European Prius' PHEV Fuel Economy Testing 42% Above Conventional Model's

European Prius' PHEV Fuel Economy Testing 42% Above Conventional Model's

Edmunds.com had a plug-in Prius for a month earlier this year and even with all the hard driving our editors subject test cars to, it was averaging 62 miles per gallon, or 21.5 percent over the conventional Prius' EPA combined mileage rating of 51 mpg.

In Europe, it appears to be doing even better.

Toyota's North American advanced powertrain program manager told an audience in Michigan today that in testing in various European fleet tests, fuel economy in the the plug-in Prius has been running closer to 42 percent above the conventional model.

That'd be 72 miles per gallon.

AutoObserver Senior Editor Bill Visnic, reported Justin Ward's remarks from Traverse City, Mich., where the Toyota Motor engineering and Manufacturing North America executive spoke at the Center for Automotive Research's annual management briefing program.

Ward also told his audience that the Toyota PHEV - which is just starting testing in the U.s. and is slated to go on sale in 2011, should deliver significant fuel efficiency gains even to those who drive it well beyond the 5.2 kilowatt-hour battery pack's capacity to deliver 13 miles of all-electric (and thus, 0 mpg) range.

In Green Car Advisor's own day of driving the plug-in Prius back in April, we found that fuel economy declined as the miles driven between battery charges piled up.

On a 28-mile combined city-freeway test loop in San Diego, we averaged 58.9 miles, just after tallying 99.9 mpg on an 8-mile city loop in which the gas engine never fired up.

John O'Dell:  is an AutoObserver Senior Editor. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.