Gas mileage suddenly significantly lower in Hybrid

[Glen Baker LLC]

So far our winter has been mild barely dropping below zero (Celsius) a few times so far. I tend to not set the heat above 17.5 and I don't turn it on until the windows start to fog and turn it off almost immediately after the windows clear up. If I can I try to turn it on when I expect the ICE to start like up a hill or starting off at a light. For the most part I just use the heated seats and steering wheel for warmth. So far, I have only lost a few liters/ 100Km (45.25 mi/US gal down to 42mi/US gal).

I'm just the opposite. I value mine and my wife's comfort more than gas mileage. I want my to be comfortable as soon as possible.
When it is 30°-50°F I crank the heat up to Hi and run in Sport mode until the engine warms up. Then I turn the temperature down to 74° turn the seat down to one light. Right now I'm getting 35-37 mpg mostly highway.

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[HoiToid]

Good information everyone, thank you

 

[MakinDoForNow]

Keep in mind that the sooner the HVB gets warmed up the sooner the current flow from Regen braking and provided to drive motor can be provided. The HVB likes to be at least 55-60 and 72°F + for max Regen current. Think about getting block heater or preheating before driving as a gas saving strategy while driving.

 

[ThisWas]

I'm seeing 36-38mpg now compared to 40+mpg in summer. The difference probably reflects my changeover to snow tires (which you did not do), winter gas formulation, and more use of the heater (I don't crank it up to max). I do keep my tires inflated to 35psi.

Have you changed driving habits or taken a new route to work? Did you use a different gas station for the last two fill-ups?

If you continue to see a 33% drop in fuel mileage over a few more fill-ups I'd suspect a problem... maybe a dragging brake caliper? After only 6,000 miles your disc rotors should be smooth and shiny if all is well.

Edited to add: I also had a bunch of recalls performed around the time I swapped tires... not sure if that had any effect on gas mileage.

 

[Bob zimmerman]

I’ve been driving a hybrid for 18 years so I intimately know how my car will behave year after year.

As already mentioned by everyone, it’s the cold. And it could also be your gas. Ethanol will drop MPG.

As the years go on and you go through the seasons, you will get to know the behavior of your hybrid engine. When people ask me my fuel economy on my Prius I tell them it gets about 42mpg. This is my average throughout the year. It’s higher in the Summer and less in winter.

And of course, every ICE engine drops mpg in cold weather so that is a contributing factor.
Tom

 

[HoiToid]

Same gas station as usual; good idea on brake calipers~~~~ going to correct tire PSI to 35 "cold" and see what happens.
But here's another thought~~~ is 35psi at 20 degree air temp the same as 35psi at 45 degree air temp? Does the door sticker infer to check tire pressure after truck is sitting overnight?
Thanks for your reply

 

[Headbanger]

Look on the bright side, 35mpgs is still better than most other trucks. My F150 5.0 gets 16 year round! I'm very happy with my cold weather 35mpg's..

 

[Zotman]

Rough rule of thumb: 10 degree change in ambient temperature equals 1 lb.. change in tire pressure.

 

[npaladin2000]

Had this problem too. It was nice to find out that the Maverick's heat at least has some electric assist to it...but I guess it's not a lot.

Most hybrids seem to still rely on the engine to heat the vehicle, our Kia is like that too (and it's got a little tiny 1.6L). Really makes me scratch my head: that CAN'T be all that efficient in cold conditions, can it?

 

[Peter Lukasch]

My '24 Hybrid XLT with 6,000 miles on it has suddenly dropped in MPG from 43 to less than 30 in last two fillups. No changes in driving habits ( no towing ever) , only two variables I can think of are 1) cold winter weather, 2) just noticed tire PSI is around 32 even after 50 mile trip in 35 degree weather. The door sticker says 35psi Cold~~~~ can that be causing such a difference? Or does anyone have a good answer to what's causing the huge drop in MPG?
No Snarky answers please, and thank you

If you have heated seats/steering wheel, and leave them on when driving in the winter, the miles driven in electric or electric assist will be very minimal. This will affect your milage noticeably. Watch the power/charge meter in EV coach mode and you will understand.

 

[Glassmaker]

I've not seen this in the replies yet, so here's another thing to consider - summer gasoline blends (by federal EPA law) are 1.7% more energy dense than winter blends so we all get less MPG in the winter, regardless of the ambient temperature. BEV and Hybrid owners suffer even more in the winter as electric vehicle batteries lose efficiency the colder it gets as well:

Winter gasoline is less energy dense

 

[Deb from MN]

mine has gone down to about 33, but I have started it the last few times to let it warm up...

 

[BoxxerDad@50]

My '24 Hybrid XLT with 6,000 miles on it has suddenly dropped in MPG from 43 to less than 30 in last two fillups. No changes in driving habits ( no towing ever) , only two variables I can think of are 1) cold winter weather, 2) just noticed tire PSI is around 32 even after 50 mile trip in 35 degree weather. The door sticker says 35psi Cold~~~~ can that be causing such a difference? Or does anyone have a good answer to what's causing the huge drop in MPG?
No Snarky answers please, and thank you

running the heater drops mileage engine is running!

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Same gas station as usual; good idea on brake calipers~~~~ going to correct tire PSI to 35 "cold" and see what happens.
But here's another thought~~~ is 35psi at 20 degree air temp the same as 35psi at 45 degree air temp? Does the door sticker infer to check tire pressure after truck is sitting overnight?
Thanks for your reply

Yes. Overnight/Cold tire pressure.

 

[KEMeyer]

My '24 Hybrid XLT with 6,000 miles on it has suddenly dropped in MPG from 43 to less than 30 in last two fillups. No changes in driving habits ( no towing ever) , only two variables I can think of are 1) cold winter weather, 2) just noticed tire PSI is around 32 even after 50 mile trip in 35 degree weather. The door sticker says 35psi Cold~~~~ can that be causing such a difference? Or does anyone have a good answer to what's causing the huge drop in MPG?
No Snarky answers please, and thank you

Both low tire pressure and cold temps reduce mpg.

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