I have a 2001 Prius that I just bought. This morning I got stuck on the freeway in stop and go traffic. Maximum speed was 5 MPH. Every time I pressed on the accelerator the ICE would start up and when I would stop, the engine would shut down. We were moving about one car length at a time. My 5 minute interval display showed that I was getting about 10 miles per gallon for the hour I was in traffic. I was under the impression that in stop and go situations that I could run on just the electric motor and basically not use any gas except when the battery needed a charge. My overall miles per gallon went down one MPG during my one hour in traffic. Unfortunately, I could not just let my foot off the accelerator and coast. I did not have any accessories on at the time (headlights, AC, etc. all turned off). Is this normal or do I need something checked out with my computer?
- posted
18 years ago