Interesting Paradox

[GPSMan]

Note this image:

I can do this any day of the week. I have dozens of photos.

But note: during the time the engine was running, the engine was getting 18.2 MPG.

The devil is in the details.
The hybrid advantage is:
+ No idling
+ Coasting Engine Off
+ Running under heavy load when running because heavy load is more efficient than light load. Demand over the road is light right now? Generate and save what you generated for later.

27.4 miles traveled
7.7 miles traveled with the engine on
0.422 gallons burned during those short 7.7 miles = 18.2 MPG

Generated during those miles enough (with some coasting) to travel 19.7 electric only miles.

Overall: 64.8 MPG

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[Tailender]

That's not a paradox, that's a hybrid Maverick!

 

[GPSMan]

The engine is chugging fuel, but the reduction in minutes it's on makes the truck overall, highly efficient.

 

[commadorebob]

Isn't that the point of the hybrid? The combination of electric and ICE is what gives it better fuel consumption over a distance compared to ICE alone.

 

[jsus]

Isn't that the point of the hybrid? The combination of electric and ICE is what gives it better fuel consumption over a distance compared to ICE alone.

The idea is that the engine is able to run more consistently at optimal thermal efficiency, and turn off for extended periods of times while you use your stored up energy via the electric motor.

So it's misleading to look at instantaneous mpg while the ICE is running - you're burning gas not just for current propulsion but future propulsion, too, via charging the battery.

 

[Denzien]

I heard on CarTalk many years ago that a study was performed in the 70s on how to get the best fuel economy. The results had many recommendations like inflating the tires to 120psi or something ... but also to floor it to the speed limit everywhere and coast as much as possible. Modern hyper-milers call this bit Pulse and Glide.

It makes sense if you consider a few things

1. Engines are most efficient at high loads, usually with some correlation to their peak torque
2. Using the accelerator is an investment of chemical energy into your vehicle's kinetic energy. This causes fuel economy to drop momentarily as the benefit of the chemical energy is only partially realized
3. Using a friction brake converts the kinetic energy into waste heat, therefore always reducing fuel economy when used
4. Coasting yields the highest return on fuel economy, with the best being had by coasting all the way to a stop instead of braking (highly impractical)

The obvious benefits here of hybrid power trains are that instead of wasting your chemical energy investment from the acceleration phase by braking with friction brakes, some of that energy can be converted into electrical energy for assistance with the next acceleration phase.

But because the regenerative braking can't recover all the energy, actually coasting will still yield better returns when possible - this validates an observation made that the Slippery vehicle mode in the Maverick (which uses the least regeneration when lifting off the accelerator) can yield superior fuel economy numbers.

I've only had my Maverick for a few days, so I've just started tinkering with it, but because all electric acceleration is so painfully slow, I thought back to this experiment and wondered if the old pulse and glide would be extra effective for the hybrid by accelerating with the ICE and maintaining speed with the electric motor, then modulating the throttle to get to 0 power output to get true coasting, and only using regenerative braking when necessary.

Sounds like it's a good strategy to explore!

 

[GPSMan]

I heard on CarTalk many years ago that a study was performed in the 70s on how to get the best fuel economy. The results had many recommendations like inflating the tires to 120psi or something ... but also to floor it to the speed limit everywhere and coast as much as possible. Modern hyper-milers call this bit Pulse and Glide.

It makes sense if you consider a few things

1. Engines are most efficient at high loads, usually with some correlation to their peak torque
2. Using the accelerator is an investment of chemical energy into your vehicle's kinetic energy. This causes fuel economy to drop momentarily as the benefit of the chemical energy is only partially realized
3. Using a friction brake converts the kinetic energy into waste heat, therefore always reducing fuel economy when used
4. Coasting yields the highest return on fuel economy, with the best being had by coasting all the way to a stop instead of braking (highly impractical)

The obvious benefits here of hybrid power trains are that instead of wasting your chemical energy investment from the acceleration phase by braking with friction brakes, some of that energy can be converted into electrical energy for assistance with the next acceleration phase.

But because the regenerative braking can't recover all the energy, actually coasting will still yield better returns when possible - this validates an observation made that the Slippery vehicle mode in the Maverick (which uses the least regeneration when lifting off the accelerator) can yield superior fuel economy numbers.

I've only had my Maverick for a few days, so I've just started tinkering with it, but because all electric acceleration is so painfully slow, I thought back to this experiment and wondered if the old pulse and glide would be extra effective for the hybrid by accelerating with the ICE and maintaining speed with the electric motor, then modulating the throttle to get to 0 power output to get true coasting, and only using regenerative braking when necessary.

Sounds like it's a good strategy to explore!

This is it. Yes.
No need to try and stay on electric coming away from a light. Accelerate like everyone else. Assuming you're not at wide open throttle, it will recharge at the same time. Yes, it recharges while accelerating. Then, when at desired speed, the engine can shut off and you can coast, glide, maintain on EV for a surprisingly long time.

And now that you are at 45 mph instead of 15 mph you are going to cover 3x as much "mileage" in EV.

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