Question on optimizing gas mileage

[RileyG]

So this is my first hybrid. I work in construction and live pretty far from the site. So i drive about 40 miles to work then i have to drive around a neighborhood all day while I’m building. A few questions… is it better for to start/stop or leave it idling if i have to hop out pretty often? Also I’m confused at how long the battery lasts… as i drive around throughout the day eventually the hybrid coach bar gets very small to where at some points I can’t even drive with electric slowly… gas is the only option. I’m sure there are other questions but those are my two for now

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[pnorwood54]

i would just let the computer do its job. when the battery is full the engine turns off if you're not accelerating.
disabling stop/start on a hybrid ( if that's possible) is a bad idea.

 

[saffrontruck]

One of the few annoyances I have with the truck is that it won't stay in 'Eco' mode between starts! For that reason alone, you may find that keeping your truck idling will result in better mileage.

My fingers are getting better about switching to eco before driving away, but I miss that sometimes.

'Eco' mode, easy on the throttle, and let the computer figure out all the details.

 

[clavicus]

It's fine to idle, that's one of the benefits of the hybrid, it eliminates the vast majority of idling losses. Unless you're gone for like 30 minutes, then maybe it's kinda silly not to just turn it off.

But if you get out of the hybrid while it's running, and you take your keyfob with you to lock the door, for example, or you use the keypad on the door to lock the doors with the keyfob still inside -- in either case the truck double-beeps at you to notify you that you maybe forgot to turn off the vehicle (easy to forget with no sound).

If you're not maxing out A/C, and you're just leaving the hybrid on and it's just powering your screen, the computer, various accessory systems.... you could probably idle for some number of months on a full gas tank. The ICE might kick on for a few minutes of battery recharge every 30 minutes or something. I have no idea how to do the math for that gas use in idle over time.

 

[Decayed]

Just drive it and stop worrying. If the ICE has to run, so be it. That's what hybrids do.

 

[RileyG]

i only ask this question because my MPG today around the neighborhood is 19. Whenever i go to drive the electric battery seems to be drained and its all gas. Not sure why that is

 

[brnpttmn]

Not sure how you'd get 19mpg in the hybrid unless you're letting it idle a lot with heating/cooling on. Even in the arctic weather we've had the last few weeks (Jan averaged 11°F), I've been getting over 30mpgs. In a relatively balmy 26°F today, I was able to achieve my white whale of going the mile from grocery store parking spot to garage without the ICE turning on (I imagine this will actually be quite easy in the summer).

 

[saffrontruck]

Does the AC use the gas engine? OP indicates Texas, and I would imagine if the AC compressor could hijack the mileage.

@RileyG might be worth checking with the dealer. That's really awful mileage.

 

[Montykeel]

Just drive it and stop worrying. If the ICE has to run, so be it. That's what hybrids do.

As a Hybrid Escape driver for the last 8 or 9 years, I second that emotion. Give up even the idea of idling. The concept, as we are used to it, doesn't really even apply to a hybrid.

 

[clavicus]

i only ask this question because my MPG today around the neighborhood is 19. Whenever i go to drive the electric battery seems to be drained and its all gas. Not sure why that is

Just a test to clarify: could you reset the TRIP2 screen, for example, at the beginning of the entire day, then I wonder if you see ~19mpg for the entire TRIP2 for the day. Can you clarify what screen/trip exactly you were seeing 19mpg from?

 

[bombast]

i only ask this question because my MPG today around the neighborhood is 19. Whenever i go to drive the electric battery seems to be drained and its all gas. Not sure why that is

Either something is horribly wrong, or you are leaving your vehicle idling for days. You shouldn't get anything even approaching 19mpg.

 

[taralon]

If you are in warm weather, and doing stops, then turning the vehicle off when you need to stop is best. You'll get even better gas mileage if you increase the set temp of the AC system, or just don't use it at all during those short trips. If you leave it 'idling' with the AC system on, you can see some pretty crummy gas mileage.

Be aware though, that every time you stop/shut off the vehicle it needs to run for a certain period of time to get the Catalytic converter, and the coolant temp back up to ideal operating range. This may mean you get worse than expected gas mileage if your stops are long, and your trips are very short.

If you're getting 19, I'd expect that either the trip was very, very short, or you were making a lot of long stops with lots of out of car idling time.

 

[RileyG]

Just a test to clarify: could you reset the TRIP2 screen, for example, at the beginning of the entire day, then I wonder if you see ~19mpg for the entire TRIP2 for the day. Can you clarify what screen/trip exactly you were seeing 19mpg from?

so it has moderately leveled out. It may have just been a day of turning the engine off and on too much. I just reset my MPG screen every time i fill up. But since that first day getting 19 it has gone up to around 33 which i feel is normal given all the highway driving… not really sure what happened that day

 

[JohnCondren1933]

There is no "leaving it idling" for hybrids, with the key on & not driving the hybrid traction battery will be charging the 12VDC battery which will be running AC or whatever if its on.

Only when the traction battery is fully depleted from charging the 12VDC battery running the AC & music or whatever, will the PCU turn the engine on to recharge the traction battery if not driving or running AC depleting battery to nothing, the engine will not start even with the key on.

Just let the hybrid PCU do its thing, found out if the engine kicks on its better to step on it get some speed, especially in winter, & gets battery recharged so engine switches off & running on battery power.
What I found so far is Nursing the engine throttle in winter is the worst thing for gas mileage, the battery needs to be warmed up for optimal use & that happens from an exhaust heat exchanger - double whammy the cold battery is inefficient and the cold not at operating temperature engine is running a richer fuel air mix burning more fuel.

So this is my first hybrid. I work in construction and live pretty far from the site. So i drive about 40 miles to work then i have to drive around a neighborhood all day while I’m building. A few questions… is it better for to start/stop or leave it idling if i have to hop out pretty often? Also I’m confused at how long the battery lasts… as i drive around throughout the day eventually the hybrid coach bar gets very small to where at some points I can’t even drive with electric slowly… gas is the only option. I’m sure there are other questions but those are my two for now

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