With the non-preferred method the ICE will turn on occassionally. When I first get on that road I accelerate using the ICE and when the speed goes from 35 to 45 the same will happen. Plus there's turns in the road causing me to accelerate and decelerate. So keeping it in EV mode the whole time is pretty difficult.

In the preferred method the ICE turns off when I turn onto the base's road, so the entire 1.3 miles is done with the ICE off. In addition, about 1/2 mile to a mile of the three miles leading up to it is in EV mode. It's only the 45 miles per hour zone and while accelerating that I'm using the ICE. The last part of the 3 mile leg is at 45 miles per hour, giving the battery time to charge before reaching the base.

So it seems that the preferred method is yielding better fuel efficiency. There's also the psychological angle to FE (boy, this is getting weird). I don't mind seeing the ICE turn on when going 45 miles per hour. However, when I'm on base the limit will go from 15 to 25 miles per hour. The ICE will turn on when I accelerate. But then when I ease off the accelerator the ICE stays on even if I let off the pedal, even though the display shows the SOC at 50%. And I'm sitting there going "**** you HSD, I only have 3/4 mile to go. Shut off that engine ". I've even thought of bringing a small animal with me to make my sacrifice to the FE gods. (Just kidding, please don't sick PETA on me.)

Can't do that. Until the TCH I was the one in back of someone going slow calling them every name in the book.