Adapting Basic Hypermiling Techniques to the HCH-II

[Kacey Green]

On my way back home today (I live 30 miles from work) the car behaved just like you described for the 08. I think I truly hit SHAM for the first time, I thought I had it before but this time it felt different and it the iFE went from 90 to 100+ range vs. 75-80. Now I need to learn how to hold this up a hill, w/o dropping below 45mph on the freeway. (It may be that our hills are too steep, I can't hold it down a hill, it jumps straight to an engine "off" glide.

I use the voice command, the button is much more ergonomic on the '09.

Sorry if this is hard to read, posted from my phone.

[jmelson]

Originally Posted by xcel

Hi Jon:

___181 was yesterdays news. Read about the World Fuel Economy Championships

___If we can pull 60 + mpg segments in a Ranger P/U, do you really think your 19 year old Corolla is only worth 35? It is worth a lot more, trust me.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Oh, this is on my daily commute to work, city only driving as the local highway is closed for a year, in moderate and unpredictable traffic with way too many lights.
On a good day it will do over 40 on the highway. My commute has a lot of hills, which allows a kind of pulse and glide, shutting off the engine on the down slopes.
Anyway, those experiments have ended, as we've loaned that car to a friend and I just got the '08 HCH-II. I can get about 59 MPG on the commute with that, still learning the techniques. My wife does WAY worse, but she drives in a trance, like using "the force".

Oh, this is all on 10 to 15% gasohol, the only thing they sell in St. Louis, an EPA compliance district.

Jon

[Kacey Green]

I wish I could find something other than the 10% blend here in Columbia.

[douglas.mcguire@gmail.com]

Just want to say hello to everyone. I was reading a article in my local paper about Hypermilers and that led me to this forum. Most interesting, and I see I have much to learn.

Doug

[jmelson]

Originally Posted by MoGryph

do any of you actually notice, or "feel" the assist?

Yes, I can definitely tell the assist is working. I use it a lot to glide over small hills or coast uphill to a stoplight. I know that I wouldn't make it without starting the ICE if I didn't have the assist. But, you can't hear it or feel it, it is VERY subtle. But, running 3 or 4 bars of assist can keep the car rolling even up a significant hill. It kind of bugs me that 3, or especially FOUR, bars is so close to starting the ICE that it is real hard to keep the ICE off. The slightest bump in the pavement will jiggle the pedal and start the engine.

Jon

[LionGreen]

Great article Recently I trade my 98 Honda Civic for an HCH - II and this will help me to increase the great FE off these car

[jimtbob]

I have been a lurker for a while and just signed up. I wanted to add a couple comments I have noticed with my 2009 HCH2. I don't know if they made some changes for '09, but here's what I have found so far:

MPG "recal" - using the ScanGauge, I noticed that the engine is still running when the mpg meter does the "recal". It always seems to happen when the pedal position is lingering just above closed valve coast mode but too low to make efficient power with the ICE (i.e. low manifold pressure).

Acceleration - I have found that accelerating at ~2500 rpm actually works better fuel mileage for me. My commute has a lot of short, steep hills and it is easy for me to get into forced recharge. I find accelerating at ~2500 gets me to speed with less damage to SoC and keeps me out of forced recharge (see SoC below). It seems like you press pedal to a certain point, and no assist bars. Past that point, you get assist bars, but no more fuel use. That happens until 3 or 4 bars depending on SoC. Then as you keep pressing you use more fuel up to about ~2500 rpm, but no more assist. I should make a graph or something so that makes more sense.

SoC - did Honda hire a think tank to come up with the dummest battery controller ever? I drive on hills that will discharge the battery, then forced charge begins... and there is no stopping it. It can't be bargained with or reasoned with. It doesn't feel pain or remorse. The forced charge gets the SoC to full 8 bars just in time to go down the other side of the hill. I'm not a powertrain engineer at Honda, but I can figure out that what goes up... must come down. It is maddening to pay a significant premium for regen braking to watch it wasted by dum battery control.

Cold Weather - I bought this in December and I live in the salt belt. I don't think it has seen one day over 65 degrees. I have found there is over a 25% fuel consumption penalty for temperatures below 30 vs. over 50. I used to average almost 39 mpg in my '07 Civic LX 5MT... I have averaged about 45 with the Hybrid. I keep hoping that terrible result is mostly due to cold weather.

[Jax]

I purchased the 2009 Civic Hybrid the end of April and, even though I enjoyed the test drive, after getting the HCH home wondered if I had made a huge mistake. I had driven my 2002 SI over 140 KM and loved driving it and, yes, had a heavy foot.

It has been tarabell's article and msantos FAQ http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/archi...p/t-18185.html and other posts that have changed my mind. I am now having fun driving the car using the basic hypermiling techniques in tarabells article (which is so easy to understand). I've also increased the air pressure in my tires - the ride is not as soft but the km savings are showing up. I'll be replacing the Dunlop tires before the Canadian winter hits.

I tend to use cc on the highway because I have a fusion in my right foot and found attempting to keep the km constant was problematic for both the car and my aching ankle (something I had never experienced with any of my other cars and one of the reason for wondering if I had made a mistake).

In town, I was wondering why the car didn't always "auto stop"; the FAQ section gave me the answer. What I do now in stop and go situations is change from drive to neutral. Neutral engages the auto stop and it is easy to move back into drive.

Cheers

[4myra]

Hi Tarabell

thank you for the complete, readable and excellent article.

i hope and think most of your advises will be applicable to the new honda insight.

regards, Eddy

[Right Lane Cruiser]

Hi, Eddy! Yes -- most of what she wrote is applicable to your new Insight.