how to maximise mileage

[1967betty]

Love my Outlander but once the charge has gone its so thirsty

Does anyone have any advice on how to improve MPG on trips of about 100 miles

Thanks

 

[greendwarf]

Love my Outlander but once the charge has gone its so thirsty

Does anyone have any advice on how to improve MPG on trips of about 100 miles

Thanks

"so thirsty" compared to what - another compact SUV or Fiat 500? However, you do have Regen available, so make the most of it by coasting down declines in as high a B setting that won't slow you down and even in B0 - no Regen, but coasting under no power will help with "free2 miles.

But basically the same answer, as with any petrol car, - a light right foot.

 

[maby]

Love my Outlander but once the charge has gone its so thirsty

Does anyone have any advice on how to improve MPG on trips of about 100 miles

Thanks

"so thirsty" compared to what - another compact SUV or Fiat 500? However, you do have Regen available, so make the most of it by coasting down declines in as high a B setting that won't slow you down and even in B0 - no Regen, but coasting under no power will help with "free2 miles.

But basically the same answer, as with any petrol car, - a light right foot.

Indeed! You don't have to drive it particularly gently to average 40mpg even if you never plugged it in at all - that's not bad for the size and style of car!

 

[Carnut]

As others have said, how thirsty is thirsty??
See my thread today First average mileage calculation

 

[user 816]

Love my Outlander but once the charge has gone its so thirsty

Does anyone have any advice on how to improve MPG on trips of about 100 miles

Thanks

"so thirsty" compared to what - another compact SUV or Fiat 500? However, you do have Regen available, so make the most of it by coasting down declines in as high a B setting that won't slow you down and even in B0 - no Regen, but coasting under no power will help with "free2 miles.

But basically the same answer, as with any petrol car, - a light right foot.

Indeed! You don't have to drive it particularly gently to average 40mpg even if you never plugged it in at all - that's not bad for the size and style of car!

I am having some weird experiences with this, there are days I cruise and keep the speed well down, then other days when I keep moving in maybe the 70 - 82mph range and get better mpg than I did sitting at 60mph! its like there are some 'sweet spots' in the efficiency and it's not necessarily at the 'driving granny to church' speed which works like in a normal car - perhaps a function of the weird engine?

 

[maby]

...

I am having some weird experiences with this, there are days I cruise and keep the speed well down, then other days when I keep moving in maybe the 70 - 82mph range and get better mpg than I did sitting at 60mph! its like there are some 'sweet spots' in the efficiency and it's not necessarily at the 'driving granny to church' speed which works like in a normal car - perhaps a function of the weird engine?

It's generally reckoned that fuel economy is better in parallel hybrid mode than in serial hybrid. Against that, drag is going to increase with speed and that pushes up fuel consumption. The absolute best economy is probably a steady 30mph on a dead flat road with no traffic, but I can well believe that as you increase speed there will come a point around the 50mph mark where it flips from serial to parallel hybrid and fuel economy actually improves with increased speed. If you continue to accelerate, the increased drag will take over again and fuel consumption will jump back up.

 

[slowrunner]

I certainly found slowing down makes a huge difference - since I got the PHEV I've been setting off 20 mins earlier and driving at 60 rather than 70mph on a journey of 120 miles each way. I've been doing the same trip for years and can say that it really is only 20 minutes longer driving (or trying to drive) at 60 rather than 70. At 70mph I was getting just over 30mpg - at 60mph I'm getting over 40mpg (similar to what I was getting in my old 3L Diesel beemer for the same journey). (no charge during the day so the 'leccy is a rounding error).

Of course for all my short journeys the rest of the week I'm getting super high mpg and it rounds out at about 60mpg.

 

[anko]

@Maby

True. But 60 mph is well beyond serial hybrid speed.

 

[gwatpe]

Once the battery is depleted, driving conditions will dictate how the PHEV balances the power needs between parallel and series hybrid operations.

 

[anko]

Once the battery is depleted, driving conditions will dictate how the PHEV balances the power needs between parallel and series hybrid operations.

Also true, but not all that relevant in relation to BobEngineers post. He was asking why 'sitting at 60 MPH' seemed less fuel efficient then 'sitting at 70mph'. How often does your car switch to serial hybrid mode while 'sitting at speeds > 40 MPH'?

 

[raymie]

My car basically tells me that I don't drive economically and only seems to be happy if it leave it in adaptive cruise control. That does seem to help with the overall milage figures.