Mileage and the short commute

[GrySql]

She says it's because I've learned the timing on the lights near our house and in other parts of Minneapolis so I am better able to anticipate light changes than she is...

She's right you know, always.

Don't tell her that one about sliding through the stoplights or lower mpg's because of the extra weight in the car either. ;)

[GrySql]

Short commute 40 degrees outside. Car was had been sitting over night. Have 18 inch wheels and a 12-21-12 build date.

You cheated, it's Ruby Red.

The RR cars get better mileage because the aerodynamic drag coefficient is lowered by the special energy conserving molecular tightening of the RR paint.

[ace8726872]

She's right you know, always.

Don't tell her that one about sliding through the stoplights or lower mpg's because of the extra weight in the car either. ;)

Especially the weight! My back still hurts from sleeping on the sofa! Edited March 20, 2013 by ace8726872

[ace8726872]

Short commute 40 degrees outside. Car was had been sitting over night. Have 18 inch wheels and a 12-21-12 build date.

 

Wow, very impressive, considering the temperature and the distance! Nicely done.

[jeff_h]

Today I had to repeat the same short trip that I made two days ago and referenced above in this thread. Temp was 34 on Monday and 42 today, not exactly the same but pretty close. However since I got the 27.3 MPG for the short trip on Monday when the HVAC was on, I decided to leave it off this time and note the difference.

 

Current owners probably all know this and I've seen it mentioned a couple times in various threads - when the HVAC is NOT on to start with, you can go on EV right away in the "sneak out before the ICE wakes up" mode, meaning that even though the ICE is cold (in today's case it had been sitting for 3 hours at 42 degrees) you can start off in EV until the HVB gets low or when needed for acceleration, and then once one of those occur the ICE comes on and it will stay on long enough to charge the battery, power the car up the hill, and also warm the engine. I like this feature as it enabled me to drive the first 1/2 mile or so on EV only, whereas having the HVAC on would probably have caused the ICE to come on almost immediately. I don't recommend driving around in freezing temps just to eek out a few more MPG, but it wasn't that cold and I knew I was only going 2.5 miles, otherwise I would have just turned it on and OK so you get crappy MPG in the beginning but it makes up for it later.

 

So anyway, on Monday the short trip with HVAC and ICE on right away yielded 27.3 MPG. Today with the HVAC off and the car in EV "sneak out" mode while the ICE was still cold, see below for the 46.9 MPG.

 

And on the return trip, two days ago I got 53.4 and today went the same route on the return trip, through the same drive-thru, and apparently got caught at a couple different lights since just a couple starts from the bottom of a hill may have an MPG effect on such a short trip. So today's return trip was was a bit lower at 49.6:

 

Of course the actual volume of fuel in the MPG difference on these trips is pretty darn small given the distance of the trips, but quite noticeable for those who routinely drive short trips when cold. There are other threads/posts of people complaining about that and probably had a lot to do with Fynack trading his car back in since he was likely getting those poor numbers on every day's commute and yes that would frustrate just about anyone.

 

 

[Wildcat2xx5]

jeff_h, I hope to be able to replicate your results when I get my car. My commute is 5 miles each way, and by choice, I have taken to not even bothering to put HVAC on . My current (old) car would take almost 2/3 of the distance to warm up and get the cabin comfortable, so I have conditioned myself to go without.

[Riggo]

jeff_h, I hope to be able to replicate your results when I get my car. My commute is 5 miles each way, and by choice, I have taken to not even bothering to put HVAC on . My current (old) car would take almost 2/3 of the distance to warm up and get the cabin comfortable, so I have conditioned myself to go without.

 

Man, it makes me kind of sad that I'll have to go to these lengths to get good gas mileage when I get my car. I was kind of hoping to just hop in my car and go without constantly thinking about my driving habits, whether or not I want to suffer being cold/hot by turning on the heat or a/c, and get in the high 30's to low 40's mpg. Maybe it'll be possible, crossing my fingers.

Edited March 20, 2013 by Riggo

[hybridbear]

jeff_h, I hope to be able to replicate your results when I get my car. My commute is 5 miles each way, and by choice, I have taken to not even bothering to put HVAC on . My current (old) car would take almost 2/3 of the distance to warm up and get the cabin comfortable, so I have conditioned myself to go without.

We do the same thing. In the summer the A/C can go on right away because that won't make the ICE come on immediately, it will just use more electricity which will make the ICE run more often to keep battery charged.

 

Man, it makes me kind of sad that I'll have to go to these lengths to get good gas mileage when I get my car. I was kind of hoping to just hop in my car and go without constantly thinking about my driving habits, whether or not I want to suffer being cold/hot by turning on the heat or a/c, and get in the high 30's to low 40's mpg. Maybe it'll be possible, crossing my fingers.

