My 2c: EV driving

[Jus-A-CMax]

As someone who did 833.8 miles for a tank, alot (79%) of those miles were in EV, so I thought I throw some driving tips for the EV mode. Those who drive City, controlling and managing your EV will give you the MOST MPG as the CMax is just the best car at these speeds.

 

So here goes...

 

Thought 1. Learn to feel the driving in EV. As stupid as that sounds, its the hardest to get use to because it is very subtle and unless you get use to it, it really wants to make you hit it with more gas to get your "surge hit" ala gas engine car.  On top of that, there is no sound to give you the auditory cues. Then on the gauge, you see there is a 1 or 2 blue bar and there is this slow momentum building. Get use to it....its different.

 

 

Thought 2 I like to to always EV from 0 to 10 mph (with traffic) or push it from 0 to 20 mph when there is no one behind me. 0 to 10, EV does a pretty good job as it seems to pretty much keep up with the regular Joe Gas driver on my left. Use 1 EV bar for the 0 to 10 and just trust that its pulling you forward and don't be tempted to hit more EV. Stick with the plan 0 - 10 and then gas it to the street speed limit + 3 mph.

 

 

Thought 3. EV is better below 45mph. It's like buying a triple Whopper and find you have 6 whopper meat in there, at those speed. Any higher speeds and you're suddenly getting Whopper juniors for the price of the triple whopper. See Thought 4 for battery management.

 

 

Thought 4. Juicing the max EV is bad waste of good energy. You're wasting the electricity and it won't give you the surge. Use gas if you want to quickly pulse to 45mph as going from 0 to 45 in EV is a total waste of the EV juice unless its down hill. 0-10 mph -> gas to 40mph on 2 bar -> let is regen and glide down to 38mph -> kick in JUS enough EV to maintain 35 mph. When I say "feather" it means you controlling the gas pedal while in EV mode and jus giving it enough to keep a constant speed - watch the speedo and see if you're drifting down or not. Ideally you picked your route so you give it the barest minimum Instant EV (on the instant gauge, it looks like zero power but with a down arrow only showing some drain - if you're really, really good - have a No Up or Down Arrow) and then you know you found the perfect route to take since you're barely burning anything. OK if its 1-5 pixels (1/4 bar). If you have to give it 1 bar EV, then your CMax is telling you the road is uphill - time to find another route. Yeah, I am talking pixels here because thats where you have to have the mindset and "what to look for" if you want to hypermile and maximize your FE driving.

 

 

Thought 5. Your battery management strategy will change depending on your speed. With freeway, you want to keep the SOC as high as possible (practically like when its 1/2 batt then its time to do pulse or ICE High MPG to recharge to 3/4 SOC) as at those speed, if you think you would use the 1/2 SOC - don't bother, its a waste of effort as it will dwindle faster than taking a dip in a freezing lake. However, at city speeds, you can afford to take it down to the threshold typically 1/3 and you get pretty good running in EV even at this low level. Use the 1 bar ICE pulse to regen. Know this difference, you will EXCEL in the City.

 

 

Thought 6. This more strategy than EVing but I'll throw it in here. While you're EVing, always keep an eye on the next traffic light and especially the pedestrian light. If its blinking, you know you have 8 seconds to make the light before yellow (this may vary by state). Sometimes, it pays to kick in ICE and get out of EV to pulse past the light...but don't fotomoto it with a 9% brake-scrreeecccchhiinnngggg score it... :drop: . Be safe and make good judgement calls. Don't be stupid and run a red light.

 

 

Yeah, if you want to maximize your EV driving, give those thoughts a GO. Its free, cost you nothing and have FUN.

 

See you all in the 600+ Miles CMax Club

 

:skateboard:

 

 

 

Matt - if you want to add something here ;)

 

Edit: There is no 1/2 bar burn, its a 1 bar burn.

Edited July 24, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax

[salsaguy]

can you make Powerpoint slides with screen shots of each of your thoughts (and extras if needed) with text below each side to help explain all this to us know so mpg-perfect...? and were still waiting on that vid you promised

;)

[salsaguy]

Also this post by Jus needs to be pinned.

I'm sure he can update it as needed after the FE update is applied to his CMax.

