Greetings! I just bought a new 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid, and I'm confused about something. I haven't gone through my first tank of gas yet, but per the mileage screen on the dash, I'm getting 17.1 mpg. So far, I've driven 110 miles, have gone through a half tank of gas, and am thinking that this most likely isn't right. The mpg indicator read 15 mpg when I drove the car off the lot on Saturday, the tank having been filled up by the dealer.

If I start from a dead stop and accelerate very slowly, the electric takes me up to about 30 mph. After that, the gas engine runs until I slow down to anywhere from 20 mph to a dead stop. At one point this afternoon, the electric would kick in if I was going about 40 mph, but it seems as tho the gas engine runs most of the time.

Am I doing something wrong? Help?

Dog Lover in Indianapolis

 

It probably sat idling a lot at the dealer. If they did not reset your MPG display when they filled the tank, you're still seeing the results of that. Figure out how to reset the display (depends on whether you have the Navigation system or not) and then see how it goes.

Also you can expect mileage will improve with age, things seem to get better after about 5000 miles.

Don't worry about when the gas engine is on or off...just drive with as light a foot as you can safely get away with in traffic, and you'll do fine. The best economy doesn't occur when you stay in EV mode all the time, as sooner or later you have to replenish the battery charge.

Oh, and the guess gauge is not terribly linear, so the odds are you have actually used less than 1/2 a tank...

 

Hmmm, that does sound a little fishy. Even with terrible MPGs starting from the dealer you should get more than 220 miles per tank, does your Miles to empty display and your (Trip) odometer show that you should have more than 220ish total to the tank? Have you ran a systems diagnostic (From the message Center) to make sure the charging system is OK?

I wouldn't worry too much unless your second tank doesn't show any improvement. When I got mine from the dealer, I didn't have good MPG's either. (Though they were better than what you're saying) However, if that second tank isn't in the 20's, I suggest taking it back.

Just the same, as I said in another thread, some tips to getting good milage:
(FEH: Ford Escape Hybrid, ICE: Internal Combustion Engine, EV: Electric Vehicle, A/N: Audio/Nav system)


Plan your trip and your route. It sounds simple, almost remedial, but as I've been driving, I've learned that the slope of the road, the traffic flow, and other elements can play a big part in your milage. Chose routes where you won't have to vary your speed much, and you're going downhill or over level roads as much as possible.

Don't dilly dally. When you start your car, put it into motion. Don't start the engine, then load her up, go back into the house, etc. Start up the engine and get driving.

Don't be a leadfoot. Rabbit starting from a stop, and going much above 65 tend to eat away at those MPGs.

Don't try to be an electric vehicle. EV mode is great, and it'll give you great MPGs, but that's then. That energy needs to be replenished, and it's most likely going to use the ICE to do it, causing you to get some terrible MPGs later. Use it wisely, and not excessively. It's a hybrid, and that's what makes it effective, when it's in hybrid mode. Now, that's not to say don't use EV mode, quite the contrary, you want to use it, in stop and go traffic, in parking lots, coming home, but don't try to do everything in EV mode all the time.

Follow the two C's: Coasting and Cruising. Try to coast as much as possible. When you see a red light ahead, let off the pedal and coast all the way in, things like that. (Don't worry about the battery, it charges when you're really driving about, so lay off the brakes unless you need them, allow yourself to coast.) When you start off from a dead stop, use the EV to get you rolling (I generally get to 15-20 mph before the ICE comes on), and then use the hybrid drive to get you up to crusing speed; don't floor it and don't mosey, then do what you can to stay at that speed for as long as possible.

Don't rush to a red light. If you know the traffic pattern, and you know that you can't hit the next light red, why bother wasting all the fuel and energy rushing up to that stop? Take your time, and save your fuel.

Don't be afraid to be passed by traffic. When you're coasting up to a red light, you'll probably be passed. When you're letting EV mode to get you started, you'll probably be passed. If you're on an expressway, you'll probably want to use a right lane. You'll still get there, and you'll be a lot more fuel efficient getting there.

If you have the A/N system, use it. Watch your MPGs when you're driving about, and the Energy diagram when you're in stop and go traffic to monitor your battery.

I find that if I'm in heavy, prolonged stop and go traffic, I switch gears to L (A braking mode where the electric motor recharges the battery by slowing you down; essentially EV mode in reverse) and then use EV mode as much as possible and let the slow down for the stop part of traffic to recharge the battery.

Get your oil changed. A bit of humor, but I got mine changed at 1000+ miles, and right after that, had a 2 MPG boost in my fuel economy. Before I was getting 30ish, and now I'm getting 33!

