More likely kWh per mile.

Bob Wilson

 

And then translated into cents per mile.

Do you know your CURRENT cost at the pump, in cents per mile?
At 50 MPG, and $2.25/gallon, this is 4.5 cents per mile. My daily 75 mile work-n-back round trip costs about $3.50.

Cents-per-mile could then be reverse-figured into MPG, based on the current gas price. This would let us know how much more efficient a gas-operated vehicle would have to be to be an equivalent cost at the pump.

My HCH2 gets 46-48 MPG going on that 75 mile round trip. I got 54.5 MPG on a trip from San Antonio to Dallas. On local 15-minute trips, I get 40-45 MPG. As the weather's gotten colder, the MPGs have slipped a little (1 to maybe 4 MPG).
I agree that preparing for worst-case-scenario before buying a hybrid would be nice. That way you can possibly be pleasantly surprised. But don't expect enthusiasts to report and drive just like you'd like them to in order for the MPG charts to resemble your situation. You know this already, by your comments about Hot_Georgia's driving habits. We all know he's REALLY enthusiastic about getting maximum MPG - and currently these hybrids are where his type can really shine. My only suggestion for the MPG database would be a set-up option where I let you know I'm a conservative but pretty average driver. Hot_Ga could select the Extrame-MPG-Freak option. Then, when looking at the aggregate MPG, one could choose just the "average-Joe-Driver-drive-it-just-like-a-normal-car" entries. This would be helpful, but you're STILL at the merc of those entering in their MPG being honest about thier driving style.

 

Of course I can only speak for myself.....

There are pictures in the share section of every record tank. I'm really proud of the 1000 mile tank at 85.9 mpg displayed, 81.8mpg calculated at the pump (note I always use the at the pump method when entering mpg into the database, displays tend to be a hair optimistic). There is also a video that I made just in case someone didn't believe I could hit 70 mpg in summmer easy. Of course a pic can be Photoshopped and even a video could be edited but in the end it comes down to trust.

I was the one who pushed BTW.......

It was only on one tank and only because they enabled a normally open security gate at work right in the middle of a record attempt. We hypermilers get a little psycho when we are in the middle of a record attempt.

I ain't nothing compared to Wayne over at Clean....

 

To generate the following chart, I first calculated the power in kW needed at each speed and then using the fuel equivalent, plotted the MPG:



As far as I'm concerned, a chart like this with two scales, a kWh and MPG, would meet about half of what I need to know. The other two elements needed are: (1) warm-up curve and (2) engine specific fuel consumption vs. ICE rpm. The rest is driving to avoid energy losses.

Bob Wilson

 

No cutting corners from me when it comes to MPG calculations.

What you see in the database for my Insight are actual numbers, not from the FCD. Tank after tank since the car was driven from the dealer.

And yes, I do push the little beast for all its worth to get the best fuel mileage that my driving skill will allow. That's my option and what gives me a good feeling.

 

The VUE GL doesn't have a realtime gauge, so I'm left with my trip meter and gas station receipts.

For all but one of my fill ups I've used the same station. Still need more fills, but I'm going to be changing locals in the near future (which means I'll be starting from ground zero again to determine statistical variance).

Also, the data entry fields have limited precision so you can only get so accurate.

~X~

 

Hi,
I use the same technique, receipts and trip meter.

BTW, do you have a receiver hitch/tow ball? What area of the country are you in?

Bob Wilson

 

No towing hitch. I'm in southern NH right now, but will be in Maryland shortly.

~X~

 

Do I have to post a tank that my 18 year old daughter used the car during our below 0 cold snap, She would let it run for 10-15 minutrs every trip and ruined the tank average down to 22 MPG

 

What is also lacking is the data behind the mpg... speed, outside temp, terrain, you name it. Somebody living in a flat area with no traffic is going to do much better than somebody living in a hilly area with lots of traffic and cold conditions.

I am one to believe that most numbers posted by hybrid owners are off in their favor. It's hard to find people that will drive their hybrid like they did their other car. So they see a huge difference between their numbers and like it... but in reality, had they driven their other car like a hybrid the difference isn't as large... but that's a hard pill to swallow.