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Originally Posted by hiendtime
So, I read Tarabell's article and tried a few of the suggestions on my way home from work today.
The easiest thing to do was to keep the revs under 2k. Next, I played with EV-Assist. I wasn't difficult at all to get 1-3 bars of assist with the mpg pegged at 100 while on flat roads. Glide is obviously a breeze while going down hill. I featherd the gas a bit to keep the regen from slowing me down too much while coasting to a stop at lights. After a 13.4 mile trip home from work (no highway, mostly stop and go on local roads during rush hour) my jaw hit the floor when I saw 54.4 MPG. What was interesting is that my battery charge actually increased? I have been hanging low the last few days and the ICE has been forced to run to recharge. I obviously had just been pushing it too hard. I would never believe it if I didn't see the results for myself. WOW.
So, guess I'll be driving like a little old lady from now on 
The ironic thing is it was actually nice to take my time for a change. Seems like a win win if I can get that kind of mileage while obeying the speed limit at the same time. I think highway driving will be more challenging though. Now I see how the city MPG can be better than hwy.
Thanks for links! I was bummed out with my mpg as of late. Now, at least I know it wasn't the car. I just need to learn how to drive all over again. |
I just LOVE-love-love reading posts like this one!
It makes me grin when hybrid drivers on the forum have Eureka! moments like that, where suddenly it becomes clear that a few adjustments in driving style can lead, as you said, to win-win results. Jaw-dropping gas mileage AND a more pleasant drive, a less stressful commute, and all kinds of other advantages, many of which you mentioned (obeying the speed limit= no speeding tickets, not to mention safety, wear and tear on the car/brakes, etc.).
Hooray for driving like a little old lady!
As for the highway driving thing, I have to say that being a grannie driver on the highway is a little harder, unless you're driving in rush hour, because sometimes aggressive drivers can be intimidating. However, they were pretty intimidating back when I was driving 'normally,' so it's not really much of a difference. Hypermiling is harder at higher speeds too- it's a function of air resistance, and the laws of physics hold us back a bit.
Now that you've seen what the results can be, I hope you keep trying- even highway driving can be mastered. It's been months since I had a tank below 50 mpg, and once you get to that point, you don't want to go back.
Best of luck!