Highly possible since the test is done in laboratory type conditions on a chassis dynamometer. It is likely that the range of the battery is significantly more than the 54km. It is possibly more like 80km, based on @PhilT post from the US where gasoline only is around 9.1L/100km. It does show how the numbers used for the ADR test aren’t possibly representative of real life for PHEVs…and how the car companies must know that the new car labelling is possibly misleading.
1 Like
I don’t know any specific figures for these vehicles but I do know that when the Toyota Prius was first released, the Cairns taxi owners were recouping the purchase price in a mere 16 months based on the fuel savings.
The owners flocked to them in droves and there was a media article stating that the Cairns taxi fleet had the highest number of Prius vehicles of any taxi fleet in the world.
Apart from the Toyota mini buses, the fleet is almost entirely Prius and Corolla hybrid vehicles.
A former neighbour bought a Honda Civic Hybrid and he told me that he achieved around 60 MPG (21km/L) on a return trip from Cairns to Bisbane.
1 Like
When in comparison the old 1100cc Toyota Corolla would hit 48mpg (5.9l/100km) or the similar 1275cc Midget 55mpg (5.1l/100km).
No further comment. Neither had a radio and only one had a heater. At least the Corolla has a 2 speed windscreen wipers, and didn’t stop after running through a puddle. MG and Lucas co-invented dry weather electrics I’d suggest.
Yes it’s not quite on topic, although fuel data, engine powers and maximum speeds were just as unrealistic 50 years ago as today. Although the top speeds were something closer to that legal at the time.
Our XW GT Falcon with a Phase 2 spec engine would have wound the needle off the 0 to 140 MPH speedo if I had ever tried.
It would rev to 7,000 RPM which was 70 MPH in first gear, 105 MPH in second gear, and around 130 MPH in third gear.
I never tried to wind it out in top gear but on one occassion when we were driving home north of Marlborough on the then only decent section of the Bruce Goat Track,as soon as we hit the very long straight and indicated and pulled out to overtake the Mitsubishi Starion in front of me, boy racer planted his foot.
I dropped back to third gear and wound it out to 130 MPH, and as we went past boy racer, I dropped it into top gear.
Boy Racer is possibly still wondering why his Turbo Toy was so pathetic.
Of course, that was half a lifetime ago before the fun police arrived.
1 Like
Not only off topic but I think you have missed the point. Buyers use specifications for comparison–well some of us do, others go by colour. Even though we know that the specs are never acheived in real life you can usually assume that if car A has better test results than car B then it is reasonable to expect that that comparison will be met in real life albeit diffrent to that quoted. That said, the current standards for fuel consumption do not allow a buyer to accurately compare car A and Car B if one of these is a PHEV. Its misleading and one manufacturer in particular seems to be hiding reality behind these test results. We need to know fuel consumption by fuel type. Electricity used per KM and fuel used per KM.
‘au contraire’, there are several points.
One well made that ADR 81/02 as legislated by the Govt is not fit for purpose when it reports on the performance of a PHEV.
A second well made point is that Mitsubishi could if it chose provide additional fuel consumption information. This could be to the benefit of the consumer faced with the the decision on which car to purchase.
A third point when considering the purchase of a new car. There are motoring organisations and numerous publications whose professional journalists, aka lead footed motorists who provide reviews. These do offer more real world experience and results. Also a source for more realistic fuel consumption data.
There’s the most recent point. Consumers consider different needs as their most important, EG Colour, which can often be the deal maker/breaker. In the extreme this translates into overt excess. Mine might include the ability to blow the dandruff from a receding hairline on a modest budget. Others see motoring as a more fuel intensive pursuit, the ability to stop or go around bendy bits less important.
Where does that lead the topic.
Green bonus points if you drive mostly in the urban sphere and choose a hybrid or PHEV and charge from solar.
P.S.
If one does not get close to 1.9l/100km in a Mitsubishi Outlander on a 1000 km day trip. Is that a major fail under the ACL and a claim worth your money back?
Or should the ACCC be stepping up to ask Govt to pursue change of the ADR? Hopefully riding on something more reliable than a hot air powered politicians promise. 
3 Likes
Thank you for restating the crux of your concern. Our regulators seem inclined to usually take the easy way, or the cheapest way, or the simplest way especially when they can cite other countries ‘efforts’, yet when other countries do a more rigorous or more useful job our agencies roll out all the reasons they do not need to follow along.
For simplicity our system allows some comparison between two petrol cars, but not between a petrol car and a PHEV. Including a range (or range of ranges) appears to fill in that gap for those considering moving a part step into the future.
Considering our vast unpopulated and underpopulated regions I would be reticent to go all-electric for fear of running to a flat battery, but might be enticed to go hybrid IFF I were confident of fuel supplies along the way, which is a different concern than distance per litre of liquid fuel metrics.
3 Likes
Well said–thanks. Now how do we get the laws/rules changed?
1 Like
My Apologies–not sure what I was triggered by.
You restated the issue well–thanks
I have in fact written to the ACCC ( still waiting for and answer) since I think MMAL is purposely misrepresenting/obfuscating(sp?) their information for gain.
1 Like
It might be worth writing to The Hon Michael McCormack MP, Minister for the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. The Vehicle Standard (Australian Design Rule 81/02 — Fuel Consumption Labelling for Light Vehicles) comes under his portfolio of ministries and if there is to be change, it has to be by the government through legislative changes passed by the parliament.
