My first decent mpg "score"

Don't do that! Unless used wisely, EV mode will hurt most people's average fuel economy.

 

Not bad at all and encouraging for me since I will also have a 2012 model Five with ATP and 17 in wheels. As long as I can get close to what I am getting with my 2004 then I will be happy. Hoping for 50 or better on my commutes (currently have 61.2 on the display after 4 round trips on my daily commute of about 14 miles each way, and would be thrilled if I could get close to this in the new car).



iPad ?

 

I'm on my third tank, trying really hard, and I get single commutes like that all the time, but never a full tank of gas. Best I've gotten so far is 48.something. Same car as you. My in-town driving kills my avg no matter how hard I try.

 

No wonder with an average speed of 28mph. Seems like you were already driving like grandma.

 

Ouch.
Time the lights for 100+ MPG

Not exactly. GLIDING allows very high MPG scores. If you do not have to slow down, try to coast with no arrows from wheels, ICE or battery. The idea is that not only is ICE off, you are avoiding conversion losses. The best EV mode condition is a glide, but EV mode can also mean relatively high energy use.

 

57.5 on a five no less, awesome!:rockon:

 

my current tank is right around 59 dash readout, after 300 miles... usually when i add it into fuelly it's about 2.4 off, so figure 56.6 real world mpg... not bad at all, will be the best since i got mine. 80's and no snow/rain has made a big difference for me, before this my best was in march when it was in the low 80's and i got around 54.

 

I totally agree with you Raza.

I keep reading all the posts about using EV mode or sticking in EV and using battery...
all of them say not to do it and discourage from it.

I use all the battery by staying in EV territory ALL THE TIME.
I will run the batt level down to 2 bars multiple times in a short drive (10 miles)
and then go up hills to charge it, and also go down hills to recharge it.

Since I dont fill my tank much...I dont have the proof in numbers to show
that this does increase mpg, but it does.
My averages are typically in the 70mpg range for my commutes (6-10 miles) and
for super short runs (of course in the morning, when temps below 60F) averages
are in the 40-60mpg, with the ICE coming on. (1-2 miles of driving)
I will see the overall seriously jump up in the next few weeks, as the
nightly temps will be staying above 60F.

I have not tried the post starting and entering EV mode with button yet,
as I am still in the break-in period. Also want things to stabilize before running my
personal tests with everything.
Also getting a scan gauge 2 shortly, so I can refine some numbers.

My first fill ups are below atm, but will change,

to add, I use the EV as Raza does and it does help.
best is using it to glide and maintain speed.

edit: the C is SOOO much easier to use EV more esp for maintaining speed (can be used up to 43 mph),
but the 3G is alot better for accelerating and if no traffic is behind you!

 

filled up today, dash said 58.1, i got 56.1 on fuelly on a 411 mile tank. very happy, best tank thus-far.

 

In theory, if you time the lights perfectly, you'll get through them in the fastest way. The reasoning is simple: if we assume the lights always change at the same time (oversimplified), crossing an intersection with an initial velocity is faster than having to start from zero. After all, no matter what car you pick, it can always "accelerate" 40-40 faster than it can 0-40.

The hardest part is getting the timing just right. You can probably get a good idea of what it's like after driving the route a few times. What we need is a computer that reads the light timings and after acquiring enough data, builds a timing model to predict the timing.

 

A route with no lights & a constant speed would be better than all the stop & go. Even though you're recharging as you hits the lights, you're not making as much energy as you're using to get back up to speed.

Speaking of EV, yesterday I was suprised to see that I could maintain EV use at 43mph. In the past, 41 has been the point where the ICE would kick-in. Bet I can really push the envelope & get up to 44! haha!

And I'll never understand the motivation of the idiots who insist on jackrabbit starts from a light, even when they can see there's no way they can make the next light. I've seen them race off from a light just to get a few hundred yards ahead, when there's a blocked train crossing ahead. I need a "tortose & the hare" sticker with "I get 53mpg" on it! haha!

 

Your question is not phrased rigorously, but it is always true that all else equal, the less conversion losses, the better.

Sometimes it is advantageous to accept conversion losses in order to improve overall ICE efficiency or drivetrain throughput efficiency. P&G is an example of the latter.

 

Charging the battery via braking isn't the most efficient way to charge the battery. The most efficient charging of the battery happens directly from the ICE while simultaneously using the ICE for locomotion (preferably between 45-50 MPH).