Recumpence

The reason non-hybrids do not get hammered for MPG problems is that they are bought normally for other reasons than absolute MPG. Hybrids are purchased mainly for their high MPG. So, when they do not live up to the claims, it is irritating because the very reason they were purchased is something the car is not living up to. Matt

I have come to the conclusion that new cars attract birds, period...... Matt

I am a hypermiler and my experience is, if all else is equal, you should coast because the added distance coasting is not equaled by the energy gained in regeneration because there is a loss of energy in the conversion process during regen (as has already been stated). However, that being said, at high speed you may see so much drag that it is a bit better braking a bit to gain some regen down to a speed that drag is not so enormouse (say 45mph for sake of arguement). I do not know what that point is, however. My methodology is to use one or the other technique depending on my situation. I do mostly 45mph and slower driving, so I like to coast. However, if I know I will need the added battery for a soon upcoming section of road, I may sacrifice the coasting (that would give me better efficiency right then) for added efficiency later with a higher battery charge. One example of that is when I come home. There is a section of road that my car likes to stay in EV until the battery is very low. However, at that point, EV+ wants to kick in, but there is not enough battery to use EV+ effectively. So, I will tend to use regen to gain some added battery capacity before that section and gain the added .1mpg average by the time I enter my driveway. I also will purposely force the engin to start when in EV+ mode because I know I need a touch more voltage so I do not roll into my driveway with a dead battery. This is done by accellerating for a bit, then braking for a bit to charge then regen into the battery for 25% more power in that road section. I can normally do that without dropping much (nothing indicated) on my daily MPG average. However, the small added battery range will give me an extra .1mpg at the end of the drive. Little tricks like this (and many others) are what make this car such an adventure to drive. :) Matt

That is cool. I will go WAAYYY out on a limb here and share that I am not a typical hybrid driver. I am not politically liberal. I am a moderate with conservative tendencies. I share that because I am the only "Conservative" I know that is, in any way, concerned for the environment. I must say, some people go a bit overboard and throw the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to "Saving the environment". But, I find that a little goes a long way in reducing emissions. For one thing, I remember when I was a kid, you could not go for a drive without smelling like exhaust when you got home. I remember a cloud of smoke coming out of every tailpipe on the road. Thank God we are not there anymore........ Anyway, it is not difficult to recycle, drive a bit slower (in a hybrid), and be less of a consumer and more of a reuser. :) Matt

I think there is something to driving for 10,000 or 20,000 miles. The car gets more fully broken in and we as drivers get better at driving by learning the car more. I know there are guys getting very high mpg on their first and second tanks. Heck, I was getting 50 to 51mpg in my car the first couple tanks, then the weather got extremely cold and I had to wait until spring to see high mile tanks again. At this point, 54 to 55mpg tanks are the norm for me. My latest tank (so far) is 58.2mpg. There are so many things that come into play in getting high MPG out of these hybrids. But, I think driving alot trains the driver and further breaks in the car. Matt

Totally awesome! Welcome. ;) Matt

That is a good question. The car supposedly has a 13.5 gallon tank. The most I have ever refilled at was 13.2. You know, at 52.4 mpg, you are really flirtin' with 700 there. If you can get it up to 55, you will be there. :) You must do alot of in town driving at 30mph. That is the sweet-spot with this car. Matt

I love it! Today I had 137 miles on my tank and my ODO said I had 687 miles to empty. Hmm, somehow I doubt this is an 800 mile tank...... ;) Keep pushin Snit. You will get there! Matt

I just had my fourth 700 mile tank in a row. I did not break my record, though. It was 701 miles (I can post a picture if you would like). My mpg was 56.1 on the car computer. I was on the way to a 735 mile tank, but I was driving for 20 miles with 0 miles left until empty on the odometer. So, I stopped to fill up. Turns out, I must have had a huge air bubble in my tank after my last fillup because the car said I used 12.46 gallons, but the pump said 13.2! I sure am glad I stopped to fill up. :) The weather looks perfect this week. I am going to push HARD for 58mpg on this tank. That would put me over 750 miles. Hmm, I have my doubts. But, we shall see. :) Of course, I know better than to predict anything. That seems to be a guarantee of failure. But, I will do my absolute best........ Jus is looking like he will be the king at some point because of his new work route. So, I need to do all I can to spur him on! ;) Matt

It is definately looking like Jus will hit 700. It is "Jus" a matter of time. ;) :) I also noticed that not all gas stations are honest about their gas quality. I know the difference between regular and premium in how my car runs as well as my MPG. However, I filled up with premium on this tank, yet my MPG is lower than premium would normally give and yesterday I actually had run-on when the engine shut down. So, that freaking station is dispensing regular out of their premium pump...... Aggrivating to say the least! Matt

The higher the AC set point, the better. I have been running mine at 81 degrees believe it or not. Here in northern Illinois, the temp is not hte issue, it is the humidity. So, I run recirc at 81 degrees. That takes the edge off and keeps me from sweating. However, even that takes 2 or 3mpg off my mileage. I am beginning to think there are differences in various cars, though. Matt

