[Boldlygo]

So I let the car show me the gas light before I filled up this time to see exactly how far we could go when it comes on. It took just over 44l to fill, meaning there is ~12l left in the tank - enough to to go ~150km (94mi) before it actually runs out.
Oh, and the Nav screen shows a message saying 'Gas is low, would you like to search for nearby gas stations?' Pretty cool.

 

[rdgrimes]

meaning there is ~12l left in the tank - enough to to go ~150km (94mi) before it actually runs out.

Don't assume that. The system will shut down before its actually dry.

 

[vanib]

Just assume that 2L will not ever be used by the pump. Still better test for it

 

[rdgrimes]

There's a margin of error in when the system thinks its empty, plus a margin of error in the amount of the fill-up. I'd assume those 2 things total 2L as well.
People in the Prius forums have tested this and found about 1/2-1 gal left in the tank when it shuts down, but that includes the margin or error and is of course a different tank.

 

[Boldlygo]

I was just using the specs of the car to estimate - the tank capacity is 56l, I filled up with 44, meaning I had 12l gas left in the tank. I don't want to run dry!
When I had my Lexus CT200h, I had the light come driving through Montreal towards Ontario. I knew I had about 10l left which meant I could go almost 200km in that car before I actually ran out. Drove about 100km and was fine.

There's a margin of error in when the system thinks its empty, plus a margin of error in the amount of the fill-up. I'd assume those 2 things total 2L as well.
People in the Prius forums have tested this and found about 1/2-1 gal left in the tank when it shuts down, but that includes the margin or error and is of course a different tank.

 

[Eug]

In a Prius I could put more than 1 L more worth of gas after the first time the pump shuts off, so that adds variability too. Furthermore, different gas pumps will click off earlier or later. The most extreme example was an overly sensitive set of pumps at my local station, which would often click off even though the tank was only say half filled. I'd have to pump the gas more slowly in order for that not to happen.

 

[Boldlygo]

I've always tried to be as consistent as possible - use only Shell gas and always stop filling at the 1st click off.

In a Prius I could put more than 1 L more worth of gas after the first time the pump shuts off, so that adds variability too. Furthermore, different gas pumps will click off earlier or later. The most extreme example was an overly sensitive set of pumps at my local station, which would often click off even though the tank was only say half filled. I'd have to pump the gas more slowly in order for that not to happen.

 

[garyd9]

I had to pull up a measurement converter to read this thread...

My "gas" light came on in my new HV today as well. Within 10 miles, I found a gas station and filled up. My numbers are VERY similar to the original post (all gallons are US gallons):

Pumped 11.45 gallons (43.34 liters) to fill. The tank has a 14.8 gallon (56 liter) capacity, meaning there was approx 3.35 gallons (12.68 liters) in the tank when I filled it.

If others check and report this, it might be useful to know/confirm that the fuel light always illuminates at ~3.3 gallons (~12.5 liters) still in the tank. Most likely, at least 2 of those gallons (7-8 liters) are usable under any conditions short of VERY steep inclines/declines.

 

[EvansinSask]

If someone has there manual it should list fuel reserve, which is the amount of fuel remaining when the low fuel light is turned on.

Just did a quick check and found the manual. It's interesting to see your real world numbers seem to be quite different than the spec.

Low fuel level warning light
Indicates that remaining fuel is approximately 2.2 gal.
(8.4 L, 1.8 Imp. gal.) or less

Theres also this passage, which I'm not quite sure what there trying to say

Running out of fuel
When the vehicle has run out of fuel and the hybrid system cannot be started,
refuel the vehicle with at least enough gasoline to make the low fuel level
warning light (P. 537) go off. If there is only a small amount of fuel, the
hybrid system may not be able to start. (The standard amount of fuel is about
2.7 gal. [10.1 L, 2.2 Imp.gal.], when the vehicle is on a level surface. This
value may vary when the vehicle is on a slope. Add extra fuel when the vehicle
is inclined.)

 

[Boldlygo]

Here's a quote from Autoblog: (Article - What Happens When Your Hybrid Runs Out Of Gas?)

"Here's another warning: Don’t drive your Toyota hybrid for too long on empty, or you’ll eventually need to get towed to the dealer. Toyota gave us some more information about how its hybrids function once they’ve run out of gas after we’d published this story. It turns out we were lucky we didn't deplete the battery of our Lexus HS250h any more than we did when we drove it with an empty fuel tank. All Toyota and Lexus systems are programmed to attempt to start the gasoline engine when the battery reaches its “recharge threshold.” If the engine does not start after three attempts, the system shuts down and requires a technician to reset a fault code before the vehicle can get moving again, even if fuel is added to the empty tank. There is no way for a driver to know when the battery charge gets low enough that this automatic shut-down occurs, but it’s a necessary precaution to protect the battery pack from harm."

In other words - don't run out of gas -EVER!

 

[EvansinSask]

I wonder if you could just clear the fault code with an OBD2 scanner and be on your way in that situation.

 

[Boldlygo]

So I filled up tonight and Fuelly calculated 9.1 l/100km, yet when I checked the car's display for mileage since last fill up, it showed only 8.0. That's quite a difference!

 

[Netflyer]

I had to pull up a measurement converter to read this thread...

My "gas" light came on in my new HV today as well. Within 10 miles, I found a gas station and filled up. My numbers are VERY similar to the original post (all gallons are US gallons):

Pumped 11.45 gallons (43.34 liters) to fill. The tank has a 14.8 gallon (56 liter) capacity, meaning there was approx 3.35 gallons (12.68 liters) in the tank when I filled it.

If others check and report this, it might be useful to know/confirm that the fuel light always illuminates at ~3.3 gallons (~12.5 liters) still in the tank. Most likely, at least 2 of those gallons (7-8 liters) are usable under any conditions short of VERY steep inclines/declines.

I can confirm near identical findings in my XLE Hybrid. I'm near Washington DC and we are on high ethanol winter blends, on approx my 5th fill up and getting approximately 34.8 btw...

 

[Boldlygo]

Latest fill up had better results with the car's calculations. Actual mileage was calculated at 7.3 l/100km while the car was showing 7.2.