Pulse and Glide Technique Details

[Bob64]

Shifting to neutral has the following effects:

1) Preventing the ICE from turning on or off. Useful if going downhill and accelerating beyond 41mph, and you don't want to turn on the ICE.
2) Reducing energy drain

Neutral doesn't allow the car to go further, it goes a bit shorter due to the energy that isn't flowing to the motors.

[HTMLSpinnr]

To be perfectly clear, the wheels are ALWAYS connected to MG2, MG2 to PSD, and PSD to ICE and MG1. Neutral is simply a "logical state" for power train management.

Only way you'll physically disconnect is if you break the final drive chain... ;-)

[JimboK]

Originally Posted by ZooPrius

Is this what is supposed to happen? Is this why some of you are using neutral?

I don't use neutral at >41 MPH, except to the extent I might shift into N at lower speeds on a downhill where speed can subsequently drift higher. (NOTE: Driving in neutral on a downgrade is illegal in many states.) If you shift into N at higher speeds, the ICE will run while in N. Better at those speeds is to deploy what some call warp stealth, which allows ICE shutdown. It is very similar to gliding, but is done at higher speeds. It is described here and in the link in my first post in this thread.

[bwilson4web]

You might also take a look at the warm-up stages. Getting your car into S4 lets the vehicle engine cycle off at many opportunities that otherwise might be lost. Maddening, it often requires coming to a complete stop so the engine can 'shut off' and then you are in full hybrid mode.

My first 1-2 miles focuses on getting into S4 at the earliest opportunity. Thereafter, normal 1970s speed routes work pretty good.

One other technique is parking. In the winter, I see a nice, bright sunny area close to the parking lot exit. This lets me use battery power during the earliest 45 seconds to improve initial MPG and the sun is a pretty good space heater. In the winter, I'm parking in the shadiest possible place for battery longevity and AC avoidance.

Bob Wilson