[pretzelboy]

and I live by the beach here in Socal what can I expect for mpg? Sadly all of my trips will be short....the longest will be 16 miles up to Disneyland or Knott's with my daughter...

 

[figgy]

Since you are in a warm climate, you may still get good trip mileage. It depends upon if your car wants to do autostop soon on your trips. I find that in the cold months (Bay Area) even with warm air mods it takes me about a mile of idling (my first mile is downhill) or longer to get the engine heated up to do autostop. In the summer, I get autostop almost right away and fuel cut right away.

In the service manual it says you don't get autostop for some fixed period when you first start, but it doesn't seem to apply for me in the real world driving. It seems just to want engine temp to hit about 170, and then it will go.

I say autostop, but it also won't be doing lean burn if the engine isn't to the min temp (around 170).

I am sure you must drive other places as well, so you will put more miles on that just that one 3 mile trip.

What's your annual mileage you put on your other car(s)? That's maybe a better figure to look at than the commute.

If you lived in a really cold place, and all your driving were 3 mile trips, then the Insight wouldn't do much good. For you in warm SoCal, even short trips won't be so bad, I think.

 

[pretzelboy]

Thanks......its all short trips just like I described.......annual mileage is 12k....but most of those are a 500 mile round trip I do to get a pork sandwich up in San luis Obispo.....so I didn't count that.....usually once a month

 

[figgy]

When I go for my sandwiches in SLO, it is about a 220 mile one way for me. I find that I can get with OEM tires at 50 psi and otherwise stock Insight over 92 mpg if I work for it on the trip South, and that makes up for a lot of 3 mile trips to the store where I 'only' get 60 mpg.

I would say if you drive 12,000 miles, and 600 of those are your pork trips, you'll be happy with the Insight.

Even your short trips will still be decent. Low only by Insight standards!

On my short trips around town (6-8 miles) in the summer, I can still get 80 plus mpg even though they are short stop and go trips.

If you are a crazy insane hyper miler and sleep on your engine to have it warmed up in the morning, you'll get even better on the short trips.

 

[sunhunter]

You could install the engine block heater and plug it in for a little while before heading out on your drive. I don't have a block heater, but I am guessing that this would work great.

 

[pretzelboy]

Figgy----you go to SLO for Pork? Firestone?

 

[figgy]

Actually, I like Woodstock's pizza!

 

[Guillermo]

3 mile daily commute is best done on a bicycle :wink:

 

[JeffKinTN]

3 mile daily commute is best done on a bicycle :wink:

Or a nice walk on sunny days.

 

[pretzelboy]

Gotta take kid to school and pick up......or else I would take the bike(which has 2935 miles in the last 7 months )

 

[Rick]

Just to play devils advocate here... What are the speed limits on the roads you will be driving on? Is there any back way on slower roads you could get to work? If there is a 35 mph or slower posted speed limit way there then perhaps you could consider a neighborhood electric vehicle for such a short commute instead. My daily commute to school is about the same distance and I use my GEM whenever possible.

Check out
http://www.gemcar.com

or you can also look at finding a used Ford Think also.

 

[Aaron Cake]

Have you considered purchasing an inexpensive pure-EV for your daily commute, then keeping a gas car for your longer trips?

While I'm not too fond of the "glorified golf carts" (GEM, Think, etc.) they seem to do well in their niche. Sadly, our current options for "real" EVs are very limited.

 

[pretzelboy]

I considered a Gem---but after a test drive and what they cost....not interested.....

 

[Philosophy]

Gems look neat but wow I spent a few more bucks and bought a used Insight, lol. Too expensive for me...

 

[ElectricTroy]

and I live by the beach here in Socal what can I expect for mpg? Sadly all of my trips will be short....the longest will be 16 miles up to Disneyland or Knott's with my daughter...

If I were you, I'd buy a Prius and add an EV-only button. That way you can commute to work on pure EV, and save some gasoline.

(Note: The EV button would void the warranty, but it's easy to remove to avoid getting caught.)

troy

 

[pretzelboy]

I was one of the first to have the 04 Prius....kept it 6 weeks......awesome car....really awesome....except I couldn't come anywhere near the epa mpg....

 

[Aaron Cake]

If I were you, I'd buy a Prius and add an EV-only button. That way you can commute to work on pure EV, and save some gasoline.

However, in order for EV mode to work, the ICE must first come up to temperature. So he would still need to run the engine.

 

[Rick]

Foreget a new GEM, find a used one. I got my 2000, two seater for $2,700. Unless they specify otherwise pretty much expect to put a battery pack in one. I did in mine so at $550 it's still pretty cheap. If you get a new one too I think you get a few thousand dollar tax write off as well.

There's a real easy way to make a GEM do 30mph also. Replace the stock 10's with 14's. I used an old set of insight tires on mine.

http://meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/ ... _s-med.JPG

 

[ElectricTroy]

If I were you, I'd buy a Prius and add an EV-only button. That way you can commute to work on pure EV, and save some gasoline.

However, in order for EV mode to work, the ICE must first come up to temperature. So he would still need to run the engine.

I don't think so? I've heard Prius drivers say they hold the EV button, and the engine does not start.

Makes sense. After all, the EV button was designed so you won't wake up the wife or neighbors at 5 a.m. :wink:

troy