[Jus-A-CMax]

Powerpoint...I dunno, this is more work than needs be, no one is getting paid for this and I'm jus sharing my thoughts & experiences cause I've been there and done that, assuming people want me to share my thoughts?  ;)

 

I had a great run in today 84.5MPG, personal best. The 2 things I changed today was not burn too much EV on the way home last night so I had jus a wee bit of power to roll down the first big hill in the morning. This will regen the batts and then kick in the ICE warmup after on the flat to regen some more. Also, changed to less use of the 1 bar burn to use a bit more 2 bar quick burn to optimize for the road and traffic, makes no sense when the batts is like 3/5 and there is a slope or red light ahead which I have to stop anyway.

 

For me, these are difference between a high 70s and low 80s. We're talking about 0.01 or 0.02 in gas used....which is why it stumps me why people are so upset if they 47 or low 40s and its literally a squirts or 2 more gas and they really can optimize their EV to possibly get an extra 2-5MPG. We're talking per trip. Per gas tank is a whole different story.

 

Anyway, I'll add or "refine" Post #1 more. 

[wamba2000]

Jus-A-Cmax, thanks for the post and insights.

 

Couple questions:

1. do you use EcoCruise in conjunction with your driving tips at all?

2. Many cities have adapted their crosswalks to show remaining seconds that the traffic light has before cycling to yellow/red.  This is great for judging distance and if you will make the light without stomping the gas.

 

I will try to keep SOC up there, rather than using it once it is built up ( which has been my habit.)

 

This is one exercise that is unique and hopefully saves some $$.

[Adair]

Thanks Jus! This should be required reading for the SALESMEN at Ford dealerships! They have no clue on how to tell new drivers to drive their cars. One of Asia's running buddies picked up her new loaded SEL C-MAX last week and the idiot salesman told her there was no way she would get over 37mpg!!! Can you believe that? I told her maybe it was a challenge......for her to prove him wrong. I have given her the forum link and expect her to drop in sometime soon.

[Jus-A-CMax]

Thanks Jus! This should be required reading for the SALESMEN at Ford dealerships! They have no clue on how to tell new drivers to drive their cars. One of Asia's running buddies picked up her new loaded SEL C-MAX last week and the idiot salesman told her there was no way she would get over 37mpg!!! Can you believe that? I told her maybe it was a challenge......for her to prove him wrong. I have given her the forum link and expect her to drop in sometime soon.

Unbelievable. Yep, send her here. One reason for this thread is that no one has really talked about EV driving and how its feel totally different (see Point 1) and yet, it is crucial to understand so you know how to drive and get good MPG. If you want to drive the CMax like a gas car, stop reading this thread here, its not for you. But if you want do drive 600, 700 or 800 miles city or combo, absorb this and take it out to the road and learn. 

 

 

 

Jus-A-Cmax, thanks for the post and insights.

 

Couple questions:

1. do you use EcoCruise in conjunction with your driving tips at all?

2. Many cities have adapted their crosswalks to show remaining seconds that the traffic light has before cycling to yellow/red.  This is great for judging distance and if you will make the light without stomping the gas.

 

I will try to keep SOC up there, rather than using it once it is built up ( which has been my habit.)

 

This is one exercise that is unique and hopefully saves some $$.

 

1. No I do not use eco-cruise. I know people here say "well..it can control the power much better than a human". Thats true. However, my philosophy is that it cannot know the road you are driving and whats ahead. In a perfect world, all the road will be dead flat, all the lights synced and WALLAH...no need need for a human driver - just eco-cruise.

 

Reality, its not. There is a slow car ahead. That light is about to go yellow. There's a wee hill up there, may be I can quickly pulse up and carry the momentum by EV....get my drift? I did try EV at 35mph and it just sucked the juice out, I felt out of control of the car...and thats not the idea...and I can feather the pedal as good as the eco-cruise and I can decide how much or little power with whats ahead...so what do I gain here?

 

Having said that, eco-cruise at these speed is great for beginners. But do you want to master the car? The only time I eco-cruise is on the freeways or highways. For highways, I use it mainly to build charge and freeways when I know I have a LONG trip and don't want to wear myself out with P&G. See how the strategy changes between city and freeway/highway here?

