Gas mileage suddenly significantly lower in Hybrid

[Ozarkbeard]

...using the heater appears to be the suspected cause~~~~
running AC in summer didn't show any drop in MPG...

Bingo.

• Running the heater requires running the gasoline engine (if it's not already running) for waste heat to heat the cabin.
• Running the electric A/C uses power from the HV battery. The additional running of the gasoline engine over & above normal will only be to recharge the HV battery when it periodically needs it and regenerative braking isn't sufficient to keep the HV battery at optimum charge.

Bottom line: For the Hybrid, running your heater may use more fuel than running the A/C, especially in non-highway driving.

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[Derwood]

My '24 Hybrid XLT with 6,000 miles on it has suddenly dropped in MPG from 43 to less than 30 in last two fillups. No changes in driving habits ( no towing ever) , only two variables I can think of are 1) cold winter weather, 2) just noticed tire PSI is around 32 even after 50 mile trip in 35 degree weather. The door sticker says 35psi Cold~~~~ can that be causing such a difference? Or does anyone have a good answer to what's causing the huge drop in MPG?
No Snarky answers please, and thank you

Definitely the cold weather. Hybrids lose more MPG in winter vs summer than regular gas-only vehicles it seems. I don't care, 30MPG in winter is still way better than my old SUV which had a smaller engine but had lousy city MPG.

 

[Currituckkid]

My '24 Hybrid XLT with 6,000 miles on it has suddenly dropped in MPG from 43 to less than 30 in last two fillups. No changes in driving habits ( no towing ever) , only two variables I can think of are 1) cold winter weather, 2) just noticed tire PSI is around 32 even after 50 mile trip in 35 degree weather. The door sticker says 35psi Cold~~~~ can that be causing such a difference? Or does anyone have a good answer to what's causing the huge drop in MPG?
No Snarky answers please, and thank you

I have 2024 Lariat Hybrid with 1500 miles. No issues so far. I also have a 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. Sometime about at the two years mark my milage dropped for 37 to 29. The Service Dept seemed to be non-responsive until I complained loudly/ One of the service workers suggested some "software" be reloaded. He did and now with 14 years and 150, 000 I still get 36-37 mpg. I am not sure how close the 2011 Hybrid package is to the 2024. I would hope it has not deteriorated.

 

[KirkyMav]

I'm in Texas and my MPG on a '24 XLT hybrid has gone up from 37mpg during the summer (lots of 100F days) to 41 mpg in the winter (30F to 55F most days).
I have the temp set to 71F in the cab so there is heat being pumped into the cab in the winter.
Mainly urban driving and a little highway so lots of stop start.

 

[Ozarkbeard]

The HVB likes to be at least 55-60 and 72°F + for max Regen current.

Thanks!
I'm guessing that 'splains why, when it's really cold and initially starting out, the Hybrid resorts to jake-brake-style deceleration assists, when going down really steep curvy roads. The battery can't accept any charge until it's warmed up, so switching to jake brake deceleration is the rule until the battery gets warmer.

 

[Bret Grabber]

My '24 Hybrid XLT with 6,000 miles on it has suddenly dropped in MPG from 43 to less than 30 in last two fillups. No changes in driving habits ( no towing ever) , only two variables I can think of are 1) cold winter weather, 2) just noticed tire PSI is around 32 even after 50 mile trip in 35 degree weather. The door sticker says 35psi Cold~~~~ can that be causing such a difference? Or does anyone have a good answer to what's causing the huge drop in MPG?
No Snarky answers please, and thank you

I'm in northern Illinois and have lost 3-5 mpg with my Ecoboost in the last couple months as well. Betwen winter headwinds and cold, I've gone from 26-28 down to 22-23.
BTW, on my last trip to Iowa, running into the wind I switched to Tow/Haul mode and picked up 1.5 mpg, even at the 70 mph sections of Rt. 30 between Clinton and Cedar Rapids into a 20 mph southwest wind.

 

[r100gs91]

Cold weather. My average is 36.7 per tank and I just clocked a tank at 24.6 MPG. Bitter cold, wind and full freeway driving on that one.

My current tank which has 1/3 left is showing 32.6 mpg which when hand calculated will be close to 30mpg. Been very cold with a foot of snow. Avg temp this week was 20°, with lots of higher speed highway driving. This would be my worst tank yet by over 5 mpg

 

[MDmaverick]

My '24 Hybrid XLT with 6,000 miles on it has suddenly dropped in MPG from 43 to less than 30 in last two fillups. No changes in driving habits ( no towing ever) , only two variables I can think of are 1) cold winter weather, 2) just noticed tire PSI is around 32 even after 50 mile trip in 35 degree weather. The door sticker says 35psi Cold~~~~ can that be causing such a difference? Or does anyone have a good answer to what's causing the huge drop in MPG?
No Snarky answers please, and thank you

Cold weather saps efficiency . Cold weather forces the engine to run more. This and the fact that the battery is not at optimal temperature and winter gas(formulated for easier startups) combines for much lower efficiency.

It was19 degrees (F) this morning and my fuel economy dropped from mid 40’s to just barely above 35mpg. Tire PSI averaged about 32to33 down from my normal 35-36psi.

 

[HoiToid]

I'm learning alot from everyone's experience and constructive input. This is better than going to the dealer and getting bs answers.
All my recalls are up-to-date ( except backup camera), tires are back to 35psi,
so it appears to be Mother Nature; hey, it's January , so mpg will improve in 2 months .
Thanks to all

 

[PSchiefelbein]

I live in ND where temperature extremes can range from well below 0° to above 100°. I use 87 octane fuel which is formulated differently depending on when it's summer or winter. Mileage drops noticeably with the first tank of winter fuel and climbs significantly with the summer blend. Temperature also plays a significant role with mileage in the 30's below freezing and the 20's below 0°. After nearly 40,000 miles I have grown used to the fluctuation and am used to it. My average for the year was slightly over 40 mpg so l don't worry too much about it. (Please understand that I drive at 55 when I can get away with it as I drive back roads and am seldom in a hurry).

 

[HoiToid]

Hi PSchiefelbein, thanks for the info, I like 55mph too and not being in a rush

 

[sprubs]

I've def taken a hit but not that bad. 23f this morning. Got about 42mpg. Granted, I drive about 13-14 miles, some stop and go, no highway.

 

[KirkyMav]

Are you sure that's Texas and not hell.

Oops got my Cs and Fs mixed up
Summer in Texas gets pretty hot but not that hot

 

[Stevezilla]

I commute about 75 miles per day, round-trip.
Below 45 degrees F, I find that my mpg drops from 45 to 40.
Below freezing, it's around 37 mpg.

 

[Cherokee]

Many Factors, Winter fuel has anti hydrolysis chem's :
Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction in which a chemical compound is broken down by reaction with water. In simple terms, hydrolysis of a substrate can be defined as its reaction with water. It is a chemical process in which a molecule is cleaved into two fragments by the addition of a molecule of water. to put an ounce of chem's in a gallon of gasoline an ounce has to come out.
More Important, remember all those dead Tesla's last winter ?
Li-po batteries and cold weather don't play well together.
It's weather related, and I bet you spend time at Idle warming things up. More fuel, less mpg's.
Hybrid drivers, relax, summer is coming.

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