tarabell
01-01-2007, 01:04 AM
Tarabell - CleanMPG.com (www.CleanMPG.com) - Jan. 01, 2007
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/546/Tarabell_s_2006_HCH-II.jpg
My automobile - 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid.
I thought this might be useful for those starting to take an interest in hypermiling. Looking over the Mileage Logs here you may wonder why you don’t get the same FE as someone else with the same car. The reason is that there are so many other external factors than driver skill that play a part in mileage.
So here I’d like to point out some of the obvious and maybe less-obvious factors that affect my overall FE. Knowing your environment and the unique circumstances of both your commuting and non-commuting drives help you understand what helps or hurts you.
Where I live
One of the biggest factors affecting FE is climate. Consider how warm or cold it gets in your area, for how long, the amount of rain, and your seasonal wind conditions. Low temperatures have an especially big impact on hybrids. Living in a very warm climate can mean you tend to use the A/C more. I live in Southern California where it rarely drops below the ‘40s at night, even in winter. In summer we typically have only about 2-3 weeks where you really want the A/C on, but this year unfortunately our summer heat wave seemed to last 2-3 months. Rain and the length of your rainy season also affects your car's mileage, so someone living in Seattle has more elements to battle than someone living in Phoenix. My area's normal rainy season is pretty brief and usually over with by March. Wind, as described in the thread “Has anyone measured the impact of wind on FE? (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/fuel-economy/t-has-anyone-measured-the-impact-of-wind-on-fe-2665.html)” can also affect your FE as detailed by Bear15 and supported by the Fuel Economy Labeling of Motor Vehicle Revisions to Improve Calculation of Fuel Economy Estimates (http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/420r06017.pdf). Southern Cal has its seasonal Santa Ana winds, but mostly in the foothills, not in the flatlands where I live or drive.
My commute
The aspects of my commute that mostly help my FE:
It's daily: Familiarity helps. A consistent commute means you can anticipate the up and down slopes, where backups tends to build, and know when and how long to glide. You get better and better practicing your segments. If I had a sales job where I was on a different freeway each day at different hours, the predictability factor would be hosed.
It’s solo: Not carpooling with family or co-workers means I have no passengers to weigh down my car -- or need to please. For example, driving alone I can be unselfconscious about driving shoeless, have the windows up, no a/c, and no distracting chatter.
It’s just long enough to make a decent segment: More miles are better, since longer segments typically bestow better FE than shorter ones. My commute is a 20 mile segment which is just long enough to let me see the 70 mpg mark once in a while.
It’s mostly freeway vs. city driving: Freeway (non-stop) miles are in most cases better for FE than city (stop-and-go) miles. My commute is 85% freeway, 15% city. If I worked closer to home -- as my family would like -- my commute would actually take longer due to greater traffic. And driving more city miles would cause a drop in FE.
I’m going against traffic flow: Traffic flow is determined by where you happen to live and work, so you typically either drive with the flow or against it. My situation is the reverse of most people--I live in the city and work in a suburb, so I drive in relatively light traffic since I’m always going opposite the flow. I didn’t plan it this way, just noting it happens to have a major beneficial aspect.
Able to safely drive slower than the flow of traffic: Some freeways are fairly tolerant of slow drivers, as long as you’re in the right hand lane. Other areas are hostile to going anything below the limit. So you have to drive safely, according to the amount of pressure you have on your back. On the freeways I use, I find I rarely get heat going 50-55 mph as I stay in the right lane so cars can go around me. Driving in the carpool lanes with the special hybrid sticker, I’ve found drivers become quite annoyed if they’re stuck behind me when I’m going slower than the #1 lane flow.
