My first attempt at hypermiling = FAIL

Whenever I hit stop and go traffic on the way home is when I get my best mileage. The key is that you can't be in traffic too long. I usually put it in EV Mode and do P&G in that mode. The key is knowing when to take your foot off of the gas (electric) pedal and start gliding like Codyroo said. The EV Mode gives me a little more responsiveness so I can accelerate quicker and glide longer.

 

That sounds right I do this every day on the Koch bridge (or other areas of stop and go you better of using the ICE to propell than use the regen to slow down without actually breaking I agree this is hard at sub 5 mph ...

 

Single Lane!!!!

~1.5 miles of single lane! You are going to be golden using pulse and glide in this type of situation.

One of the truly great things about hybrids (especially the Prius) is the ability to look at traffic situations (slow and go construction zone) in a different light. Where-as most car drivers are like "Ugh.....3 miles of this" you can be "Wow, 3 miles of boosting my mileage". What an opportunity (that is after you get past the "zipper" of cars squeezing into one lane).

You know, for kicks, you might consider resetting your "B Trip" meter once you are in the single lane construction area and see what kind of mileage you get for those 3 miles.

 

I guess you still entertain this idea ... it is not worth your time unless you have the ability to hack/modify the car several computers' programms even then putting more charge into them just by the ICE will hurt not help your MPG. Most of the the savings comes from the regen and by modifying the ICE operating range which is assisted by the motors (tourqe) very efficent shutt off capabilities .. but very little comes from the full EV mode ...

I am driving priui since 2007 and read a lot about how it works still not an expert but if it would worth it Toyota would have done it ... !!! Or some OEM-s ... and what you would be able to gain is not compatible with highway driving at your style ...

Just my 2c

 

BUZZZZZZZ! WRONG!!! Driving at or slightly below the speed limit does not "cause people to abruptly make frequent lane changes". Sounds very much like it is you, who has a serious problem with your ego and anyone going faster than you. Do you even know what the MINIMUM speed is on the various streets and highways of your routes?

Here's the super scientific method of hypermiling: drive slower, per very specific instructions here on PriusChat! That usually means driving in (gawd forbid) the right hand lane. Many, MANY people will pass you and you will get there 5-10 minutes later. Oh, the horror!

 

Try driving 60 mph in the right lane for 30 minutes and you will know what he means. It is very emasculating to be "the slowest" guy on the road and nothing you've ever done behind the wheel will be more difficult than driving slow. Try it and report back.

 

I have found that driving at 60mph is really no different than driving at 70mph except that at faster speeds it is you who gets annoyed. Personally, I'd rather drive slower and let other folks stress.

I have tried driving faster but found that no matter what you do you are always in someone's way. At those faster speeds you will end up with slower traffic being in your way as well. So it really is a losing proposition. Worse fuel economy and being annoyed is not my idea of a pleasant commute.

 

Exactly right. As one of the slowest, I know that the way I am driving means people will pass me. A lot. Driving "with the flow of traffic" means there are still people who will tailgate and pass me (annoying) AND there are others going slower who will "get in my way" when I'm just trying to drive "safely" and "the way I should" (doubly annoying) and it only takes a 1-2 mph difference for them to slow me down "unnecessarily!" I never let myself get too annoyed with any of these people in the past, mainly because it made me hate driving even more than I already did. Now I hang out with the slow pokes in the right lane, 0-10 under the posted speed limit, relaxed and engaged in what I am doing. I have found I actually enjoy driving, something that hasn't happened since I graduated high school 20 years ago.

 

The OP Joe-G question:

How do you do superhighway driving (+50 mph) hypermiling without drafting?

01) try to pick a route and a time when very few or nobody is driving on the road with you. Avoid rush hour or times when traffic jams are likely to occur. The less objects on the road the easier it is to hypermile. Plan your trips. Give yourself more time to get to your destination. Hypermiling requires that you be aware of your driving environment - so radio, cellphones, eating, and other distractions are a no-no. In hypermiling, the driver needs to focus on being able to predicting the driving conditions atleast 60 second ahead

02) Favor driving on smooth dry multi-lane highway and drive in the right lane. Avoid driving when the roads are icy snowy or wet.

03) Avoid extreme driving temperatures. The Prius is very sensitive to temperature - with 60 to 80 F degrees being the best driving temperatures.

04) Avoid short trips - The Prius as well as other hybrids don't get very good MPGs when the driving trips under 20 minutes/5 miles. The Prius gets is best MPG when driven over 40 to 120 minutes per trip (10 to 40 miles per trip). This is because of the overhead of starting up and heating up the ICE/transmission/exhaust systems.

05) Do not speed - the higher the speed the lowers the MPGs. However, do avoid impeding traffic. Avoid being a part of any unsafe situations on the road ( one way to ruin your MPGs is to get into a traffic accident)... Drive above the min speed limit if it is posted.

06) Avoid using the Prius' regenerative brakes - translation of mechanical to electrical energy is lossy energy conversion ( you lose between 40% to 80% of mechanical energy when converting it to electrical energy) . In theory - the most energy efficient hypermiling trip using the regenerative brakes only once- at the end of the trip.

