Driving Techniques

[Tallguyg]

Hi, I am a new Prius owner and I love my car. learning about all these types of efficient driving (gliding, stealth, warp stealth and pulse/glide) is very intriguing, but i dont think i know exactly how to do them. I was hoping we could discuss different techniques for achieving the best glides, stealths etc.

for example, when i am on the highway i usually try to accelerate to about 70mph and then let off on the gas and gradually slow down to 65-60mph. (this is a pulse/glide, correct?) i find that i can achieve a higher mileage (about 45-50mpg) than if i were to simply accelerate to 65mph (35-40mpg). i think this has something to do with the CVT but i am not sure. i cant really tell if it is better to very gradually accelerate and then let off or to accelerate quickly and then let off on the gas. what are other people finding?

i have no idea how to achieve warp stealth.

[JimboK]

Based on your speed, what you're describing is closer to warp stealth, but it sounds like you're actually coasting. If you let off the gas completely (coasting) you'll see green arrows feeding into the battery on the Energy screen. Better from a fuel efficiency standpoint is to feather it ever so slightly so the green arrows are displaced by orange arrows, but not enough to light the ICE. Pulse and glide is done at speeds of < 40 MPH.

See this article for a full description of both. Also, keep searching here for further tips.

Regardless of speed and whether you're trying to apply these techniques, acceleration should be moderate. The ICE runs most efficiently in a certain range of RPM. Since you don't know the RPM without added instrumentation, here's a rule of thumb that might help if you can do some simple math on the fly: Whenever you're giving it gas, keep the instantaneous fuel mileage between half the vehicle speed and 1.2 times the vehicle speed.