Anytime I can drive slower, I do: For 30 years I was a fast, impatient driver and firmly believed it wasn’t possible to change my driving style, any more than I could decide to become left-handed. But I did, after about 6 months of driving behind trucks, and learning to let people in front of me. Now I much prefer the 50-55 mph speed range and stay at the lower end whenever I can do so safely. I am a much more relaxed and happy driver, and am amazed how little extra time I’m sacrificing. If I couldn’t have broken my “normal speed habit” (60-65 mph) there’s no question my FE would be worse off.
Flexible work hours: Flexible hours mean I can leave home early and avoid rush hour, not drive in the middle of it. Also, since I also don’t have to worry about “being late”, I’m less tempted to speed. I could also delay leaving home later on cold mornings, till the temperature rises a bit. However for me, the homeward route is the problem—recently if I don’t leave work by a certain time traffic gets very bad, I suspect due to the earlier winter darkness.
No hills to conquer: Having to handle hills on a daily basis is unfriendly to FE. There are some very hilly sections in L.A., but my commute luckily doesn’t go anywhere near them. As mentioned below, I use another car for weekend driving so my Honda doesn’t take the brunt of hills.
Other Factors
Having another car for short trips, on weekends, and city driving: We have an extra car -- my old Hyundai – and I try to use it whenever possible for weekend and city driving. Since we keep it parked on the street now instead of behind the house, it’s the car of choice for a trip to the store. So I try as much as possible to keep my Honda strictly for commuting. Those short infrequent trips are mileage killers. Yes I have on occasion, heard my husband mutter “she should just put her car up on blocks and then she won’t use any gas.” Which I pretend not to hear.
Non-commuting trips unfortunately also invite more opportunities to add weight to your car. I’m talking about those unavoidable trips like going out to dinner with the family, picking up home-improvement ballast from Home Depot, and going on trips which means both luggage and people. Thankfully I don’t golf or ski so I have no sports equipment to haul around in my trunk. Usually for our social outings, my husband insists on traditional appearances—using his car and he drives. I never argue. ;)
Other family members driving my car: When I first got my Honda, my husband took it for a 10 mile trip every morning before I left for work. Not because he liked my car so much, but it was the only one accessible when he needed it since mine was always “last out” in the driveway. This daily trip of his was the biggest factor in holding back my mileage the first 6 months or so. I admit that when going to work with the car already warmed up, I could pull off some incredible segments that I could rarely match with a cold engine. But those segments couldn’t compensate enough for his bringing down the overall mileage. Now that we keep my old Hyundai parked on the street he’s able to use that one when necessary instead of mine.
Tire pressure: When comparing identical cars, tire pressure is another reason why mileage can vary. The evidence is convincing that to a point, higher pressure will improve FE and there are other advantages as well. Consider the write-up “Driving Under Pressure (http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=19&id=27281)” for a succinct reference.
Having FE instrumentation in the car:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/506/2006_HCH-II_iFCD.jpgHaving FE instrumentation provides a distinct advantage to the driver. Even though there’s no direct mechanical effect on your car, its presence or absence is a significant factor that can cause two drivers with the same car and driving skills to get different mileage. Without Honda’s built-in hybrid instrumentation, I’d have to wait till my fill up to determine my mileage, and I’d probably lose any interest in increasing it just as quickly as with all my past cars. However, with the gauges and displays, the rat gets either the cheese or the shock immediately, so the learning curve is much faster and --I can attest-- is a lot more exciting for the rat. In fact I would say the hybrid instrumentation is maybe just as important as the actual hybrid engine in helping the driver improve his/her mileage. Many non-hybrid car owners start breaking all their previous FE records once they install a Scan Gauge II or SuperMid.
Obviously, many of these factors are outside my control, and driven mostly by luck or circumstance. But some can be changed depending on motivation, and as circumstances evolve. Slowing down when you can, and investing in a Scan Gauge are examples. Eventually people do move or change their jobs, which affect their commute. The main thing I’m recommending is to simply take these aspects into account as you measure your hypermiling progress. Not having every factor in your favor isn’t necessarily bad—for example, taking your family out to eat and carpooling are obviously good things to do. It just helps to be aware of how these fit in the overall picture.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/546/Tarabell_s_2006_HCH-II.jpg
My automobile - 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid.
