It was something that I have contemplated but wasn’t sure if I wanted to go through with it.
And that’s to go for a hybrid vehicle and choose to go with a car that would provide me more saving and may not have the greatest horsepower, the greatest space and other conveniences of my previous vehicle.
But it was the decision I made.
Similar to the decision I made in 2015 when I said I was going to go for a more healthier lifestyle and lose weight, which I accomplished. This time, I said that if I could save more money with my vehicle, perhaps this would allow me to travel more or to dedicate the money to better things than a vehicle with so-so gas mileage.
My average gas spending per month was anywhere between $165-$190. In June 2016, I spent a little over $190 on gas alone.
Please bare in mind, while I know that the Toyota Prius and plug-in electric cars offer excellent savings, I wanted to experience a hybrid because I wasn’t sure myself of what I was getting into.
So, I thank the community at both PriusChat.com and Fuelly.com for teaching me on how to improve MPG and also reading articles on hypermilling, burst mode, pulse and glide, coasting, etc.
I’m learning a lot about how to get the electric battery charged during driving, so in the city, I will not have to rely on gas and driving in EV mode.
I’m noticing that for me to get better gas mileage, I would try to get the desired speed, then remove my foot off the accelerator quickly and then slightly accelerate, so EV mode will activate immediately.
Learning to coast to the exit rather than braking when I get to an exit. And so many things to learn, which I learned a lot from Bob Nagy from his older 2010 video which still applies to Prius vehicles today.
While I’m still learning my vehicle, especially to see how I can increase my average MPG and achieve more 50-60 MPG on the way to work and back home. And I have yet to try driving without the A/C on as it’s still horribly hot in my area (over 100+ degrees in Fahrenheit).
I am still amazed on how much gas mileage I am saving!
Using Fuelly.com to enter my gas fill-up information, this is how things look so far (from the end of July 2016 through September 2, 2016):
For one, I have been pleased that to fill up my vehicle, I have only spent $18-$20 per fill-up. For August, I only spent $38 for two-fillups. Bare in mind, my vehicle prior was $190 in June 2016 for multiple fill-ups.
So, there have been wonderful savings so far and I hope to increase the mileage from 44.7 MPG to 50+ MPG.
Now, I know there are many people excited for the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime and others for the upcoming 2017 Chevy Bolt. But if you are in the market for a hybrid or if you are a person like myself who is on the fence but want to save money on gas, then definitely look into a hybrid.
For affordable, go with the Toyota Prius C which gives greater savings for city drivers, for those who do a lot of driving through the freeway/highways, the Prius is the way to go. And for those who need more space, then there is the Prius V. And if you want to go to plug-in hybrids, definitely look forward to the upcoming Toyota Prius Prime.
But I definitely recommend checking out a hybrid if you want to see greater savings and have more money in your wallet!
