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Hey all--

Last weekend marked six months in my 2007 Magnetic Pearl Honda Civic Hybrid. I thought I'd give an update as to my progress in learning how to drive for FE and how I've changed as a driver. In short: I could not be more pleased with this car.

I took delivery just before Christmas, during a warm spell in the Midwest. Right out of the box without knowing how to drive the car for maximum fuel efficiency, I turned in my first tank at 44.7 mpg, in average temperatures in the 40s. An auspicious start, I thought, given my inexperience.

From that point on, temperatures and FE plummeted, unfortunately. I worked hard at keeping my trips up, but over the course of the next three fillups, my fuel economy fell to about 36.4 for my fourth tank. That was hideous, but so were the weather conditions. For late February and early March, the average temperature was 17 degrees.

March and April brought a return to better weather and FE, and I closed out the month within striking distance of EPA, at 49.7. It's getting hot here in Cincinnati now, and I anticipate filling up this evening at above 52 mpg.

Now, I should attach a small caveat here -- my car is the one we use for running errands, and as has been illustrated elsewhere on this site, short errands kill FE. Conversely, my commute, mostly two-lane secondary roads, affords me conditions to get 60+ regularly. I'm very much looking forward to the extended summer to really bounce back from February. I figure I've got four months of 70+ average temps to really turn up the heat on FE, so to speak.

I should also add that I've been able to achieve these averages with few of the advanced methods illustrated elsewhere on this site. I don't draft close-in, I don't have many opportunities to potential-park, and I don't yet do traditional P&Gs. (Why not? I'll get to that later.)

I do, however, make extensive use of the relatively simple tools the HCH-II makes available. The "underpowered" nature of the car makes DWL second-nature. It is fairly impossible to perform jackrabbit starts or race to "ace-out" other drivers. Similarly, my stops are drawn out much more than they used to be to take advantage of regenerative braking. But perhaps the HCH-II's most important FE tools are the Glide/EV-Glide modes and AutoStop. Essentially, I analyze every inch of my driving to determine when I can manipulate the gas pedal to shut the engine off. Long downhills, straightaways, upcoming stoplights are all opportunities to glide without using an ounce of gas.

As for my driving philosophy, let me take a moment to give a little history. In college I had a red Civic EX, a car that, combined with my youthful exuberance, earned me three speeding tickets inside a year. After that, for several years, I slowed down and went with traffic. Upon finishing grad school, I treated myself to a new A4 Quattro, which didn't attract nearly as much attention from law enforcement but nonetheless cultivated aggressive driving.

So imagine the cold-water reality of settling into an "underpowered" HCHII, a car built not for road rage but for smooth, easy, quiet driving. Quite a wakeup. I am happy to report I no longer curse other drivers for their supposed infractions against me, I no longer weave and work to cut people off or "rolling roadblock" them. I do still get hot under the collar at tailgaters, though, but I've found it's healthier to my emotional state to simply ignore them or move out of the way.

In the place of bad driving behavior is something akin to smugness. Yesterday was our first Smog Alert day, and I took great pleasure in knowing I was contributing very little -- almost zero -- emissions that day. Similarly, when I hear someone floor his Explorer to pull out into traffic or to race me to the next stoplight, I serenely consider that that momentary indiscretion probably cost him more gas than I'd use on my entire commute.

Does this mindset make me elitist or prideful? Maybe. Maybe that's what this country needs, though. For too long we've taken pride in four-barrel carbs and duallies and hemis and horsepower (I'm looking at you Germany) and ride height. I'm proud to be at the fore of a movement that might just do a little to change the world.

So that brings me to why I haven't employed the more advanced methods yet. First is that some of them just aren't for me. Most of my commute is in decent traffic and I feel it prevents me from employing some of the more drastic elements. For example, I don't often employ P&Gs since I feel it would probably irritate those behind me. Secondly, and maybe more importantly for me, I kind of want to know and be able to illustrate to others just how the technology and minor changes to behavior can really make for some astounding FE gains.

Finally, I cannot say enough about the HCH-II and Hondas in general. The engineering and attention to detail have, in my experience, been first rate. We own a Prius as well, and it astonishes me how Honda was able to produce a vehicle that is far simpler than the Prius but for most folks, gets similar fuel economy (admittedly, the Prius has a higher potential upside). After having driven the Audi that needed sixteen service stops in five years, I'm very happy to be back in a Honda. I should've never left. --RN

Thank you so much HCHCIN for putting down such a thoughtful description of your experience. I love hearing other people’s perceptions of this car. But it’s even better reading a look-back like this to hear how they re-assess what works or doesn’t, and the different kinds of satisfaction their progress has given them.

There aren’t too many forums like this where that means something to people. Most car forums I’ve noticed are variations of the brain-dead “I like how car go vroom”, “I like pretty car”, or “Ugh, car no go vroom?” type. Very few appreciate the kinds of rewards you’ve described or understand your reasons for pursuing them.

After nearly 6 months of winter you must be thrilled with the higher temps. Keep us updated!

Congratulations on making such a change, not only in what you drive, but how you drive. I don't simply mean using the ev-glide, etc, but releasing yourself from the ego-traps of road rage, etc. I've experienced the same thing and feel much better for it! Who knows, maybe that's why my cholesterol dropped 36 points as my mpg went up 27!! :)
Thank you for writing a great post.

