Got a New Truck This Week (Ford Escape Hybrid)

[Daox]

Very nice.

[jeff88]

Well I had my first official fill up today. Not as good as I wanted or expected, but respectable, especially given the vehicle type: 27.7 MPG.

We'll see what I can do in the coming weeks as I get more accustomed to it.

[vskid3]

Remove the roof rack crossbars and pump the tires up to sidewall max, you should be able to get 30+ pretty easily. I could get 30MPG tanks doing ~72MPH on cruise with hills.
Remember that all the energy is coming from gasoline. After all the conversions, electric isn't very efficient. When accelerating, blip the gas a bit to kick the ICE on so you don't waste your battery power doing what the ICE is most efficient at. Don't be afraid to give it some gas, most of my acceleration was at least keeping up with traffic, the money is in the coasting. Use electric in parking lots and to extend glides.

[jeff88]

Yeah, I plan to make a couple of mods like the crossbar delete and air up the tires. I like to get a couple of tanks in before I start doing such stuff though, gives me a better idea of the benefit I get from it.

I pretty much drove it exactly like you mentioned, except I kept it between 60-65 on the highway for the most part. I mostly just kept up with traffic, if not passed some people. Most of the battery power was in parking lots, the last stretch of road before the parking lot, going from red light to red light, or in through a neighborhood, like going home.

I could actually increase the avg. mpg as much as .3 from the street light outside my neighborhood to my house! And I always have plenty of battery power to do it. I come off the freeway (60ish) on to an expressway (50). Then have to make a left at the light. So between the highway driving charging the battery, then the regenerative braking from slowing down and/or stopping, I get enough to get home. Then in the morning when the engine goes on no matter what, it charges it back up.

[mechman600]

It seems like you already have the right idea. Contrary to many people's belief, the most efficient way to drive a hybrid is the same as the most efficient way to drive a non-hybrid - COASTING as much as possible. It is far more efficient to coast to your desired slower speed than to convert kinetic energy -> mechanical -> electricity -> battery -> electricity -> mechanical -> kinetic.

I am not sure how this is best done with the Escape, but I image you have figured it out already. During slow down, probably just enough throttle to keep the regen from happening but not too much so the ICE starts up.

Obviously regen makes an excellent replacement for the DFCO that most of us have for added efficiency in moments when a quicker slowdown than coasting is suddenly required. Better to recover energy than turn it into heat.

I am very interested to see what you can manage to do with your Escape. I have had my eye on Escape Hybrids for years, as well as the Plug In Supply PHEV kits that are available. Pretty cool stuff!

[vskid3]

Originally Posted by mechman600

I am not sure how this is best done with the Escape, but I image you have figured it out already. During slow down, probably just enough throttle to keep the regen from happening but not too much so the ICE starts up.

One of my favorite features of the Escape Hybrid is that no gas or brake while in drive is coasting, it'll only regen when you hit the brakes (or put it in the low gear, which regens and engine brakes when you let off the gas). A practiced foot can glide in a Prius, but anyone can glide in an Escape. For being a brick, it could coast pretty well. We would have kept it if I'd known I would end up getting a good deal on an Insight, Prius just seemed right at the time. Oh well, now I own/have owned a hybrid from each of the major (in my mind) hybrid makers.

[jeff88]

I've been watching the in-dash screen about what is powering the truck, what is off/on, etc.

What I have found interesting is that while coasting (no brake, no gas) the arrow points from the axle --> motor --> battery, which tells me it is regenerating power. It doesn't seem to make coasting any longer than what a usual vehicle will do, so I'm not sure where the power is really coming from.

[jeff88]

Well, it's getting up there, first time over 30!:

Haven't figured out yet if the computer is more optimistic than the pump, but it's going up nonetheless, so that's a good sign!

[Cobb]

Adjust the nut behind the steering wheel makes all the difference.

When it comes to a hybrid you really need to feel the car out. I found out early on with the insight the least of the ima system you use, the better your mpg is.