, before replacement. My wife does most of the 2016 Elantra manual driving. As I said, she is a safe driver, but not an efficient driver, which includes more brake use than I do. So, it’ll be interesting to see how much longer the 2013 automatic Elantra goes on its brakes, since I do almost all the driving with it. When the 2013 needs its oil changed, I’ll ask my mechanic how the 2013 Elantra brakes are holding up compared to the 2016. The 2013 has about 86,000 miles, with all the various over-sized used tires I brag about, doing about 54,000 miles.

 

A bit cold today. I stayed with my friend in Glen Ellyn last night , so no highway.
Minus 6 deg F in both Glen Ellyn and Elk Grove.
Took 2.5 miles for coolant to reach 130 F. I didn't try to suck heat
from the engine until around 5 miles. From that point , heat all the way.
Just for the traction battery , ya know , not for me.
16.5 miles , fcd = 43.7 x .943 = 41.2 MPG.