The ACCC will most likely say that the labelling complies with the current ADR labelling requirements…not that the current testing and labelling requirements are deficient in relation to some alternative vehicle fuels types. The later can only be changed with legislative changes.
3 Likes
I will do that now–I might have done it already but it wont hurt to repeat.
Thanks
3 Likes
Done----- letter sent–had the automated reply–lets see what happens
3 Likes
I agree that it is readily apparent that most potential buyers of PHEVs would want to know both the distance it can travel on a fully charged battery, and also the subsequent fuel consumption of the ICE when the battery runs out. Drivers are increasingly concerned about tailpipe CO2 emissions now and not just the expense of fuel. Green Vehicle Guide gives an annual figure of 0.6 tonnes of CO2 for the Outlander PHEV, which would be wildly inaccurate for many drivers who proportionally drive more longer trips. A Carsguide review suggested a fuel figure over 10L/100km when the battery had run out of charge, although it wasn’t clear as to what sort of driving that referred to. My 2015 Golf wagon, which is about 570kg lighter, gets about 5L/100km on highway driving, and has averaged 6-6.24 every year. Its worst tank reading was 8.3 when confined to short trips in Tamworth.
It is certainly worth buying fuel efficient cars. A petrol vehicle which is 1L/100km more fuel efficient than another vehicle will save about one third of a tonne of CO2 in a year of average mileage according to my calculations (1 litre of petrol resulting in 2.3kg of CO2 - diesel fares worse at about 2.7kg CO2). These savings will occur every year of the car’s life, and for each subsequent owner. However, it is a bit depressing to think that a 600km highway trip in my fuel efficient car uses about 30 litres of petrol and results in nearly 70kg of CO2.
1 Like
Are we looking at PHEV’s the wrong way?
Are they better assessed as how good or bad a ‘town car’ they can be? Scoring extended long distance highway use optional?
For a vehicle that does the school run, the shops, or even the daily intra-urban office run and 30-60km per day, the green credentials stand up. The average daily use for an Aussie car is under 40km. The green credentials are best when recharged from a low carbon supplier.
Mitsubishi Aust could label and market their PHEV outlander as just another town car. The current image and styling suggest otherwise. But then it’s been a while since any vehicle’s appearance truely lived up to it’s appearance, M4 Sherman’s excepted?
A better Outlander?
Mitsubishi, might also make the Outlander a better ‘town car’ if it removed the ICE altogether and upgraded the battery to make it a pure BEV. It would certainly remove any doubt about it’s suitability for the annual intercity car trip. LED rooftop light bar optional! 
1 Like
Are we looking at PHEV’s the wrong way?
Are they better assessed as how good or bad a ‘town car’ they can be? Scoring extended long distance highway use optional?
You make some good points. PHEVs are best suited as town cars. Buyers need to decide on their preferred type of battery car depending on their likely driving patterns. Of interest, the hybrid vehicles seem to have almost identical numbers for combined, urban and extra urban use. I don’t know if they factor in wind resistance to any of these figures if they are calculated on a dynamometer. It is likely that drivers who mostly cover longer distances will use less fuel in an ordinary hybrid vehicle. At some stage, with increasing town use, a PHEV will be preferable, but that is difficult to work out if there are no ICE consumption comparison figures for PHEVs after the battery runs out.
I don’t know any specific figures for these vehicles but I do know that when the Toyota Prius was first released, the Cairns taxi owners were recouping the purchase price in a mere 16 months based on the fuel savings.
I had a ride in a Prius taxi in Townsville about 10 years or so years ago. It is obviously in its element as far as fuel usage goes, but it has a hopeless shape for a taxi. The thought of being rear-ended, while sitting in the back seat with neck flexed due to the sloping roof line, doesn’t bear thinking about.
1 Like
The above was supposed to be following on from mark_m, and subsequently Fred123, but I haven’t quite worked out the mechanism.
One way
Click on the ‘Reply’ button below the post in the topic you would like to reply to.
The reply will open at the bottom of the screen. You can click outside the reply or alternately on the down arrow on the top RH edge of the reply. Drag or navigate to the text you need to quote. Select the text you wish to reference by a click and then dragging the markers. The option to copy or quote or … will appear. Click on quote and the selected text will appear in your reply. Add any comments by typing within the reply box. Repeat as necessary.
You can compress the reply box to a single line across the bottom of the screen or open it as needed. On the iPad it has a mind of it’s own.
1 Like
Thanks mark_m for trying to help. Your technique doesn’t seem to apply to my computer, or more likely, I just can’t figure it out. I will contact Choice later for advice. Thanks again.
If you don’t see the word reply look for the arrow that looks like a left hand turn indication arrow, that is the reply button. You can also just reply to the topic and put an @ before the user name (no space between) and that will cause the person you are replying to be notified.
You can also select some text you wish to reply to in the post you are replying to that will generate a “Quote” item just above or below the selected text that will either create a new reply if none has been started or will add it to the post you are currently creating when you click the Quote button.
2 Likes
Thanks @grahroll. I think I have got it now. Clicking on the ‘Quote’ item after selecting some text was what I had missed doing previously, and also using the @ key appropriately.
4 Likes