 

2. Yeah absolutely - they have this in LA. Sometimes its 8 seconds and sometimes its 20 secs. USE IT - keep an good eye on those pedestrian lights on the side but err on the safe side if you're in between decision to go/nogo. If you drive a route for work, you'll know how to time the lights and either use it to build charge if coming to a stop or pulse to beat the light. 

 

City - use your SOC more than "saving it" unless you know there is one really long flattish-downhill grade road that you rather EV on but remember, in city, you have more stop/start that makes you regen so don't save too much charge. Understand your road.

 

:)

Edited July 24, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax

[Testdriver]

1. No I do not use eco-cruise. I know people here say "well..it can control the power much better than a human". Thats true. However, my philosophy is that it cannot know the road you are driving and whats ahead. In a perfect world, all the road will be dead flat, all the lights synced and WALLAH...no need need for a human driver - just eco-cruise.

 

Reality, its not. There is a slow car ahead. That light is about to go yellow. There's a wee hill up there, may be I can quickly pulse up and carry the momentum by EV....get my drift? I did try EV at 35mph and it just sucked the juice out, I felt out of control of the car...and thats not the idea...and I can feather the pedal as good as the eco-cruise and I can decide how much or little power with whats ahead...so what do I gain here?

  

 

I use EcoCruise in the city, but still basically do what you say here -- I pay attention to the road ahead of me and if I need to accelerate, cruise or brake, I can just cancel the EcoCruise and take control. I'd rather do that than feather the pedal all day. I guess I do not aspire to be a C-Max Master  :worship:  :lol:

Edited July 24, 2013 by Testdriver

[Jus-A-CMax]

I use EcoCruise in the city, but still basically do what you say here -- I pay attention to the road ahead of me and if I need to accelerate, cruise or brake, I can just cancel the EcoCruise and take control. I'd rather do that than feather the pedal all day. I guess I do not aspire to be a C-Max Master  :worship:  :lol:

 

 The FORCE is strong with this one 

[RaPieR]

I use EcoCruise in the city, but still basically do what you say here -- I pay attention to the road ahead of me and if I need to accelerate, cruise or brake, I can just cancel the EcoCruise and take control. I'd rather do that than feather the pedal all day. I guess I do not aspire to be a C-Max Master  :worship:  :lol:

 

I do the exact same thing, it's just too much work to me to try and feather the throttle.  My C-Max still gets very good mileage for my commute to work.

[ScubaDadMiami]

Question:  I tried going with your two bar acceleration strategy.  I found that two bar acceleration causes my FE numbers to go down, and one bar keeps improving my numbers.  Why doesn't two bars work well for me?  This would be for a 35 mph road, most of the time.

[Jus-A-CMax]

Question:  I tried going with your two bar acceleration strategy.  I found that two bar acceleration causes my FE numbers to go down, and one bar keeps improving my numbers.  Why doesn't two bars work well for me?  This would be for a 35 mph road, most of the time.

 

sdm, good question...this was why I raised that 1bar vs 2 bar thread sometime ago and showed the forum my numbers and clearly, at the shut off point, the 2 bar was faster to 35mph and used less fuel. But the1 bar had more battery regen. 

 

So....that begs the question of whether the engine breakin has any role to play in this? Since mine is nearly 18,000 now and Matt is above 20,000 and hes a 2 bar user most times (except to regen), like me.

 

Try something out for me...find a quiet stretch of smooth road and do the 1 bar vs 2 bar stretch comparison, used the Trip computers (since you need the 0.xx reading) and see what time, distance and more importantly the gas used. All CMaxs being equal, you should replicate what I got in that thread...

Edited July 25, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax

[mtb9153]

Ok Jus when you make reference to 1 bar or 2 bar, I'm not following what that is?  To quote someone before me I need a picture of what you mean by that.  Call me stupid but verbal instructions don't work well for this owner, never has all my life.  Maybe it is because I'm left handed? Lefties do better with visible props I like to call them.

[Jus-A-CMax]

Ok Jus when you make reference to 1 bar or 2 bar, I'm not following what that is?  To quote someone before me I need a picture of what you mean by that.  Call me stupid but verbal instructions don't work well for this owner, never has all my life.  Maybe it is because I'm left handed? Lefties do better with visible props I like to call them.

