So driving to work today I had a direct headwind of about 25 gusting to 35 knots. Pretty stiff. I couldn't accelerate to 29 mph like normal, instead only about 20-22 mph. In addition, if I was above 30 (and lower than 40) I couldn't hold the electric if I double brake tapped.

All told, I figure I got about 33 mpg instead of the normal 43-48 mpg. Could the headwind contribute that much to the decrease or did I just have a bad driving morning?

Other factors were temp 65F and I had the vent on (no A/C) for about 10 minutes of the drive.

 

Hopefully you'll have similar tailwinds on the way home, you'll get stellar MPG and we'll have a pretty definitive answer.

 

You bet. Wind plays a HUGE role.

Sounds on the mark.

I see the same.

 

I was unable to get a good reading on the way home as I was feeling sick (left work early), so I blasted the A/C and wasn't exactly driving for the best MPG. I did probably get 38 to 40 MPG on the way home so I guess that does say something with the A/C blasting.

 

I bet it contributes to FE decreases in non-hybrids as well.

 

The thing is hardly aerodynamic.... we are driving a brick as far as the wind is concerned.

 

Nothing against everyone trying to achieve the best mpg they can . . .

How do you get "the normal 43-48 mpg" ? I'd never be able to get that high mph with normal driving, for sure!

Ha -- I'm just glad when I get up to 34 mph in the city with my FEH, and don't really pay so much attention to, nor worry about, squeaking out every drop of gasoline. Not worth the bother, nor worrying about it, as far as I'm concerned, to save a few dollars. To each his own, I guess.

 

George- Driving route, and technique all play a role.
Basically, you need few starts and stops, and don't exceed 40 MPH much to get MPG in the 43-48 MPG range.

The highest I can "sustain" on complete round trips is... 54 MPG. But that is with an average speed of about 23-26 MPH, and EV use for 80% of the time.
Notice I said time and not miles. There is a technique called pulse & glide. Basically, you use gas to get up to medium speed ( always less than 40 MPH ) and then coast with engine off for as long of time and distance as possible. Using this technique, I can drive for an hour, with the gas engine running for only about 14 minutes. This is how I get 54 MPG. But again, 23 miles traveled in a hour, which is quite reasonable for city use.

My Highway driving is about the same as everyone else's in the mid-30's.

HTH,
-John

 

Agreed. I drive the same route to and from work. In the morning (when traffic is lighter), I know all the lights and what I need to drive to make them. My drive is 14 miles. The first 4 miles are slow, but downhill while the car warms up. Then when I get on my last road (45 mph about 9 miles due north, slightly uphill) I know I have to drive 40 mph to make the lights the first 4 miles and then I need to drive 45 mph the next 3 miles to the make the lights and then 48-50 mph the last 2 miles to make the lights. I make all the lights that last 9 miles about 75% of the time.

On the way home, with more traffic it is slower. We run about 35-40 mph (depending on traffic), so with the slight downhill on the first 9 miles on the way home, I can often put it into EV and hold it in the high 30 mph range. So the way home I do quite well.

Also, I always acclerate slow, taking it in EV to at least 22-25 mph, but often 29. Just becuase everyone else wants to go from 0 to the speed limit in 2 seconds doesn't mean I have to.

 

Thanks John and Robert for the driving tips.

Yes so true how many do jack-rabbit starts, wasting gas, and then tail-gating the car in front of them, trying to intimidate us into going faster and at least 5 mph over the speed limit. What I do with these types is stay in the left lane if I'm there already, and not go over the speed limit. Makes me -- after all, the speed limit is the upper limit, and there is no rule which says that one has to exceed the speed limit if you're in the passing lane in city-streets driving