Morning commute is a dream

[treeofliberty]

As with most others, I've been playing the moderate hypermiling game with my FFH since picking it up. Sitting here in the middle of hottest part of a Phoenix summer, this has translated into unbelievable mileage in the morning commute (5-6am) and moderately wonderful mileage coming home (4-5pm).

 

My commute consists of 5.5 miles out to I-10, with a slight upward grade, about 30 miles on I-10 (all flat), and about 3 miles from I-10 to the office, with a very slight downward grade. Unlike my prior driving habbits, I now try to keep to around 45mph on the regular streets and around 70 on I-10.

 

For my three morning commutes this week, I was able to get 46.4, 47.0, and 46.5mpg, according to the computer. The corresponding drives home usually dropped the day's average to about 42-43mpg, meaning I was getting around 39-40mpg on the drive home in the 105-110 degree heat and heavy traffic.

 

This week's commuting was interrupted by a quick 800-mile business trip to New Mexico. This trip included hills, a passenger, and faster speeds (nearly 80mph). My overall mileage for the trip was 35.5mpg.

 

The morning commute, with the lighter traffic and cooler temperatures, has become a hypermiling lab for me. My attention is glued to the traffic patterns and the instrument cluster, set to Empower. 47.0 appears to be the upper limit on what I can achieve with the FFH, without extreme measures, like truck drafting and dropping to grandpa speeds. This all makes me curious about the numbers I'll see when the weather cools back down. The FFH is certainly delivering on the number one reason I bought: commuting mileage.

[treeofliberty]

Broke my record this morning with a surprising 50.2mpg for the commute (according to the computer). Traffic was perfect and I hit many of the lights, allowing extended stealth mode driving.

[WPWoodJr]

Broke my record this morning with a surprising 50.2mpg for the commute (according to the computer). Traffic was perfect and I hit many of the lights, allowing extended stealth mode driving.

I also broke my record today going to work - 60.4 MPG vs 57.4 - I modified my normal technique by applying more power than I had been before when using the ICE.

 

The route to work has a lot of downhill in it. Normally I get about 36mpg on the way home, although I have gotten 38. Today I got 33, but I think I was building up too much speed with the ICE, then having to slow down.

[WPWoodJr]

I also broke my record today going to work - 60.4 MPG vs 57.4 - I modified my normal technique by applying more power than I had been before when using the ICE.

 

The route to work has a lot of downhill in it. Normally I get about 36mpg on the way home, although I have gotten 38. Today I got 33, but I think I was building up too much speed with the ICE, then having to slow down.

I got 39.6 mpg on the way home today. Hoping to break 40 as this route is very hilly, more uphill than down.

 

Was not being too much of a granny either ;)

[treeofliberty]

I also broke my record today going to work - 60.4 MPG vs 57.4 - I modified my normal technique by applying more power than I had been before when using the ICE.

 

Wow, those are amazing numbers. Even with your numbers going home your average is very impressive. I'm anxious to see how things average in the fall, when I can stop using the A/C.

 

Congrats on breaking the 60 mark, which I'm sure puts you in a very small class of your own. That's territory usually reserved to the Prius owners. Pretty cool to pull that out with a full-sized sedan.

[WPWoodJr]

Wow, those are amazing numbers. Even with your numbers going home your average is very impressive. I'm anxious to see how things average in the fall, when I can stop using the A/C.

 

Congrats on breaking the 60 mark, which I'm sure puts you in a very small class of your own. That's territory usually reserved to the Prius owners. Pretty cool to pull that out with a full-sized sedan.

Well, I live on the ridge above Valley Forge, so the general trend is downhill going to work. But that's the only time I've broken 60. I'm trying to do it on a more level course though. Wayne Gerdes was able to do it on a regular basis while he had one for testing, I'm a bit perplexed how. I went out on a drive yesterday of 14.7 miles and got 54.3, some granny driving when others weren't around. I'm experimenting with acceleration rates. To get >60 I think I need to be a full time granny and do things like shift into neutral on long glides, which I would not normally do.

 

My car average (reset at 175 miles, now at ~1080) is 43.4 mpg.

[treeofliberty]

Well, I live on the ridge above Valley Forge, so the general trend is downhill going to work. But that's the only time I've broken 60. I'm trying to do it on a more level course though. Wayne Gerdes was able to do it on a regular basis while he had one for testing, I'm a bit perplexed how. I went out on a drive yesterday of 14.7 miles and got 54.3, some granny driving when others weren't around. I'm experimenting with acceleration rates. To get >60 I think I need to be a full time granny and do things like shift into neutral on long glides, which I would not normally do.

 

My car average (reset at 175 miles, now at ~1080) is 43.4 mpg.

 

Hey, a Valley Forge guy. Cool. I work for Lockheed and am frequently in Valley Forge. My favorite VF activity is grabbing the camera and loitering in the National Park.

 

Keep experimenting with the hypermiling and share your techniques.

[wstcoaster07]

I work for Lockheed

 

What do you do for Lockheed? Things winding down after the 22 cuts? Should work on some new Navy aircraft :)

[treeofliberty]

What do you do for Lockheed? Things winding down after the 22 cuts? Should work on some new Navy aircraft :)

 

I work on the Intel side of the house, which hasn't been hit too hard (yet). The F-35 Lightning II has a Navy variant, so technically we are working on a Navy fighter, and that aircraft is pretty innovative too, although not quite as awesome as the Raptor.