Best Fuel economy on a hybrid

[The Real Maverick]

It never ceases to amaze me how many people here seem to think that hilly terrain improves their hybrid's gas mileage. No, it does not. Simple physics tells us that you always expend more energy going uphill than you can possibly recover on the way down.

Wanna bet???

(No really. What do you want to bet?)

You're not considering more complex reasons. And what if it's not about energy recovery? Intriguing?

As a scientist myself, I understand what you mean. At the basic level what you said is true. But what you said is NOT why hills are an advantage. And they ARE an advantage under the right conditions.
MPG wise.

One condition is the hill can not be too steep nor too gentle. Has to be moderate. Also temperature needs to be moderate.

I could explain it in more detail but then no one would bet against me.

One of my favorite sayings is:
"Magic is just science someone doesn't understand and the magician does."

What I can do in those moderate hills may seem like magic, but I assure you conservation of energy is maintained. No laws of physics are broken.

Seems impossible, but just like sailboats CAN travel faster than the wind, Hybrids CAN get better MPG in hills. I look forward to hills usually.

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[Chicolini]

I don't think all you all have anything to complain about.

This is my worst observed MPG. Cold weather and very short trips. This truck is my farm "meals on wheels" vehicle. It gets loaded with several hundred pounds of feed and hay, then driven around to a dozen stops that are a couple of hundred yards apart.

This is still twice the MPG that I got with my Mazda. I love my Hybrid!

 

[MLA62563]

Wanna bet???

(No really. What do you want to bet?)

You're not considering more complex reasons. And what if it's not about energy recovery? Intriguing?

As a scientist myself, I understand what you mean. At the basic level what you said is true. But what you said is NOT why hills are an advantage. And they ARE an advantage under the right conditions.
MPG wise.

One condition is the hill can not be too steep nor too gentle. Has to be moderate. Also temperature needs to be moderate.

I could explain it in more detail but then no one would bet against me.

One of my favorite sayings is:
"Magic is just science someone doesn't understand and the magician does."

What I can do in those moderate hills may seem like magic, but I assure you conservation of energy is maintained. No laws of physics are broken.

Seems impossible, but just like sailboats CAN travel faster than the wind, Hybrids CAN get better MPG in hills. I look forward to hills usually.

I'm certainly no scientist, so I'll be happy to stipulate that under certain conditions hills may work to our advantage. In fact, there is a stretch of road along my daily commute that probably qualifies. I've noticed that I often get more electric travel along it, and on the flat terrain that follows than I seem to be "paying for" with the ICE.
But the real world is a seriously messy laboratory. How often in everyday circumstances are those perfect conditions met, and how many casual drivers are able to spot the opportunity and take advantage of it? I would bet not very often...and not very many.

 

[dadd75]

My first 4000 miles I have averaged 41mpg. Now, hardly any freeway driving, mostly around town. I drove those miles in ECO mode, but now I am driving in SLIPPERY mode and I have noticed an uptick in mpg. Last week did take a 1.5 hour drive north of us on the freeway and averaged 43mpg, on the freeway had it in ECO mode. Read on this blog on side streets use SLIPPERY mode, on the freeway ECO mode ... that was one's experience.

 

[MLA62563]

It's (nearly all) about speed.

High speed kills (your mpg).
Not really a mystery is it?
These are shaped like a brick, not a Prius (and thank gawd).

30 mph : 60 mpg all day long. (All assume fair weather.)

40 mph : 50 mpg all day.

50 mph : 48 mpg

60 mph : 45 mpg

70 mph : 40 mpg

80 mph : 32 mpg

heater use : 3 to 5 mpg lower

air conditioner use : 1-2 mpg lower

Strategy for hyper-milage: get the engine off for the most TIME per drive cycle. On a one hour drive, I used a stopwatch. Cumulatively my engine ran for 11 minutes of the hour. My trip was 54 mpg for 18.5 miles. It was a complete round trip. No advantage from elevation change.

Don't be shocked and don't laugh.
18.5 miles in 1 hour is quite normal when you spend 2 minutes standing still at red stoplights every few blocks.

That tracks perfectly with my last road trip. I'm a stickler for the speed limit, and 250 miles at 65 mph returned just under 43 mpg. Hand calculated, for those who would assume I'm going by the readouts.
I was a bit bummed at first about that 33 mpg number from the EPA...until I discovered that it didn't apply to me.
Needless to say, I'm very happy with my stylish "brick"!

 

[The Real Maverick]

I don't think all you all have anything to complain about.

This is my worst observed MPG. Cold weather and very short trips. This truck is my farm "meals on wheels" vehicle. It gets loaded with several hundred pounds of feed and hay, then driven around to a dozen stops that are a couple of hundred yards apart.

This is still twice the MPG that I got with my Mazda. I love my Hybrid!

It's a truck.
Use it for "work". I do.

Two thumbs up.

 

[The Real Maverick]

In a competition I'll beat 95% of owners in MPG... because I've had hybrids since 2005 and know the tricks of the trade.

But this is a truck.
And I haul stuff. A lot of the time.

So my "lifetime" MPG is the 30's.

It meets 99% of my needs 99% of the time in diverse conditions.