I thought this might be useful for those starting to take an interest in hypermiling. Looking over the Mileage Logs here you may wonder why you don’t get the same FE as someone else with the same car. The reason is that there are so many other external factors than driver skill that play a part in mileage.
So here I’d like to point out some of the obvious and maybe less-obvious factors that affect my overall FE. Knowing your environment and the unique circumstances of both your commuting and non-commuting drives help you understand what helps or hurts you.
Where I live
One of the biggest factors affecting FE is climate. Consider how warm or cold it gets in your area, for how long, the amount of rain, and your seasonal wind conditions. Low temperatures have an especially big impact on hybrids. Living in a very warm climate can mean you tend to use the A/C more. I live in Southern California where it rarely drops below the ‘40s at night, even in winter. In summer we typically have only about 2-3 weeks where you really want the A/C on, but this year unfortunately our summer heat wave seemed to last 2-3 months. Rain and the length of your rainy season also affects your car's mileage, so someone living in Seattle has more elements to battle than someone living in Phoenix. My area's normal rainy season is pretty brief and usually over with by March. Wind, as described in the thread “Has anyone measured the impact of wind on FE? (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/fuel-economy/t-has-anyone-measured-the-impact-of-wind-on-fe-2665.html)” can also affect your FE as detailed by Bear15 and supported by the Fuel Economy Labeling of Motor Vehicle Revisions to Improve Calculation of Fuel Economy Estimates (http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/420r06017.pdf). Southern Cal has its seasonal Santa Ana winds, but mostly in the foothills, not in the flatlands where I live or drive.
My commute
The aspects of my commute that mostly help my FE:
It's daily: Familiarity helps. A consistent commute means you can anticipate the up and down slopes, where backups tends to build, and know when and how long to glide. You get better and better practicing your segments. If I had a sales job where I was on a different freeway each day at different hours, the predictability factor would be hosed.
It’s solo: Not carpooling with family or co-workers means I have no passengers to weigh down my car -- or need to please. For example, driving alone I can be unselfconscious about driving shoeless, have the windows up, no a/c, and no distracting chatter.
It’s just long enough to make a decent segment: More miles are better, since longer segments typically bestow better FE than shorter ones. My commute is a 20 mile segment which is just long enough to let me see the 70 mpg mark once in a while.
It’s mostly freeway vs. city driving: Freeway (non-stop) miles are in most cases better for FE than city (stop-and-go) miles. My commute is 85% freeway, 15% city. If I worked closer to home -- as my family would like -- my commute would actually take longer due to greater traffic. And driving more city miles would cause a drop in FE.
I’m going against traffic flow: Traffic flow is determined by where you happen to live and work, so you typically either drive with the flow or against it. My situation is the reverse of most people--I live in the city and work in a suburb, so I drive in relatively light traffic since I’m always going opposite the flow. I didn’t plan it this way, just noting it happens to have a major beneficial aspect.
Able to safely drive slower than the flow of traffic: Some freeways are fairly tolerant of slow drivers, as long as you’re in the right hand lane. Other areas are hostile to going anything below the limit. So you have to drive safely, according to the amount of pressure you have on your back. On the freeways I use, I find I rarely get heat going 50-55 mph as I stay in the right lane so cars can go around me. Driving in the carpool lanes with the special hybrid sticker, I’ve found drivers become quite annoyed if they’re stuck behind me when I’m going slower than the #1 lane flow.
Anytime I can drive slower, I do: For 30 years I was a fast, impatient driver and firmly believed it wasn’t possible to change my driving style, any more than I could decide to become left-handed. But I did, after about 6 months of driving behind trucks, and learning to let people in front of me. Now I much prefer the 50-55 mph speed range and stay at the lower end whenever I can do so safely. I am a much more relaxed and happy driver, and am amazed how little extra time I’m sacrificing. If I couldn’t have broken my “normal speed habit” (60-65 mph) there’s no question my FE would be worse off.