That is true. At this "Thin air" way up high at 700, there is precious little headroom available. I agree 100%. However, you are definately on your way to 700 for sure. I am convinced of that. It is one thing to have a high mpg trip or two. But, it is entirely different to maintain it for an entire tank. Everything seems to conspire against it. Pulling out into traffic and not seeing that car coming. Suddenly you need to hit the gas and your MPG for that tank is suddenly down 3/10 of a mpg in that one instance. Then you fight all day to get it back where it was, only to have to do some highway driving that drops it a full 1 or even 2 mpg. Extremely high mileage tanks take commitment and determination. You are on your way for sure, though. :) Matt

You hit the sweet spot. I have found that 25 to 30 mph is the perfect spot. If you can average that speed, 60mpg is your reward. :) Matt

That is a 700+ mile tank if I ever saw one! Matt

Yes, 700 is the new 600. :) Isn't it true that 40 years old is the new 30? :D Anyway, hitting 700 requires determination. But, it is obviously not impossible. I predict at least 3 more forum members will hit 700 this summer. Actually, I really do not think it is that huge a thing under the correct circumstances. For me, the big negative for me is the stop and go. I have so many stops that I struggle to stay around 60mpg. Matt

I have had the same thing. I had one 84mpg trip that was over a dozen miles. But, that never seems to be consistant. For every trip like that, I have one with terrible mileage for one reason or another. It sure is cool having those, though, isn't it?! ;) Matt

Actually, my mods are all reversed back for now. The right side mirror has the outside temp probe inside. So, I put that back on and the wheel covers are off because I was told to do a bunch of stuff all at once and do A-B-A testing. So, for now, the car is 100% back to original anyway. Bear in mind, the wheel covers do pretty much nothing at in town speeds and these were only on for sixty miles of the 720 mile tank. Also, every mile my car has seen (well 95% of all miles) have been done with 300 pounds of parts in the back. That actually lowers mileage more than the wheel covers could compensate for. I have 100 miles on this tank with wheel covers on. I have averaged 55.2mpg for these miles. The remainder of this tank will be stock. Odds are I will have another half dozen or more tanks through the car before any aero mods are added on again. I want to be able to do all the nose mods before I put the wheel discs back on. :) I will keep you all posted. On that note, I am really working hard on a 750 mile tank. That, I know, is doable. Actually, 775 is doable under the right circumstances. 800 is going to be truly a challenge. It would be "Possible", but extremely difficult to achieve. Of course, isn't that the fun of this stuff anyway? :) Matt

Actually, I think I have it figured out. The last 4 times I drove the car, the AC would not come on if I turned it on immediately. I have to wait about two or three minutes. If I wait those few minutes, it will come right on and work fine. Anyone else notice that? Matt

A friend of mine has a 2013 Escape with navigation issues like this. I hope Ford has a fix for it. Matt

My AC just stopped working. I was on my way home from Culver's (Yeah, Baby!) with my wife when the AC would not come on. I turned it on and off several times to no avail. Then I hit the Auto button and it came on and is working fine. Weird....... This is a complicated car. I just hope the car as a whole does not prove to be unreliable, long term. I have 22,000 miles on mine already and I am pushing for a minimum of 200,000 miles before I get a different car (that is only 5 years of driving for me, by the way). Matt

The left side screen is the function of the drive system, right and center screens are different systems. I am not saying Ford is not updating operating systems, though. I bought my car in early November. I had numerous 50+mpg days on my first tank. Then the weather turned cold and my mileage went to 42mpg and stayed there pretty much all winter. Now I am at 55mpg minimum every day. But, the darn winter screwed me up. My lifetime MPG is currently 45.6. My calculations are that it will be around 49mpg lifetime by summer's end. Then the winter will mess it up again. :) Matt

There has got to be a difference between cars because my wife does absolutely nothing special when she drives and she sees a minimum of 48mpg. The majority of her trips average 52 to 56mpg. I am a good hyper miler, she is not, but she still sees very high mileage. Matt

As for how to quantify or classify my mileage, I guess from now on I can begin updating tank mileage with a comment regarding what mods are done so we can keep track of that. Now, that being said, I believe 775 miles is doable considering that would be roughly 60mpg. I can avarage that now if the weather holds out for an entire tank (without any aero mods). The big issue is having perfect weather and no expressway driving for an entire tank........ Matt

The last 60 miles of this tank were with wheel covers and the passenger mirror removed. These mods, combined, are supposed to net 1.5 to 2mpg gain on the highway on most cars. I have been told there is no increase at all under 30mph with areo mods other than a grille block allowing the engine to warm up more rapidly. It is hard to tell what these changes have done at this point. Oddly enough my mpg has actually been lower overall since making these changes. The reason for that is inclement weather. I really need to do some expressway driving to see what, if any, improvement I see. I think it is obvious that once I complete the belly pan, grille modifications and the stuff I have already done, that I will definately notice an improvement. Matt Oh, yes, I am pretty much positive 875 miles on a tank is only possible with an Energi.......

Cool. I never claimed to have the best mileage in the world. But, I have a REALLY hard time with that claim (73mpg for the entire tank)........ I know what that would take, nearly zero accelleration and a never EVER exceed top speed of about 20 to 25 mph. Matt