I go from one extreme to the other.
I've gone 800 miles on one tankful.
Other times, less than 300.

 

[Gonzo chris]

My commute to work is around 42 miles round trip on a 75mph freeway and my average fuel economy is 36.1 mpg. When I drive in town I can get over 50 mpg while driving but the highway I take every day really skews the average. I will say though the window sticker for my hybrid said the combined mileage was 37mpg so you are hovering around that. Maybe the reviewers just baby their trucks and only drive them around town.

This is one of the reasons why I'm thinking about the hybrid more and more. I mean, obviously most people are picking it for the fuel economy, but now that they raise the price of it, that has me thinking a bit more about the EB. I think the EB would be more fun, particularly with AWD and the independent rear suspension, but most of my driving is suburban with a decent bit of stop and go and I think that's where the mileage would really shine with the hybrid. By the way, anyone here have any experience driving both for an extended period of time and any observations? Thanks

 

[Traegorn]

On average I get about 40mpg (42mpg on the instrument cluster) between highway and town driving. In the summer my mileage is way better, but winter drags it down into the dirt because it takes longer to get the ICE warmed up on my trips around town and running the heat requires the ICE to run more often because that's literally where the heat comes from (I had one tank where I only did like 25 mpg because I park outside and the temperature didn't get above zero here for over a week).

Driving style makes a big difference though. I actually just use normal mode most of the time (unless the roads are slick) and just modulate my gas pedal to control regen and try to keep it in electric. The in-town secret is mostly use the ICE to get up to speed quickly, and then pull off slightly and re-apply the accelerator to get it to switch over to Electric while you maintain speed.

 

[Mav_RICK]

I’m averaging 43 mpg over 7 tanks of fuel. I do nothing special, driving in normal mode exclusively. My typical drive is not over 60 mph and is usually between 35 and 60. I do watch the EV coach which has taught me the best breaking practices.

Also I live in AZ so no real super cold weather, usually never below 30 degrees and that’s overnight when the Mav is in the garage.

 

[Jetlat7878$]

In my new maverick lariat hybrid at the 1000 mile mark with a mixture of city and highway driving I’m getting about 35mpg. I’ve had some folks report on YouTube and chat rooms crazy numbers like 45mpg etc. am I missing something? Does my driving generally suck or are there better ways to improve fuel economy?

My 2024 Mav Lariat Hybrid just passed the 1000 mile mark also. I'm averaging 46 MPG. I think lots has to do with the way we drive and the location. Flat land gets better millage than hills. Next is taking advantage if coasting and using the "L" on the dial for breaking assistance. I constantly drive to max the gas millage and it works. I'm driving mostly around town with occasional interstate.

 

[MarcoG]

In my new maverick lariat hybrid at the 1000 mile mark with a mixture of city and highway driving I’m getting about 35mpg. I’ve had some folks report on YouTube and chat rooms crazy numbers like 45mpg etc. am I missing something? Does my driving generally suck or are there better ways to improve fuel economy?

I'm probably 30 highway/70 city and I have 8000 on the Lariat now (2023). I am at 39, but I definitely know how to keep it in hybrid electric mode around town. it is an art. I would say if you live where it's cold, you might be right at the EPA numbers, but Ford learned, with previous hybrids, to be conservative and deliver a bit more.

 

[jsalewicz]

In my new maverick lariat hybrid at the 1000 mile mark with a mixture of city and highway driving I’m getting about 35mpg. I’ve had some folks report on YouTube and chat rooms crazy numbers like 45mpg etc. am I missing something? Does my driving generally suck or are there better ways to improve fuel economy?

I am getting 49 now that spring has sprung. When you get to your cruising speed take your foot off the gas, coast for a few and then lightly put your foot on the gas, while using the couch, you will see that you can hold the electric for a good bit of distance depending on the terrain, wind and temps.

 

[Mainely Tom]

In my new maverick lariat hybrid at the 1000 mile mark with a mixture of city and highway driving I’m getting about 35mpg. I’ve had some folks report on YouTube and chat rooms crazy numbers like 45mpg etc. am I missing something? Does my driving generally suck or are there better ways to improve fuel economy?

I've had my Maverick Lariat hybrid for almost a year. I did notice a significant drop in mileage during the colder winter months. Looking at the # of miles versus # of electric miles, the electric miles were less. I've read this was due to the engine running more to produce the needed electricity for the battery warming elements and to provide warmth for the cab, neither of which do well on just electrical mode. So more gas driving equals lower MPGs. But from last May to the fall, I was getting 41 mpg average, overall.

 

[jaybird]

My commute to work is around 42 miles round trip on a 75mph freeway and my average fuel economy is 36.1 mpg. When I drive in town I can get over 50 mpg while driving but the highway I take every day really skews the average. I will say though the window sticker for my hybrid said the combined mileage was 37mpg so you are hovering around that. Maybe the reviewers just baby their trucks and only drive them around town.

I agree if you are doing mostly highway driving 36 is not a bad mileage. The gas engine is constantly running at that speed so there is really no hybrid driving if you do around town driving then you use a lot more battery power which will improve your mileage. I drive all highway and my mileage is about the same.

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