Prius PHV - Morning Commute -8°F (dashcam)

With the temperature at -8°F and snow from the day before, it was a great opportunity to try out my new video configuration. I wanted to capture both the dashboard activity as well as what was happening in front of my plug-in Prius as I drove. Those 2 very different lighting situations combined with the refresh flicker of a display screen made it quite a challenge with just one camera. But I had timed it just right with the morning commute.

I took the back route, which is slower but scenic. Starting the engine right away to warm the system was a must with it so cold out. That directly affects the EV range estimate, lowering it with an approximation of what that alternate use of battery power could have. In other words, the electricity is consumed while the engine is running instead. So, the computer counts those miles as HV instead.

Ultimately, the measure of performance is determined by MPG, since the amount of electricity consumed is always the same. My commute to work will always use the entire plug-in capacity. That's roughly 2.75 kWh, including charging losses. What varies is the amount of gas. The more the engine has to run to provide heat for the cabin and emission cleansing, the lower the overall efficiency.

On this particular drive, the total 17.3 miles resulted in an average of 128 MPG. That's quite remarkable considering the extreme conditions.

Видео Prius PHV - Morning Commute -8°F (dashcam) канала john1701a