I agree, staying in EV mode has got me over 40 MPG. While the ICE does burn more fuel charging the battery, you still end up much better with overall MPG.

I found that on a nonstop 30 MPH road I can average over 60 MPG (Max on the computer) while in EV mode for about 1 1/2 miles and then ICE (charging to max again) for about two miles over and over. Of course you can't find these ideal conditions throughout your tank but it helps your average the best.

Now during the hot summer, take the freeways and draft as much as posible with the A/C on. You don't have to be on someones tail to get 35-45 MPG in the FEH at 65-75 MPH.

All the other ideas posted here I use and agree with.

 

The mantra of Tire Pressure, Tune-up/Oil and Jackrabbit Starts still works on Hybrids. Anyone have experience with oil additives or other things? About the only things that might be easy to do is streamline the vehicle by removing the rack and antenna. Maybe soon we will se after market battery upgrades.


Just wondering.

 

I don't think you understood the point. I'm talking about trying to go 500 miles without using the ICE except to charge the battery. I'm not talking about avoiding EV mode, I'm talking about not using it to do everything.

This weekend, I was in the Woodward Dream Cruise, in a hybird group. We went 10 miles in two and a half hours, never getting above 30 mph, and usually going about 10 mph. My engine was only one to recharge the battery, and believe me, it ruined my average. Oh sure, I was getting 30 mpgs on average, but it ruined my 33 mpg average that I came into the event with, and I was in L gear to maximize recharging, not that it made much difference at the slow speeds I was going.

 

L (or B on Toyotas) actually wastes energy because it lets the ICE spin to absorb energy, just like a normal car, on top of using the regenerative braking, so that may be one reason your MPG suffered so much. L is only really good if you are going down a long hill and you don't want to use the brake pedal so much, otherwise it's more efficient to use the brake pedal (lightly) to engage just regenerative braking.

 

Careful about making generalizations between Prius and Escape.

Some people (I am not one of them, but they are out there) are finding better FE by using "L" on their Escapes. The Escape computer appears to be much more aggressive about recovering energy when in "L" and also slightly more aggressive about staying in EV mode under those conditions (i.e. it uses more of the range of the battery pack than it otherwise would).

The only time the Escape spins the engine in "L" is when the battery is fully charged. At that point it will spin the engine with the motor/generator to consume the power being generated by the traction motor. On a steep downgrade it will bring the RPM up to 4000 RPM or more without the instantaneous MPG moving off the "MAX" peg.

 

I seem to get the best overall MPG at about 45 MPH. This is "hybrid mode" driving, where both electrical and ICE are working to move the vehicle. It appears the system is able to extract the most work out of the ICE in this mode.

YMMV, of course :-)