 

Left side: 1 bar , 2 bar , 3 bar, 4th bar yellow, 5th bar yellow. Red box is typically where you want to keep the power when accelerating in ICE white mode as compared to 1 bar accelerating in EV blue mode.

Edited July 25, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax

[mtb9153]

 

Jus, that is exactly what I needed, thanks for clearing the fog :) I will try this today during my errands.

 

Cheers

[Jus-A-CMax]

Yeah, give it a go...its all free, cost you nuthin and everything to gain  :)

 

Just a note that SDM said above that he finds the 1 bar uses less gas than 2 bar. However, I find that its 2 bar is less fuel than 1 bar and quicker to speed as well...so there is a difference here in our car and as such - I would suggest you find out what works for you and the car.

Edited July 25, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax

[Bill-N]

... you have 8 seconds to make the light before yellow (this may vary by state). 

 

Seriously!??  Counted a yellow light just today:  3 seconds, max.

[Jus-A-CMax]

Seriously!??  Counted a yellow light just today:  3 seconds, max.

Yep. There is one light at a big intersection with 15 seconds. It all differs...and it counts down.

[Bill-N]

Yep. There is one light at a big intersection with 15 seconds. It all differs...and it counts down.

 

Opps.  I meant traffic signal changed from yellow to red in 3 seconds, not pedestrian.

[ScubaDadMiami]

sdm, good question...this was why I raised that 1bar vs 2 bar thread sometime ago and showed the forum my numbers and clearly, at the shut off point, the 2 bar was faster to 35mph and used less fuel. But the1 bar had more battery regen. 

 

So....that begs the question of whether the engine breakin has any role to play in this? Since mine is nearly 18,000 now and Matt is above 20,000 and hes a 2 bar user most times (except to regen), like me.

 

Try something out for me...find a quiet stretch of smooth road and do the 1 bar vs 2 bar stretch comparison, used the Trip computers (since you need the 0.xx reading) and see what time, distance and more importantly the gas used. All CMaxs being equal, you should replicate what I got in that thread...

I made the first runs today.  Unfortunately, I had to divert from my regular route when one of Miami's many bridges opened for a ship.  Up to that point, I think that my FE was down during the earliest part of the trip, but it was up by the time I reached that point.  I was actually doing better than usual for the total trip to that point.  On the way back, I definitely got better numbers than usual.

 

Now, since you mention break-in, I note that my car is at like 1987 miles.  So, it could be that trying this on the first tank reduced FE, and now that I am starting to reach break-in, I can start to get a benefit from it.  I'll keep working on it.

 

Next question: 

 

You are traveling at your intended speed using pulse and glide.  When you are ready to pulse, do you really stomp on the pedal again, all the way back up to two bars for a quick recharge, or are doing less than this?

[Jus-A-CMax]

Yeah, hit it with 2 bar, or if you feel a wee bit more charge...3/4 bar. Only time I use 1 bar is when I am really low.

[ScubaDadMiami]

Wow, this car has a lot of torque when you are at two bars.  That's why I was wondering.

[Jus-A-CMax]

Wow, this car has a lot of torque when you are at two bars.  That's why I was wondering.

Yes! Wait till you try 2 1/2 bars. You have to experiment with it, don't be afraid of it and thats why I say, its not always SLOW to be efficient. Remember I started a thread "Punch it up the hill" such a long time ago...and thats when you use the engine at 2 1/2 to 3 bar burn in a second or 2 second - in such a short burst but it produces such torque, it really propels your CMax up these small grades - better than a 1 bar slow burn...and yet no one noticed...and I live up the hills, I'll be darn if I don't know what I am talking about... ;)

Edited July 26, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax

[salsaguy]

hence my request to have a power point to show the pix and arrows and text

:rant2:

 

Ok Jus when you make reference to 1 bar or 2 bar, I'm not following what that is?  To quote someone before me I need a picture of what you mean by that.  Call me stupid but verbal instructions don't work well for this owner, never has all my life.  Maybe it is because I'm left handed? Lefties do better with visible props I like to call them.

[RaPieR]

I can't figure out how to embed the video, but I'm doing something similar in the video below. The only difference is I use eco cruise rather than feathering the throttle.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-DeoP7__DQ

Edited July 27, 2013 by RaPieR