Help! My milage is dropping fast!
 

:omg: I bought a new '07 FordEscortHy AWD in Dec. in NM where I live in the winter. Good milage for an AWD, 26 city and 31 hwy, while living in the high desert (at 6500 ft.). I drove it back to Alaska with an ave. of 31 for the entire 3500 mile trip. However, since being back in AK I've been only getting between 20 and 22 mpg (all in town driving -- I haven't taken any road trips). Most of my trips are short hops of 3 -5 miles. I live at the top of a hill, so every trip into town is 2.5 miles down (off the gage milage!), but on the uphill I'm lucky to get 10 mph. I've been trying to keep my foot off the pedal so as to keep the engine rpms down, but that doesn't seem to help. It's been a rather cold spring, but temps are similar to the winter weather in NM, so I didn't think the cold was effecting the milage, but could it be? I've been reading a lot about how cold weather effects hybrid milage. Last question, any websits to recommend for hybrid driving tips, especially for city driving? Did I make a mistake bringing this car back to AK, where it will now live year-round, maybe it prefers the warmth of the desert (I know I do!)??

Re: Help! My milage is dropping fast!
 

From what I've read and seen, short hops with hybrids are not the forte of most hybrids unless you're driving under 35 mph (in full electric mode). Your car takes a while to warm up and the short distance is not allowing the car to reach its full potential even though your driving has not changed. Basically when a car starts up it is in open loop mode and it burns a richer (more wasteful) mix of gasoline until it is warm. Hope this helps.

Re: Help! My milage is dropping fast!
 

Hi Scarlet, your cold start-ups and short trips are dragging you down. If you can find a way to install an electrical engine block heater in this car, your numbers will improve.

Maybe someone in the FEH group can help?

DAs

Re: Help! My milage is dropping fast!
 

Scarlet,

I'm guessing you mean Escape rather than Escort?

The previous two posters are right-on... short trips hurt a bit because you won't get many hybrid benefits until the catalytic converter is brought up to running temperature. If possible, try to combine all your errands one after the other so that the vehicle maintains some heat.

Also, have you had it in Alaska for a while? If you are fresh off that road trip, your long term fuel trims might not have had a chance to adjust to the new and different driving conditions. When the computer learns the new routine you may see some improvement.

Aside from that, you may want to try a different brand of gasoline?

Be sure to check out the Escape forum here on GreenHybrid for more advanced tips and tricks.

Re: Help! My milage is dropping fast!
 

:) Thanks for all the suggestions. Yes, it's a Ford Escape, not Escort and no, I'm not a dumb blond as my name may indicate, even if I thought it was an Escort! I've already tried making longer trips and then doing errands on the way home and find that helps by warming up the engine. I suspect the main gas-eater is the long 2.5 mile hill climb up to our house and the cold weather. I'll try other driving strategies and hope the milage improves.

Re: Help! My milage is dropping fast!
 

You've also got an Escort in your Hybrid profile.

Without knowing more about its usage/the trips and terrain, none of us can say for sure what's going on. Have you read the FEH FAQ? (I realize it may not be the most usefull, but if you haven't, it's a good starting ground.)

Re: Help! My milage is dropping fast!
 

It's all been said, except for one thing: don't get discouraged!

It's certainly true that cold weather hurts gas mileage, and your hybrid won't perform like it did in the desert now that you're in Alaska. However- the big thing to remember is that it hurts EVERY car's gas mileage, not just hybrids, and the drop is fairly proportionate to the usual FE. The hit might be 10%, it might be 15% or 20%-- whatever it is, a percentage of fuel efficiency for a hybrid will mean a bigger drop in absolute number of miles per gallon than for a very inefficient car, which means you notice it a bit more if you keep track of fuel efficiency.

Do not let this discourage you! Getting 22 mpg on short trips in cold weather is a heck of a lot better than getting 15 mpg, or 10, which is probably where the non-hybrid SUVs in your area will be at for similar trips. By all means, look for tips and try to find a way to improve your FE, but remember: Fuel efficiency is relative. Comparing hill driving in chilly Alaska to coasting over flat plains in a desert is only going be frustrating, because it isn't an apples-to-apples comparison.

Good luck!