Hi HCHCIN,

You said in your Post: So that brings me to why I haven't employed the more advanced methods yet. First is that some of them just aren't for me. Most of my commute is in decent traffic and I feel it prevents me from employing some of the more drastic elements. For example, I don't often employ P&Gs since I feel it would probably irritate those behind me. Secondly, and maybe more importantly for me, I kind of want to know and be able to illustrate to others just how the technology and minor changes to behavior can really make for some astounding FE (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/glossary.php?do=viewglossary&term=21)gains.

Finally, I cannot say enough about the HCH-II and Hondas in general. The engineering and attention to detail have, in my experience, been first rate. We own a Prius as well, and it astonishes me how Honda was able to produce a vehicle that is far simpler than the Prius but for most folks, gets similar fuel economy (admittedly, the Prius has a higher potential upside). After having driven the Audi that needed sixteen service stops in five years, I'm very happy to be back in a Honda. I should've never left. --RN

Nice wording in your Post here on www.CleanMPG.com (http://www.CleanMPG.com) . I agree with you on what you have said. I personally do-not do some of the Hypermiling Techniques either and for the Exact same reasons you pointed out in your Post.

I own a 2006 HCH II and as you have found out Honda makes a Very Reliable Car. Mine is now over a year old and I have not had any problems with it, Period.

Here is just a suggestion for you. I had Honda Change/Service my CVT after 6,000 Miles as nothing more than a Precaution. I don't know if you have read in other Forums as well as here but the CVT needs to be taken care of. I have had No-Problem at all but like I said I did decide to have a Service done just to make sure in the Future that I don't have any problems with the CVT.

Glad you are enjoying the HCH II and hope you will continue to Visit and Post here Often. :D


Terry (tiger) :flag:

We are glad you like your Civic Hybrid-- we have not owned a nicer car. Good luck.

Hi all--

So, the first full year in my HCH-II is in the books, so I thought I'd issue an update.

At the end of year one, I finished at 50.03 MPG cumulative over 11,125 miles. That's 222.38 gallons of gas that cost me $617.23, an average of $2.78 per gallon.

My cumulative peak (before colder temps and bad gas set in) was 50.66 in mid-November. Both are slightly above EPA and better than 75% of other HCH-II drivers, according to GH's database. I'm also greatly encouraged that I'm considerably above the revised EPA of 42.

All-time peak for the year was a highway run of 61.26 mpg on a vacation trip in June. That was where I threw out all the stops, employing every trick I knew and could apply. Peak non-highway (commuting) tank was 57.69 in July.

All-time low for the year was a miserable tank of 36.37 mpg in the dead of last February. Man did that suck. Miserable weather, new un-broken-in car, and no real experience with the techniques here. Plus I discovered that the HCH-II's climate control will run the AC compressor even in the dead of winter when set to AUTO. That gets remedied now.

My last tank of 2007 compares well to my second tank overall, when average temps were about 38-40 degrees, and the tank lasted about 20 days. In January 2007, I got 42.74 mpg versus 46.35 in December. That's about 8.5% better after a year's practice.

So, those are the numbers. Even though I'm encouraged that I averaged EPA over the course of a year, and even though I'm fighting an uphill battle against a bad start, and even though my summer was awesome at over 10% above EPA, I want to do better.

Previously I wrote that I didn't really apply the advanced techniques taught here as my philosophy as a driver wasn't entirely compatible with some of them. That's still true, though evolving. I've recently really tried to improve my ability at DWL, and really been working harder to implement EV-Glide (when engine temps allow) more often and for longer periods to try P&G where I can. Once again, traffic considerations on my commute inhibit my ability to really be aggressive here.

So, I'm expecting to fall below EPA at some point this winter, but I think I'm better equipped to really hammer away at it once the temps climb again. Perhaps I'm not the true definition of a hypermiler, and maybe I'm okay with that, because even though I only barely exceed EPA over a year, I'm still getting 50 mpg. And in my book, that's pretty good, and better than 95 percent of all US drivers.

My driving attitude has still been affected profoundly while owning this car. I'm calmer for the most part, still somewhat smug that I'm better off driving slower and more cautiously and way more inexpensively. But above all, I probably put out less harmful emissions over the course of a year than the SUV driver around the corner puts out in a month. And that, I think, is my proudest accomplishment.

great update, you have come far since a year ago. don't let the low temps get you down (pun intended), with what you have learned since last year, i think you will fare a lot better this year...........

congrats!:)

Indeed, great update !!!

Yes, your mileage graph trends very well with the season temps and I am glad you are still nailing the old EPA quite well despite that. I too cannot wait until the good weather returns and when it does... its show time !!!

I concur with the "calm" that this car induces. Even my wife has become more pacified and she even admits she can't believe she would be saying that less than a year later. She drove a 2004 Acura EL premium for a few years and she really loved it. Nevertheless, I have already planned a cross Canada coast-to-coast sigh-seeing vacation that will happen sometime in the summer... This time it will be my wife's car that will piling in the miles.

Cheers;

MSantos

Hi HCHCIN:

___Thank you for the second 6-month update as it was another great post.

___It is nice to see a member holding on to the EPA in a hybrid in the winter which is no easy task. More importantly, you said it best: “above all, I probably put out less harmful emissions over the course of a year than the SUV driver around the corner puts out in a month.” Hypermiling does not necessarily mean you are achieving a given % above the EPA or even the EPA in some cases. Short trips, short commute, errands all take their toll etc. … The more important metric is that you are measuring tank after tank, taking responsibility for it and most important of all, still trying to continuously improve. I think I can speak for the membership as a whole that everyone here appreciates your efforts and we all thank you for it!

___Good Luck

___Wayne