Is it possible to search these messages? I didn't want to post this question if it had been addressed before, but I didn't want to read through 6500+ messages.<br><br>I'm curious about how the Prius performs when doing highway driving. One of the main reasons I'm considering the Prius is I have a long commute and want to conserve gas. A lot of it is rush hour stop-and-go and I think the Prius will be great for that. But I'm concerned about when I have open highway and can go higher speeds. I've heard/read that when you go at high speeds for extended periods you can eventually deplete the batteries and then have to limp along while they recharge. Is this correct? Has anyone else done extended highway driving?<br><br>Thanks,<br>LS

The longest I've driven my Prius at one time in the 4 weeks I've had it is 75 miles. This was a combination of twisty and hilly 2-lane roads and straight interstate. I drove it like I would any car, cruising on the interstate at speeds of 70-75 mph. No problem with battery depletion or lack of power. On the 2-lane hilly roads, I cruised along nicely at 50-55. Again, no problems with the battery.<br><br> Only time I've experienced battery depletion is cruising parking lots looking for an empty space and waiting in fast-food lines with the radio and air condition going. No noticeable drop in acceleration afterwards and it required only about 5 minutes of driving until the batteries were fully charged. <br><br>Hope this helps!

By the way, my trip of 75 miles of "straight-thru" driving was a round-trip drive of 150 miles.<br><br>On that tank of gas, which included 5 days of 50 mile round-trip commutes on the highway, I got 532 miles on one tank of gas. That was an average of 50.5 miles per gallon (calculated), versus 50.8 mpg according to the computer. So yes, the Prius does amazingly well for commuters.

I have driven the 150 mile trip from dc to philly sevral times, generally maintaining speeds around 70 when possible, without any problems at all (and I have gotten excellent mileage on the trips in the 48-50 range).

My commute is 75 miles / day, going up to 125 / day in a couple of months. I bought the Prius for the sole reason that I did not want to use 4 gallons of gas / day to get to and from work. My drive is all interstate (60-75 MPG), with about 10 miles of stop-n-go fun. My lifetime average is a hair below 50 MPG at 5500 miles. When I'm in stop-n-go, my mileage increases noticably. It's sick, but I now listen to traffic reports to *find* the backups, as I get better mileage! :-)<br><br>I've had no battery problems, nor tire problems (they still look like new), nor handling problems (and I have not tweaked the .10 that you may read about here). <br><br>I find the car to perform exceptionally well and could not be happier with it. I have already managed to get one coworker to purchase one, and a lot of others are looking at it with similar intent. Posting my MPG chart everytime I fill next to my desk at work has started many the chain of conversation.<br><br>Road and Track did a cross-country trip in in about 3/4 of a year ago as their test drive, and found it worked great over long distances.<br><br>I think the Prius would be ideal for you, and would strongly suggest that you get one, as I'm sure most people here would!<br><br>Pat<br>IL - TO GO B 4

The Prius runs primarily on the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) while at highway speeds, so there's no problem with depleting the battery. It will use battery power to assist the ICE when you "floor it" to pass or need to accelerate up a long steep hill. If you are stuck in stop-and-go highway traffic, the electric motor will also come into play as you creep forward. However, the computers are smart enough to "top off" the battery as needed in your normal course of driving.<br><br>I commute 80 miles each way to/from work (mostly highway) and have had no problems with battery depletion.

I have made two round trips across the country, Arizona to Pennsylvania, driving close to 75 mph a lot of the time, and never had my batteries depleted. Much my driving is done on interstates and now that I have a coastaletech cruise control, the prius is a perfectly good highway car.