I'll buy that. One thing not mentioned is that its not a one size fits all. You need to have ample cruising time before the next light to make it worth while. Otherwise just get up to 30 and coast to the next light.

 

Actually, I belive my suggestion is not completely correct.
The amount of Assist depends entirely on load conditions.
A couple of months after I wrote that article I took my HCH on a series of MPG accelleration test runs and came to a conclusion that clearly a gradual increase in speed is best.

However that too can be taken to the extreme and hurt your MPG by lingering far too long in the very low numbers.

 

these are my little guidelines i use for assist:

in general, when starting on flat roads, i use assist at about 4-5 bars until i reach 2-3 mph below my cruising speed, then backoff slowly and ease into the cruising speed.

when going up short hills, i use about half the bars for assist, which i think is a good balancing point - once i reach a temporarily flat area, i backoff the assist and put it back on when the grade steepens again.

finally when going downhill, i try not to use any assist at all, and try instead to get as much regeneration as possible.

~~

i'm open to any suggestions to change my assist strategy

 

Well, I'm not getting great numbers, but, after 1 month and 2 days with my new CVT HCH, I've got the mileage from 39 up to 42 (my husband says, at this rate, 3 mpg a month, I'll be doing really well soon!)
And I only have to buy gas once a week, and the highest I've paid has been $21. and something change- Hooray!!!
My killer is my daily commute- over the Bay Bridge (total stop and go) and into and across San Francisco every morning. The hills, the traffic- it's not the easiest route in the world (and man, those stop lights and signs heading up the hills just kill me!)
But, 42 mpg makes me pretty happy. To all you 50+, way to go. I can't wait for my first long drive out of the hills to see how well my car can really do.

 

Having just driven into and through San Francisco this last weekend, I can understand your plight! Those hills and lights are killer. My meager advice, after plowing through town and over the Bay Bridge a few times, is:

- If you can commute on the streets with the timed lights, this will be a boon for your mileage. Going 35 mpg and hitting all the timed green lights can do wonders for mpg.

- Utilize a bit of a buffer in front of you going over the stop-and-go traffic on the bridge. The damping effect can yield great mpg, especially if the pattern is more slow-and-go without coming to a full stop.

You probably know these things already. Best of luck with you commute! And when you get out onto the freeway looking for great mileage, remember that 65 miles per hour is pretty optimal -- going 75 mph will probably get you only about 45 mpg, whereas at 65 mph you can expect anywhere from 50 to 55 mpg.

 

Coyote, my kids are already telling me I'm driving like a little old lady
I've found that, when I'm on the freeway and it's relatively flat, 60 tends to be my maximum now (and for my area, that's definitely slow lane!) if I want to keep that mpg registering high. Down hills I find I'm not going much more than that- maybe 65. I passed a cop this morning, did my well-learned "yikes" as I stared at the speedometer and then laughed at myself.

 

I feel your pain . In my case, the unimaginable has happened -- my wife now drives faster than me. Now THAT's embarrassing...

Actually I have found that driving the speed limit on freeways (often 65 in metropolitan areas) is not too much of a aberration, and I even pass a few passenger cars. So I don't typically have five or six SUVs crammed up my tailpipe, as I would have previously assumed.

And my kids have pretty much happily adjusted, listening to their iPod and reading as we travel to soccer tournaments, college, etc.

I have actually found that traveling in the right lane at 65, there are some folks that will fall in behind me, and just settle in for a more relaxing ride. I consider it my contribution to the mental health of my community. To compensate for the red-faced type A folks who are racing and sending international gestures of ill will at each other in the fast lanes.

 

As one of the 50+mpg crowd, I have to commend you for getting 42 under your driving conditions. I know that stop and go, especially on hills, are death to mega mpg. I must also commend you for not going insane with such a daily commute.

 

Oddly enough, I trained myself to drive slower in the right lane by driving my Land Rover Discovery (11mpg). 3 weeks ago I filled up for $50 and drove to the Honda dealer after work and traded it in on a civic cvt and I am loving it. I started to buy a regular civic a few years ago, I have always liked them. I am now cruising these forums to see how to tweek the mpg I am getting. First tank was so-so, on second tank now at 39mpg with just under a half tank left and 369 on this one.

...not missin' the Rover at all!

 

My wife, big son and I went to Wyoming in Julyin our loaded 2004 HCH. Crossed the Bighorn mountains. About 90% of the trip was at 80 mph. Airconditioning all the way.


Drove 4488 miles and got 38.2 mpg. I can live with that. Last year we did it in our 1993 Aerostar and got 18 mpg. (and a speeding ticket)