After two days and little more than a hundred miles - ya just gotta love new cars! - I'm anything but a hypermiler, but I got 55.2mpg on my 31 mile highway and interstate commute this morning. That's not typical - Friday morning summer commutes are generally the best we ever get in the D.C. area. Friday evenings are generally the worst - I'll probably be lucky to break 40mpg going home. But the potential is defintely there.

I think that's much of the message - a given route is simply going to be what it is. An experienced hypermiler would certainly get the most out of your particular route, but ultimately is going to fall well short of what they would do in more favorable circumstances. As others have mentioned, the short distance of your commute is always going to remain a fundamental impediment to really good FE. You just do the best you can, recognizing that you're still getting better FE than you would in a lesser vehicle - and that any other kinds of driving you end up doing is likely to be much better.

There's a lots of good advice on this board and over at CleanMPG. Definitely take a look at Tarabell's article, as was mentioned. The short list I've gleaned in the few weeks I've been lurking around:

- Throttle Control. Gentle accelerations. Transitions into and out of the throttle should be smooth.
- Engine Speed. Try and stay under 2K.
- Glide. Wherever circumstances permit, back off the throttle that tiny little bit which allows the instantaneous gauge to spin up towards 100mpg. Hold that as long as possible and then as speed begins to bleed off and you you need to accelerate, simply pressure the pedal a little - don't push it down. Think squeezing the trigger of a rifle.
- Traffic Gaps. Slightly extend the space in front of you so that the "accordian effect" of accelerating and braking is reduced. When braking is required, anticipate it enough so that you're getting regen braking instead of hydraulic braking. Play your commute like a chess game.
- Auto Stops. When coming off an auto stop in stop-and-go traffic, wait an additional second or two for the car in front of you to move before starting, so you can get back up to the ~10mph or so the computer requires for the next auto stop. Also, when lifting your foot from the brake (wherein the ICE restarts), wait a heartbeat or two for the engine to finish restarting before you actually give it gas to move forward.
- Be Deliberate. I think the whole philosophy of maximizing FE boils down to being just a touch more deliberate in everything you do.
- Track Segments. Record your segments so you'll know what works and what doesn't. The sophisticated FE instrumentation in the HCH allows for an understanding of road and route nuances that is difficult to see in a non-hybrid.
- The Forum Advantage. Hang out here. These forums are a great resource!

Best of luck,

Jeff