Better Gas Mileage by Being Lighter...On the Brake?

[Sovereign]

I've noticed something odd with my 2006 Highlander Hybrid. Perhaps other Toyota hybrid owners could comment.

It appears that when the vehicle is stopped, the engine is more likely to shut off if my foot is barely holding the car in place (any less and creep would occur). Pushing harder on the brake pedal while stopped results in longer idle-time.

This also impacts charging-in-place. If my foot is heavy on the brake (when stopped--pushing all the way to the floor), the vehicle does not charge. If I lighten up my foot, it does (if the battery is depleted and must charge while stationary).

Am I crazy?

[Daox]

Originally Posted by Sovereign

Am I crazy?

I'd say yes.

In all honestly I haven't seen any difference between hard/soft holding of the pedal when I'm at a stop. I also never drain my pack down so far that it needs to idle while at a stop. Also, its not all that often that I am stopped because I avoid stopping as much as possible. Are you purposely using a lot of pack power to drive around?

[Sovereign]

I've only gotten into pack-charge by accident/things I can't control.

Yes, I do use the pack under certain circumstances. There are portions of my commute I know I can use electric power alone (or one burst from the engine, then maintain electrically). Because the morning route is highway while the afternoon is backroads (hey it beats traffic), I know the pack will be "naturally" recharged either by highway cruising or deceleration.

I do try to avoid stopping but this is Massachusetts and I've gotten a few angry honks for not staying with traffic. I'd prefer to avoid road-rage if possible.

Speaking of electric crawl, I have a large hill on the way home which I generally throw in neutral (IF stuck in a line of traffic) since there's no need to battery-crawl and force pack-regeneration. Turns my car into a 4400LB glider temporarily.