Hypermiling is about conserving momentum and potential gravitational energy.

07) Try to synch all your accelerate when the Prius is going downhill using a technique known to hypermilers as Drive with Load (DWL) - your temporary top speed can be as high as 65-70 mph. If you want a theoretical explanation of why DWL works then wiki the term gravity-assist .

08) Speed up before going uphill, then hold the throttle steady as the Prius climbs the hill but allow the Prius to decelerate on the uphill (this is the other half of DWL -- using a ScangaugeII this means keeping the throttle between 1000 to 1380 RPM/ .75 to 1.15 GPH (on the Prius HSI display this is under the "O" of the "ECO" light capsule ).

09) If you have a ScangaugeII - when accelerating try to keep your LOD = 75-85 during a pulse. LOD from what I understand is something akin to the ICE compression ratio/efficiency - going over 90 risk initiating a *rich* fuel-air mix and thus lower MPGs.

10) Avoid high speeds when turning - cars with a higher center of gravity like the Prius lose more energy from centrifugal frictional forces than cars with lower center of gravity like a Vette ( BBC High Gear's Jeremy Clarkson got the fuel efficiency of a Prius to drop by racing the Prius along tight curves/bends in the road. The Prius fuel efficiency is better when it is driven in a straight line). The maximum speed for a 3rd generation Prius turning 90 degrees is 22 mph - if you go above this speed while attempting to do a 90 degree turn - the Prius computer takes over and forces you to go slower...leading to lower MPGs.

11) Downhill routes where you drop elevation by several hundred or thousand feet have the highest potential for very good MPG. Uphill routes where you go up in elevation by several hundred or thousand feet have the lowest potential for very good MPG. It all averages out - So when the going is good you do your best to compensate for when the going is bad.

12) Use "D" transmission mode all the time, avoid using "B" setting

13) used either Normal or "Power" mode to get better timing of the accelerator.

14) inflate your tires to the max sidewall settings - to reduce road tire rolling resistance.

15) minimize external aerodynamic drag - don't install things like car ski/roof/bike racks

16) Roll up your windows. If you have to open up your windows only allow about 1/2 inch crack. Never allow the cabin temperature to go over 90F - turn on the AC if u have to - because the Prius passenger cabin air is use to cool the HV battery inverters.

17) use 100% gas over E10 - 100% gas has more BTUs/energy per gallon than 10% ethanol gas.

18) keep you car's cargo/payload as light as possible. However, for a 3000 pound car like the Prius, 50 pounds of safety equipment (like your temporary spare tire and jack) isn't going to make much of a difference when it comes to your fuel efficiency.

19) Any car can be used to hypermile( even a Corvette or Porsche Carrea can be hypermiled). However, electric cars, hybrids, vehicles with Manual Transmission(MT), and vehicles that are flat -towable ( stop-start idle tech OR the ability for the driver to manually turned off and started the ICE while the MT is in Neutral and the car is moving, e.g. Honda Fit with MT ) benefit the most in fuel efficiency when hypermiled.

20) Maintain your car and keep it in good condition: That means: doing scheduled maintenance, keeping your wheels aligned, replace your LRR tires with LRR tires when needed, and so forth. A well cared for car has the better chance for hi fuel efficiency.


21) Gliding at speeds over 50 mph is almost impossible because of aerodynamic drag unless you have a steep enough downhill grade OR you have a tailwind. When you do - pulse your vehicle to your target top speed at the *top* of the hill and then glide/coast as much as you can and as long as you can!




hope this helps
Walter Lee aka HyperDrive 1

 

The ScangaugeII is useful for real time acceleration adjustments.
Torque Android app is much more snazzier and hip- much of the fundamental techniques that use the ScangaugeII can be applied using Torque.
However, the ScangaugeII is well understood and well documented.

 

If you have an iPhone instead of android, engine link is a new app that seems to be much like torque.

 

It took me months to get used to driving 55 mph in my last car and it was excruciating. With the Prius, I'm closer to 60 mph (usually 58 mph real, 60 mph displayed) and I'm OK with it. I get passed by everyone. When I go to fill it up, I'm a happy camper. Last fill up for me was 64.8 mpg displayed (61.5 mpg calculated).

 

BTW,

I've been meaning to point out that you have 3x vehicles with 3x different utilities. 1 car for commuting less expensively, one car for speed and handling performance, and 1 truck for utility. Well done!

I've noticed, as a society, we tend to pat ourselves on the back for buying a vehicle that serves our purpose 5% of the time and ignore the other 95% of its actual use. For example: I know someone who bought a 4wd SUV because they go skiing at Tahoe in the winter. Translation: 6 weekends a year (18 days a year) they will, potentially, use the 4wd capability of this vehicle. The other 347 days, they use it to drive to work/errands on paved roads.

 

Truly stated.

Lesson #1 - Identify your needs and get the tools that address those needs.
Lesson #2 - Buy the best quality product you can afford and that makes sense for the job.
Lesson #3 - Hold onto those tools, don't change them out because an advertiser wants to sell you the latest gizmo.
Lesson #4 - Be responsible and take care of your tools. Since you bought a quality product, they should last a long time.

Sounds like you are teaching your young kids well.