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Hello there,
I have a couple of questions on how to accelerate in order to maximize fuel economy:

From standstill:
-Accelerate in S then shift to D when i reach 30mph? (20?,30?,40?)
-Accelerate in D from start?
-Also accelerate till 1500 rpm or till 1900/2000 rpm(read tarabell post...)

From 5 mph flat surface:
-Do i change from D to S to avoid assistance but going on a higher rpm?

Hill Climbing:
-In S or D?
-Should i avoid or maximize getting assistance from IMA? How to?
-Is there anyway to stop regeneration from kicking in when i hit 4 bars SOC?


Actually im averaging 50-55 mpg but accelerations and hill climbing gives me an awfull mpg otherwise i could easilly go into 60's.

Thanks

Nutsy

Hi Nutsy;

Welcome to CleanMPG !!! :)

The key to getting good fuel economy on the HCH-II is rooted on the following guidelines:

Whenever possible minimize or eliminate the use of electric assist - as much as possible and at all times.
Whenever possible decelerate with the least number of green regeneration bars. Ideally evoke a glide pattern at every opportunity.
Keep the engine RPMS at its lowest and when accelerating above 25 MPH, "fake shift" to help keep this in check while promoting higher CVT ratios. 1900-2000 RPM is good but lower is always better.
It is hard to avoid assist when going uphill, but it should not be a big issue to use some on the smaller hills. On the longer and steeper hills it is best to tackle them with the transmission on S... at least part of time to avoid depleeting the battery pack.
When accelerating from a standstill, always do so gently and in D. If you must accelerate with a bit more vigor then set the CVT to S then switch back to D as soon as you reach 25 MPH.
Always do your best to not let the SoC dip below 5 bars. This not only enhances your fuel economy greatly but also promotes a longer lived (healthy) pack, it is a win-win strategy.


Finally, when going uphill the MPG will always get hit but then again so does every car that climbs hills.
Sometimes, it may help to stop looking at efficiency in terms of fuel used and instead look at the whole thing as an exercise of managing energy flows. When effectively managing energy flow, you must use no more than what's needed and also avoid wasting any in the process of using. The above guidelines help achieve this and more quite well.

Cheers;

MSantos

Errr. I've not driven in anything other than D. Am I missing out on something?

What does driving in S do for you?

It reduces the amount of assist and uses a lower CVT ratio instead to develop more torque. You'll see this as a higher RPM… which is why you don't want to leave it in S all the time.

I use Sport for 3 applications:

1. To keep off assist when climbing hills (per Right Lane Cruiser). It takes a little work, but you can usually accomplish this, combining Sport with a light touch on gas pedal. Sometimes you even start charging!

2. When you really need acceleration: entering onto busy freeway, etc.

3. Driving twisty, climbing/dipping roads, where increased engine braking is a benefit. This is one fun application: yields better acceleration and reduces the amount of gas/brake/gas.