Hypermiling: Beat the EPA City/Highway mileage estimates using Hybrid Car driving tipsThese hybrid car driving tips will teach you how to become one of the most fuel efficient cars on the road, whether you're driving a new hybrid car or still in your old gas guzzler.
Here are some tips for a beginner. Please don't take on more than you can handle. If you say "I could never do that" or uncomfortable then don't. Hybrid Car Driving Tip #1: Maintenance a. Keep scheduled oil changes. Oil types and amounts are an important key to higher fuel economy. A proper amount of low kinematic viscosity oil can do wonders for not only longevity of your ICE but the FE your automobile may be capable of. You should use oil with a viscosity that is within the band of your automobiles lubrication requirements. That being said, not all oils are the same. If your automobile allows a 5W-20, you should be OK using a high quality Synthetic 0W-20. Mobil1 0W-20 has the lowest kinematic viscosity as well as superior wear and breakdown properties vs. ANY non-synthetic I know of. b. Have your front end aligned and tires rotated according to schedule. c. Increase tire pressure. Tire pressures are a very important key to higher fuel economy. The higher the pressure, the lower the rolling resistance, the higher the fuel economy. The absolute minimum you should use is the driver’s side door or owners manual recommended tire inflation criteria. This is what the EPA and your car manufacturer sets tire pressures to during the EPA city/highway testing. MAX sidewall is what I would recommend for most as it is well within the safety limits of your car and tire and allows better FE than the pressure listed in the driver’s side door.
Hybrid Car Driving Tip #2: Winter specific tips: a. Consider using a radiator block. b. Install a tank or block heater and plug it in while parked. c. Your engine is a comparable fuel hog when cold, especially with a load demand. A real pig. Keep cabin temperature to cold for the first 10-15 minutes. Let the tiny engine heat itself first before you. d. Don't let it idle while parked to "Warm up". Start it up, wait a few seconds then begin your trip. e. Keep a very light engine load while it's warming up. Be very, very easy on the accelerator until the engine is fully warmed. Hybrid Car Driving Tip #3. Summer specific tips: a. Practice "e" above in the Winter tips, but not as extreme. b. Use the AC intelligently, don't just set it - and forget it. Turn off the compressor while accelerating or climbing a hill. Turn it on while cruising, coasting, going down hill or stopping. If your fighting a hill, for heaven sake turn the compressor off. Use your defroster to defog the windows, but set the fan to "off" when cleared to shut the compressor back off. Operating the air conditioner on "Max" can reduce MPG by roughly 5-25% compared to not using it. Here's a quick view of what happens in terms of gas consumption on a car when the headlights and A/C are turned on. Headlights add about 0.06 gallons per hour, which at $4.00 per gallon of gas, costs about $0.24 per hour. A/C adds about 0.10 gph, which translates into about $0.40 per hour. The table below will bring to everyone’s attention actual Speed vs. Fuel Economy data many here may not be familiar with in a number of highly fuel efficient hybrid vehicles. With them, I believe you will see why it is so easy to achieve and exceed the fuel economy numbers posted on the side of your new car when cruising down the roadway. Toyota Prius II (EPA city/highway: 60/51 mpg) Constant speed tests: MPG ResultsConditions: 73 degrees F - Tire pressures 47 psi - no A/C - 1.0 mile distance at steady state speed with Cruise Control
Honda Civic Hybrid-II (EPA city/highway: 49/51 mpg) - Constant speed tests: MPG ResultsConditions: High 70 degree temps - Tire pressures 40 psi - no A/C - 1.0 mile distance at steady state speed with Cruise Control
Ford Escape Hybrid (EPA city/highway: 36/31 mpg) - Constant speed tests: MPG ResultsConditions: Mid 90 degree temps - Tire pressures 52 psi - no A/C - 1.0 mile distance at steady state speed with Cruise Control
The key here is that a well setup Toyota Prius II can achieve about 65 MPG between 50 and 60 mph, a setup Honda Civic Hybrid II can achieve about 90 MPG between 30 and 40 mph, and a very well setup Ford Escape Hybrid can achieve almost 60 MPG between 30 and 40 mph just by using Cruise Control!
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