Flexible work hours: Flexible hours mean I can leave home early and avoid rush hour, not drive in the middle of it. Also, since I also don’t have to worry about “being late”, I’m less tempted to speed. I could also delay leaving home later on cold mornings, till the temperature rises a bit. However for me, the homeward route is the problem—recently if I don’t leave work by a certain time traffic gets very bad, I suspect due to the earlier winter darkness.
No hills to conquer: Having to handle hills on a daily basis is unfriendly to FE. There are some very hilly sections in L.A., but my commute luckily doesn’t go anywhere near them. As mentioned below, I use another car for weekend driving so my Honda doesn’t take the brunt of hills.
Other Factors
Having another car for short trips, on weekends, and city driving: We have an extra car -- my old Hyundai – and I try to use it whenever possible for weekend and city driving. Since we keep it parked on the street now instead of behind the house, it’s the car of choice for a trip to the store. So I try as much as possible to keep my Honda strictly for commuting. Those short infrequent trips are mileage killers. Yes I have on occasion, heard my husband mutter “she should just put her car up on blocks and then she won’t use any gas.” Which I pretend not to hear.
Non-commuting trips unfortunately also invite more opportunities to add weight to your car. I’m talking about those unavoidable trips like going out to dinner with the family, picking up home-improvement ballast from Home Depot, and going on trips which means both luggage and people. Thankfully I don’t golf or ski so I have no sports equipment to haul around in my trunk. Usually for our social outings, my husband insists on traditional appearances—using his car and he drives. I never argue. ;)
Other family members driving my car: When I first got my Honda, my husband took it for a 10 mile trip every morning before I left for work. Not because he liked my car so much, but it was the only one accessible when he needed it since mine was always “last out” in the driveway. This daily trip of his was the biggest factor in holding back my mileage the first 6 months or so. I admit that when going to work with the car already warmed up, I could pull off some incredible segments that I could rarely match with a cold engine. But those segments couldn’t compensate enough for his bringing down the overall mileage. Now that we keep my old Hyundai parked on the street he’s able to use that one when necessary instead of mine.
Tire pressure: When comparing identical cars, tire pressure is another reason why mileage can vary. The evidence is convincing that to a point, higher pressure will improve FE and there are other advantages as well. Consider the write-up “Driving Under Pressure (http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=19&id=27281)” for a succinct reference.
Having FE instrumentation in the car:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/506/2006_HCH-II_iFCD.jpgHaving FE instrumentation provides a distinct advantage to the driver. Even though there’s no direct mechanical effect on your car, its presence or absence is a significant factor that can cause two drivers with the same car and driving skills to get different mileage. Without Honda’s built-in hybrid instrumentation, I’d have to wait till my fill up to determine my mileage, and I’d probably lose any interest in increasing it just as quickly as with all my past cars. However, with the gauges and displays, the rat gets either the cheese or the shock immediately, so the learning curve is much faster and --I can attest-- is a lot more exciting for the rat. In fact I would say the hybrid instrumentation is maybe just as important as the actual hybrid engine in helping the driver improve his/her mileage. Many non-hybrid car owners start breaking all their previous FE records once they install a Scan Gauge II or SuperMid.
Obviously, many of these factors are outside my control, and driven mostly by luck or circumstance. But some can be changed depending on motivation, and as circumstances evolve. Slowing down when you can, and investing in a Scan Gauge are examples. Eventually people do move or change their jobs, which affect their commute. The main thing I’m recommending is to simply take these aspects into account as you measure your hypermiling progress. Not having every factor in your favor isn’t necessarily bad—for example, taking your family out to eat and carpooling are obviously good things to do. It just helps to be aware of how these fit in the overall picture.