Locutus,
I have no test data to show you. I just know that by not powering down, I can move from store to store in a large strip mall without the ICE ever coming on. If I power down, the ICE comes on about 8 seconds after every restart and remains on for 30 - 60 sec depending on how long I was powered down. Of course, I will have to take a hit while driving home to charge the battery, but it will be less that starting the ICE several times.

I have noticed that when the ICE starts after a power up, the system draws much more power from the battery until the ICE has gone through it's warmup routine. I can see this with the voltmeter that I have which measures HV at the battery. Then the ICE takes over for propulsion and also recharges the ICE. Perhaps this is why the second bar dropped ~ 15 MPG during your second test.

Or.... there could be differences between our cars. Like I said, I have no concrete data to back it up. Your skepticism is understandable.

Thanks for the tip about using the key to lock the car... I never thought of that!

It's a Wonderful Day for Science!