Hello all. I just purchased a 2007 Escape Hybrid yesterday which should be delivered to me in a day or so (because I live in the heart of oil country, Texas, and it's REALLY hard to find them around here). I was browsing around the internet this morning and found this site and realized I have lots to learn.
I've already read the FAQ and seen that there are techniques to be learned to maximize the value of my purchase.

I'm really excited to get my car and start learning! If any of you experienced folks out there have any great starting tips I would love to hear them!

Thanks,
Gail

 

You have already taken the most important step - you bought one. Beyond that it is just being patient, experimenting, reading things on this board, keeping an open mind and having fun in the process.

As you read all the posts on here you will find some disagreements as to what works best but as you learn to drive the vehicle you will see what works for you and what doesn't. You will have to tailor your methods to your driving style, your commute, etc.

Welcome (to the site and to the hybrid owners "club"). Hope to see you around.

Ray

 

Congrats on the hybrid and welcome to GH! I hope you take the time to peek around the site, check out the glossary for some idea of the driving techniques out there, and read a couple threads in the FEH section to learn about issues specific to your car. Good luck!

P.S. First tips, first tips... hard to know where to start. There are some great articles on achieving high fuel efficiency in the 'learn' section. I guess I'd start by reading a couple of those. You'll find several consistent facts across types of hybrids, like:
--Driving slower is much more fuel efficient- if you're a leadfoot, try doing the speed limit for a couple of days and you'll really see the difference in FE.
--Air conditioning really eats up energy, so try to minimize it (although in Texas you may have little choice about using it).
--Drive with the terrain- pick up speed when going downhill or on a flat, and ease off the gas going uphill, even if that means you slow down a bit (this is called DWL).
--Try not to accelerate up to a light- if you know you're going to have to stop, take your foot off the gas as early as you can and coast or brake gradually from well in advance. This saves not only gas but wear on the brakes. Anyway, look around the site and again, good luck.

 

For some reason, I feel compelled to say, try the tips in the FEH FAQ first.

Take your time, as Ray said, you've already taken two great steps, you bought a FEH, and you came here. Have some patience, and don't be afraid to experiement. What works for one person may not work well for another just because of climate and commuting differences, or perhaps some individual driver and vehicle quirks. Relax, and have fun driving your vehicle. If you focus on driving it well, you probably will. Keep in mind what we've discussed, and always feel free to ask questions.

 

So I got my car Wednesday night but didn't have much time to mess around then or yesterday, but this morning..............


I was so excited. I went to the grocery store and back by my usual route which is all residential streets. On the way home, I was pretty much driving normally, there's lots of stop signs so theres no point in even trying to go fast, and my car used only the electric system all the way home! It was really neat when I happened to look at my tachometer and noticed it was down on the EV symbol and then I started watching it and it stayed there all the way home. Totally cool.

 

That part still amazes me as well. When I have time to kill while running errands, I also try to stick to the city streets for that purpose. Otherwise I have to take the interstates which isn't much fun. But on the interstates/highways, you can always impliment a pulse and glide technique (which is what I try to use the majority of the time when traffic permits...)

Good luck and enjoy.