Yes. To increase regenerative braking. But you don't always want to increase regenerative braking. Does it say that that is always better? No, it doesn't, because it isn't. If it was always better to be in B than D, then Honda would have just made D into B. I assure you that Honda's engineer's are not morons, so there's a reason they didn't do that.

And that reason is pretty obvious with a very basic level of physics knowledge. Coasting is more efficient than regenerative braking because no transformation of energy is 100% efficient. Even if it were, at best B would be THE SAME as D. But it isn't, so B isn't. Coasting is better than regen, PERIOD.

And no, your real world 19k MPG does not stand for itself, because numerous people are getting better MPG than you, including myself.

I've talked to several people where ignorant salespeople told them to keep it in B all the time. I told them to quit doing it. Their MPG jumped 2-4 MPG. If yours doesn't then it just means you're an extremely inefficient driver, i.e. you're going straight from the gas pedal to the brake pedal which is not efficient for reasons that I hope are obvious even to you.

In short: you're doing it wrong.

 

If you drive past 60MPH, your mileage will drop off FAST, this is because Honda has optimized the HAH electric motor more for city driving. So eventually the electric motor is revving too high.

I believe the next version of HAH will address this. The upcoming 2016 Chevy Malibu hybrid addressed this with a two mode EVT (electronically variable transmission), and should help with higher speeds:

"Our competitors with their single mode have to have a single optimization to try and span that whole area,” Wilson said of low speed city driving, and more challenging-for-a-hybrid highway driving. “So if you’re traveling at highway speeds, 70 mph, strong [full] hybrids historically have in general suffered efficiency at those speeds because the electric motors have to spin so fast that they’re outside their extremely efficient operating range."

So current HAH drivers that go above 65 are going to see a bigger drop off in efficiency IMO

 

Looks like the Malibu is rated 48 highway and 45 city. It may be more efficient on the highway, but you're apparently paying for it in the city. Also has ~7% less horsepower, which could explain some of the ~7% difference in highway mpg.

Both of these cars (and any cars similar to them) are almost entirely reliant on the gas engine at speeds of 70-75+, so I just don't see there being a real significant difference in a slight efficiency gain based on only the electric motors revs. You'd probably see the most efficiency gains at 60 or 65 MPH or so just because there the electric system gets a lot more use because it can sustain the cars speed for significantly longer. And that < 60 or 65 MPH just happens to be where the EPA does the vast majority of their highway testing. It's entirely possible that most or even all of that 3 MPG difference would evaporate at sustained speeds of 70 or 75 MPH+.

 

F - I'm sure you are a super bright person and you can choose to listen to whomever you would like. The bright(er) engineers got it correct, and I can appreciate their skill.

Back to productive conversations...still havent upped my air pressures since Spring-ish and getting 42+. Time to pump up esp with 30+ degree shift in daily temps near the beach. With cooler nights and getting the max out of B on my route, I can now get up the last hill solely on elec and that, of course, is boosting my real worlds for that portion of the drive. Many of you have probably achieved this also, but I've done a few different drives of 6-10 miles and achieved 140-176MPG, admittedly driving ~15% below the posted limit and not over ~50mph, everything shut off and in B. D didnt generate the quicker replen needed, for my route.

But, I ordered a Tesla, so Honda is going to a new home. I'll miss the range, but not stopping for gas and having the POWER and secure handling will be a welcome addition. - BLNT

 

We are new to the whole Hybrid scene. We were very selective and had driven several different models/manufacturers before settling on the Honda Accord. We knew based off the conversations with several dealers we would have to change the way we drive in order to maximize the fuel efficiency and get the fuel savings we were targeting. Today the car reflects 2 bars left on the fuel gauge and we put currently 872 miles on the first tank. The driving split is 60% highway 40% city. Assuming we have 2 gallons left in the tank and the current mileage we believe we are getting 67Mpg (872/13=67)..the current goal is to run as close to bone dry and see what the over all is so we will check in periodically to how others in this community match up. I am curious what driving techniques others are using to maximize their mileage e.g (placing the shifter in B when coasting for red lights/stop signs rather than braking, when to use EV mode) Be kind this is my first post and we are still adjusting to hybrid life.

*** following up we ran the tank as close to dry as possible reflecting 940 filling up was 14.99 gallons 940/15=62Miles per gallon...and what we consider success!


2015 Honda Accord Hybrid EXL Sedan

 

Hi Everyone! I'm new here, I bought my Honda Accord 2 months ago and I've had to readjust my driving habits and have been able to squeak out 50+ MPG daily.

My trick is to stay under 60 MPH and to use the ACC feature on my touring model just about all the time except for when it's raining. The Adaptive Cruise Control accelerates the vehicle very slowly so that the the gas motor is not tempted to kick on and the car stays in EV mode as long as possible. The ACC also knows when to coast. I will cancel the ACC and manually coast when I know I don't need the ACC accelerating the vehicle.

In addition, I drive in "D", not "B". I haven't tried "B" yet. I have not added pressure to my tires.

I try to use the AC or heat only when necessary since that often cancels the EV mode. There appears to be other things that keep EV mode from coming on, I haven't figured out the entire list yet.

Greg

 

Hi All - my first post, but hopefully I can contribute a little to the discussion.

After about 18 months in my 2014 Accord Hybrid, I've learned a lot about high MPG driving in that car, which I assume translates into most hybrids.

