I thought that I’d share what I’ve learned about the HiHy and how to maximize FE, at least in my environment. Before I got my HiHy, I was reading and absorbing as much as I could here at GreenHybrid. In reading the advice provided on this site, much is standard stuff that hybrids or non-hybrids can do in general to improve FE. These include things like anticipating stops and starting to coast earlier, being gentle on the accelerator etc. When we get to the hybrid-specific advice, I pay much more attention to suggestions for the Prius (same hybrid system) and the FEH (similar size/weight issues and similar hybrid system) than to Honda-related suggestions. We simply don’t have an “assist” bar or “eco” mode so those suggestions are meaningless for the HiHy.



While I can’t claim “hypermiler” status, I *am* in the upper 1/3 of posters in the RMDB and I have the second highest total mileage so my experience should count for something. I live in the foothills of Colorado, south-west of Denver at an elevation of 8500 ft and commute daily “down the hill” to the Denver metro area so I have a daily gain/loss of approx 3000 ft. Even while in the metro area, I rarely encounter flat roads so take that into consideration as well when comparing to your own situation. I have tried PnG in a very limited manner, I believe that this works better in the flats than in the rolling hills that I tend to travel. Also, the “pure” PnG suggests that the Glide portion be truly “no energy to/from the wheels” … I have never been able to achieve this feat unless on a downhill slope. My energy monitor shifts quickly from sending energy from the wheels to the battery to the reverse with only a momentary pause of no energy flow no matter how careful I am. I suspect that much of this relates to the size and weight of the HiHy so I don’t worry about that much, the slight regen when coasting doesn’t seem to be of much concern to me.



My first piece of advice is to coast as much as possible. This car coasts extremely well in my opinion and I am sometimes amazed at how far I can go with my foot firmly on the floor, not touching either pedal.



Next – when accelerating from a stop, I have found it virtually impossible to get to a cruising speed (20-30 miles per hour) without use of the ICE. If you are in true “creep and stop” traffic, then EV is very possible, even when going uphill. If, however, you need to reach a reasonable cruising speed, I say to do so in a smooth fashion – not too slow but not a jackrabbit start either. As soon as you reach the desired speed, however, take your foot totally off the gas pedal to shut down the ICE and gradually reapply with just enough pressure to maintain the desired speed. This often allows you to get back into EV mode if you are on flat roads or downslopes and on uphill slopes, it can reduce the energy being used.



When accelerating, pay attention to the energy gauge that replaces the tach – you want to keep the energy usage low, as close to the broken area as possible. When cruising, if your energy usage is in the broken area, you should be seeing 60mph+ or close to it on the instantaneous MPG graph even if you happen to be using some ICE. When your usage hits about 50Kw or so, your FE has dropped significantly so pay attention to where that gauge is sitting while driving.



The FEH forums have some good advice. The “Low Gear Advantage” thread is very interesting however I’ve never been in the situation of wanting to use EV but having too little battery charge to do so due to the hills I travel. My battery gets charged enough just coasting. I *do* use B when going down steep slopes or long slopes to keep from gaining too much speed. If you live in a flat area, the advice re the use of "Low Gear" (our B) may be useful to you. What I do after accelerating is what I believe is referred to on the FEH forum as a “fake-shift” – it works well for me.



I know that this is a long post but I hope it helps some who have been struggling with their FE.