Got my best tank today ** 700.5 mi & 62.3 mpg ** - I didn't think it possible back in February. I put 11.243 gallons in the tank. I thought it would be closer to 12 gal. Question - What does happen if you run out? I don't think I'll go this far again. I went about 55 to 60 miles after the last dot on the fuel gage disappeared. I calculated that I should be able to go about 100 miles - but I was very pleased to get 700 and did not want to temp fate! .... lol

 

Someone has said that the vehicle continues to run on EV mode. I wouldn't tempt fate either. You played it safe. 50-60 miles after the last bar is a good call. I usually fill up about 11.3 at that point, so it looks like everyone is accurate in saying we get 100 miles after all bars are out.

I just get paranoid that someone will pull up and see my fuel light and wonder what my car is running on. When it keeps going, I am reminded at how amazing my HCH2 truely is.

 

I'm working on a pretty good tank, too. My FE is currently exactly the same as yours (62.3mpg) after ~180 miles. I'm not sure if I have the patience to keep it up for another 520 miles. I will at least go to 600 miles for this tank; I haven't done that yet. I am just wanting to put up some good numbers for 1 tank and then I will go back to my normal crappy FE of low 50s.

 

Just tell them a wing, a prayer, and a couple Taco Bell chalupas

 

Chesleyn,
You made some good points. I would not want to try the EV mode in an HCH II. It's interesting, that with the wide variance in gas pumps/companies that so many of our cars click off at around 10.2 - 10.6 gallons with 1 Bar (or just watched last bar disappear). Then if we drive farther, take around 11.1-11.4 gallons to fill the tank. I noticed that you have achieved HyperMiler status - Congrats ! A few months ago I was feelin' I would never see lifetime around 50 mpg - now I've got it as a goal for September before the weather changes here in Upstate NY. My last tank at 62.3 is my first over 60 mpg. My lifetime went up .8 in the last tank. Back in the winter my worst tank was 40.0 mpg. What a difference with warmer weather (and perhaps a small improvement in driving technique). I really love this car too! Just think - Consumer Reports says 37 mpg I did better in February!

 

Mr. Kite,
Most folks in the database are and have been showing patience. I'm finding less stress driving now - I've learned to plan ahead, and generally get places early not late. It's all a lifestyle choice that we can make. It seems that there's soo many things that we can't change. Good luck and remember that anything above 45mpg is great !! - the rest is gravy.

 

I just started a tank... well there is 100 miles on it, and no bars have disappeared yet. So maybe if it takes 100 miles (or more) for the first bar to disappear, than the same goes for after the last bar disappears? My trip A reads 63.2 mpg.

 

Thanks for your response.

Just to clarify, for me to get these numbers, I am sometimes taking longer routes to keep the FE high. Also, I sometimes take my other vehicle for very short trips or if I know the particular trip will drag down my FE. These things reduce the real benefits of having a hybrid. Anyway, I still wanted to do this for just one tank just to see what kind of numbers I can put up. After that, I will go back to more normal commuting. I will still use good driving techniques, but I will take the most efficient route and drive my hybrid for short trips. These things will drag down my hybrid's FE, but it will save gas.

Congratulations on your 700 mile tank.

 

Congrats. I've decided I'm going to top that and start flat bedding my car around

 

Nice work! I get 600 miles on a tank all the time on my 2006 HCH, and nearly made it 700 miles once, but went ahead and fueled up since I was driving past my favorite (low priced) gas station. I did run out once, and I'll tell you what happens: The ECU in the HCH2 is incredibly stupid when it comes to its CVT decisions, and running out of fuel is no different: When the engine starts stumbling, it starts clutching the CVT, so as you lose power and start pressing the accelerator more to compensate, the engine will start revving up to 3000, 4000, 5000 RPM via the electric motor with little to no power at the wheels, as if the car were in neutral. So there is no "EV mode" on the HCH2!

I don't know about other model years, but on my 2006 HCH, the fuel light comes on at about 3 gallons (24%) remaining in the tank, and the last bar disappears at about 2.3 gallons (19%). Which means I can usually go another 100 miles. I use Trip A to monitor my fuelings and Trip B to monitor oil changes. Thus, calculating the remaining range is a matter of multiplying the tank capacity by the average Trip A mileage and subtracting the Trip A mileage. So 12.3gal × 49.3mpgA = 606.39mile range - 487.3milesA = 119.09 miles remaining on the tank.