1) Conservative driving ALWAYS gives better mpg - conservative means soft acceleration, soft braking, taking turns slightly faster, planning way ahead to maximize coasting (coasting wins over regen braking always.... always). 1a) Also the only real benefit B gives over D in the hybrid, is it can "trick" the engine into turning off sooner to maximize EV mode. Good braking touch is actually better than B because you can "feather" it based on how much you want to coast vs reduce speed for the conditions.
2) Faster speeds always reduce mpg - simple physics and wind resistance. Assuming you have tires slightly overinflated to reduce road friction, then wind resistance will kill mpg faster than anything else other than hills. Physics dictates wind resistance effect will be the square of the speed, and above about 30mpg it takes it's toll quickly, and forget it about 70mph! On the highway find a truck going slightly slower than everyone else and tuck in a couple car lengths behind and enjoy the mpg... In the city, this can be tricky because of unpredictable traffic and lights changing, but just remember soft pedals. On the highway I struggle to get over 50mpg, but in the city I can average well over 70mpg regularly.
3) EV only mode is overrated - the only 2 times I use EV mode in my accord is when I am nearing the end of my trip and I know I can make it to my final destination using just EV power (usually 1/2 to 1 mile) or if I just finished going down a large regen hill and my battery is near full. Also sometimes if I see I am going to need to stop and I don't want the engine to kick-on for just a couple hundred yards.
4) There are times when you will have to need more power to accelerate harder or go up a hill - the EV is TERRIBLE for this - you lose TONS of conservative driving distance for a very short amount of hill you just covered. Use the engine in moderation for these "bursts", but still use the engine unless your battery is near full. (For slow conservative starts the EV is great and very efficient.)
5) Remember, almost any electrical system on the car will steal mpg (A/C being the biggest one).

Hope this was helpful. If anyone finds other accord hybrid tricks i'm always on the lookout for new ways to boost mpg.

 

I am a first time hybrid owner for 2 weeks.

I drive roughly 500-1000 miles a week commuting in Miami traffic on I95 in temps of 85-95 degrees. I totaled my 2002 Acura Rl with 225hp 2 weeks ago. I had already been reading and researching hybrids for the last 2 years. We test drove an insight and some others about 3 years ago. We also test drove a 2016 Ford Fusion Titanium, A Hyundai sonata hybrid and the Accord. The Fusion was an impressive car but the deal was better fully loaded with the Accord. Also the drive was a night and day difference. Another main point is that the electronic configuration for the Accord was easy to figure out. I could not for the life of me figure out the Fusion and neither could the sales guy.

We ended up going with the 2015 Honda Accord Hybrid. We took it on an 8 hour road trip the first 2 days after the purchase. We drove the car like a normal car. I kept the same driving style as I would use in heavy traffic with the RL. 80-85 mph the whole way on the highway, lead foot.

This was done on purpose to gauge the car. I used cruise control for a few hours of the trip set at 85mph. The car handled beautifully and had the power when needed. This was also one of the selling points when I test drove. The drive was a big different between the Fusion, Accord and Sonata.

We got 36mpg this trip with 604 miles and 8 hours on the trip. One tank of gas was all that was needed. I didn't quite get to calculate the exact mpg due to having to refuel before we left and the tank had 1/4 fuel left. But the rough estimate was 36pmg with a day temp of 85 degrees.

So, the next week I tested the car driving at speeds of 40-70mph on the highway with stop and go traffic. The daily trip is a combination of highway and city.

My best trip was 64mpg and I am now averaging 45-48mpg on the highway after 3 additional days of driving the car. I simply read about hyper miling a little and used a few techniques like coasting ect. I also don't break hard or accelerate hard.

The sweet spot for me is between 40-70mph. When I am coasting on the highway I figured out how to keep ev on at 70mph. It will easily stay at 60mph if you coast and ease into breaking. I try to balance the ev on at the high mph when I am on the highway. When I go down a slight hill I coast and ev kicks in at this speed. The best mpg is achieved when the traffic on the highway is stop and go. There are bursts of open driving and then it stops for a little while. I try to use ev the entire time im driving at low speeds of 40mph or lower. Which takes a combination of mild breaking and coasting to time things right so that the battery is charged enough to keep ev on for a good amount of time. This has changed the mpg instantly 3 days after I took that medium road trip.

I was able to also get a few night time 5pm traffic trips up to 54 and 58 mpg on average. But this is driving extremely more conservative than I normally do. I only get in the express lane when its clear and traffic is slower so that I am not going very slow in that lane to block any traffic.

Now since I was a heavy pass lane driver, I've moved to the middle and further right lane where it is slightly slower. That actually made all the difference. The car seems to like the stop and go traffic mix. I used to get impatient with traffic and now I look at it as getting better mpg when its slower. I guess all the graphics on this car make it fun like a video game and I am constantly trying to improve the next drive. So far, after 2 weeks of driving I really do like this car. It is fun and the mpg is amazing. The car hasn't even been broken in and I am getting fairly decent mpg. I am going to do more accurate testing now that I can refuel without restrictions.

I also ride the Ev button a little when i get to the neighborhood with 35 mph or less speed limits.

 

I bought my 2015 EX-L Hybrid in June and now have about 11,600. According to the on-board computer, I am only averaging 40.1 MPG, however, I've been keeping track on my own and on average I fill up about every 600 mile with 13.1 gallons of gas. This equates to a 45.8 MPG. So I'm not sure you can trust was the car is saying. Also, it is important to know I drive in heavy traffic for about 2.5-3 hours per day, with the AC always (I live in hot SW Florida) on and in ECON mode 100% of the time as well. I do also have a somewhat heavy foot as well.

 

With the HAH sold and now having 5k miles on the Tesla, it's interesting to see the similarities between the two vehicles. In particular, B in the HAH is similar in design intent behind the driver selectable more aggressive brake/regen in the Tesla, and both work quite well. It would be nice to see HAH do a similarly aggressive setup.

BLNT