Also, if it's new, give it and yourself time to adjust. Find out for yourself what works and what doesn't. Most people report that at around 3000 miles there's an improvement, and another at around 8000 miles.

 

Thanks!! I refilled the tank this morning and set the mpg screen to zero, and I'm now seeing over 31 miles per gallon. I'm thinking that the dealership didn't really "fill" the tank, and that the mileage reflected a few test drives before I purchased the car on Saturday. So far, I really love this vehicle. It's not loaded (no Nav system and such), but the leather interior is lovely and, most importantly, the gas mileage is now what I expected!!

Thanks for your help so far!

suz

 

A lot of us have noticed that the gas gauge moves toward empty a lot faster than the mileage indicator does - many of us have shown 100 miles on a tank and the tank is now 1/2 empty (or full). Use the mileage info button to get a better feel of what you have available. And of course, have patience, our first tanks were the pits also. (btw, winter driving will lower your mpg results - not to scare you off, but so you'll be aware when that happens in January.)

 

Hang in there with your FEH. Your mileage will improve as you learn how to drive it. Unlike many other hybrids (and non-hybrids), the mileage of the FEH is accurately stated in the EPA standards!

I don't know if what I'm doing could rightly be called hypermiling, but I have been paying very close attention for the last couple of tanks. Just today I got 37 mpg on a 50 mile round trip in my 2005 4WD FEH w/11K miles. Here's some advice based on what I have learned:

* Stick with roads that have a speed limit of 25-45 mph as much as possible, and drive the speed limit +5/-0. Driving at highway speeds doesn't lend itself to mileage much greater than 30 mpg.

* Don't worry about speeders who piled up behind you unless they appeared to be potentially violent, in which case pull over and let them pass. You may be saving them a ticket and you are definitely improving their mileage.

* This is major: Use "L" at speeds of less than 30 mph and to slow down. "L" is like "D" except it automatically charges the battery when you let off of the accelerator. I find I can keep it in EV mode more easily with the "L" algorithm, and I know I'm not losing power to friction brakes when I slow down. Just remember people behind you won't be seeing brake lights!

* Avoid steep hills (up, I mean) if you can.

* Don't run the A/C if you can stand it.

* Avoid trafficky routes where you may not be able to feather your speed.

* Coast on the uphills and let your speed drop a bit, if this is safe, then speed up again on the downhill. Use "D" to coast downhill, then "L" when you get to maximum speed going downhill, unless the battery is already on full charge, in which case the ICE will kick in. Use "D" on level areas above 30 mph. Active control is much better than using the cruise control.

* I'm going to differ with a previous post in saying that maximizing EV time is important. Charging the battery with the ICE seems to be more efficient than using the ICE for propulsion at slow speeds.

* Another difference: I feel that you should accelerate away from a dead stop slowly under most circumstances, keeping the rpms below 2500 if possible. Indeed, in general, keeping the rpms below 2000 as much as possible seems to be a good rule of thumb.

It's always traffic that screws me up. I'm convinced that if I could react strictly to road conditions, I could average 34+ mpg in non-highway driving.

Hope this helps!

-- Hal

 

...Two more thoughts:
(1) You might try everything folks have recommended and still not see good results right away. I got 23 mpg on my first tank and no better than 27 mpg for the first two or three months. Now I'm almost always 30-33 mpg.
(2) The hybrid system does not necessarily behave the same way under the same conditions from day to day. Some days the mileage can really suck. I'm convinced -- but this is speculation only -- that there are battery reconditioning algorithms, or some other type of periodic adjustment, built into the computer. You'll have a day now and then where the hybrid system seems hardly to be working at all, and other days where you are marveling at the fact that you are motoring uphill at close to 30 mph on EV only. Go figure.

 

I can testify that using the driving techniques shared here and resetting the MPG display (hold SET in for 2 seconds) after filling up will net some very nice numbers for those who just bought a FEH and were getting 15-18MPG after driving off the dealership lot.

I had been struggling to get mine (2006 4X4, bought last weekend) to go past 24MPG and after filling and resetting tonight, I am averaging 36MPG with a peak of 44.3MPG! (you can see a pic of my display in the photo section under MY GREEN MACHINE).

I expect that will drop again, but I will be monitoring it and see what it does. The manual says to not even worry about your numbers during the first 1000 miles, but mine is finally doing impressively after only one week and 476 miles.

Now, if I can only get my wife to practise good Hybrid driving techniques...