I was out-and-about the other day when it came time to fill my TCH with its SECOND tank of gas. So, I thought that I'd see what kind of mileage might be possible IF I were really mindful about it.

For the next 45 miles, I drove like a mother hen sitting on her prized egg, and using every hybrid trick I'd learned during the past two years.

The result?

57.4 MPG during 45 miles of combo city/freeway driving, average speed 38 miles per hour, temperature 70 degrees, tires at 46/44 PSI.

My best-so-far trick to getting great MPGs with the TCH *seems* to be accelerating moderately quickly to the optimal cruising speed (38ish miles per hour) with gas motor assist (ICE), then quickly release the power pedal to allow the gas motor to shut down, and as soon as you see the instantaneous mileage gauge zoom past 60, feather touch the power pedal to maintain pure battery cruising. Using this technique, I achieved 7 minutes of 99.9 MPG (maximum for NAV readout?), and 16- and 22-minute trip segments exceeding 80 MPG each.

By the way, my first tank average was "only" 36.2 MPG, due to a lot of mountain driving up to 5,000 feet elevation. I won't be driving the TCH in a fanatical manner most of the time, but interested to find out its potential, and to share easy-to-implement tips for good MPGs with y'all.

Steve Villatoro
www.stevenvillatoro.com
“An enlightened guide to small business mastery.”