Remember that the difference between 35 & 40 MPG is less than the difference between 40 & 45. For example, on our 4700 mile trip to California we got 44 MPG. Had we gotten 47 MPG we would have only saved 6 gallons on the entire trip. That is one of the downfalls with our measuring system compared to if we were looking at gallons/100 miles for example. The drop from 47 to 44 or 45 to 40 feels a lot more severe than it is. Likewise, the increase from 47-50 is very minor...

[hermans]

jeff_h, I hope to be able to replicate your results when I get my car. My commute is 5 miles each way, and by choice, I have taken to not even bothering to put HVAC on . My current (old) car would take almost 2/3 of the distance to warm up and get the cabin comfortable, so I have conditioned myself to go without.

Jeff, with that short commute have you had troubles with the battery Saver message coming on? The ICE charges the 12v battery when it is on. Short trips trying to run in EV mode won't charge the battery properly. I just went through this experience and the 12v had to be replaced. My car didn't sit in Mexico for any length of time.

 

My wife only uses one tank of gas a month, so there is much mileage on ours yet.

 

These 12v batteries are much less powerful than the 12v that is in my 2010.

[acdii]

ruhroh Jeff mentioned :baby:

[jeff_h]

No, those short trips of 2.5 miles are for an errand near my office, but since I was making the exact run two days later I figured it would make for a good comparison.

 

My daily commute is 60 miles each way, one tank of gas lasts about 3-4 days... in my 2010 FFH I averaged 40-42k miles per year, am going to try to work a day per week from home if possible to keep the miles down, but thus far it hasn't been viable to do so. So now after 11 weeks I have about 6,500 miles... should keep it under 40k per year, would be happy with mid 30k/yr.

[Fastronaut]

Jeff, with that short commute have you had troubles with the battery Saver message coming on? The ICE charges the 12v battery when it is on. Short trips trying to run in EV mode won't charge the battery properly. I just went through this experience and the 12v had to be replaced. My car didn't sit in Mexico for any length of time.

 

My wife only uses one tank of gas a month, so there is much mileage on ours yet.

 

These 12v batteries are much less powerful than the 12v that is in my 2010.

So, any reason that one couldn't simply use an Optima battery in the FFH? They are great batteries and very tolerant. Is there any better battery for the FFH?

Edited March 20, 2013 by Fastronaut

[acdii]

No, those short trips of 2.5 miles are for an errand near my office, but since I was making the exact run two days later I figured it would make for a good comparison.

 

My daily commute is 60 miles each way, one tank of gas lasts about 3-4 days... in my 2010 FFH I averaged 40-42k miles per year, am going to try to work a day per week from home if possible to keep the miles down, but thus far it hasn't been viable to do so. So now after 11 weeks I have about 6,500 miles... should keep it under 40k per year, would be happy with mid 30k/yr.

OK you drive nearly twice as far as I do. tehVinner! Here's your Chicken Dinner! :woot:

 

So, any reason that one couldn't simply use an Optima battery in the FFH? They are great batteries and very tolerant. Is there any better battery for the FFH?

If it fits, no reason you cant use it, I used a pair of red tops in my F350 Diesel, Very tolerant, thought I had killed them by letting the truck sit, but after several days of boost charges to kick the voltage up, and then a slow week long charge, they both came back up full like new.

[B25Nut]

"Jeff, with that short commute have you had troubles with the battery Saver message coming on? The ICE charges the 12v battery when it is on. Short trips trying to run in EV mode won't charge the battery properly. I just went through this experience and the 12v had to be replaced. My car didn't sit in Mexico for any length of time."

 

Hermans, did Ford replace the battery under warranty? This is the only issue I have. My battery saver message is constantly coming on. Since almost everything is electric in the FFH, I would like to put the largest 12v battery possible in it. My concern is that the FFH's charging circuits wouldn't like the change. Electronics are not my forte so I need some advice from you experts out there.

[Riggo]

"Jeff, with that short commute have you had troubles with the battery Saver message coming on? The ICE charges the 12v battery when it is on. Short trips trying to run in EV mode won't charge the battery properly. I just went through this experience and the 12v had to be replaced. My car didn't sit in Mexico for any length of time."

 

Hermans, did Ford replace the battery under warranty? This is the only issue I have. My battery saver message is constantly coming on. Since almost everything is electric in the FFH, I would like to put the largest 12v battery possible in it. My concern is that the FFH's charging circuits wouldn't like the change. Electronics are not my forte so I need some advice from you experts out there.

 

I'm wondering what is going to happen with the 12 speaker Sony radio in the Titaniums. I'm assuming that is going to take a lot more energy to run than the stanard stereo. Uh oh.

[hermans]

"Jeff, with that short commute have you had troubles with the battery Saver message coming on? The ICE charges the 12v battery when it is on. Short trips trying to run in EV mode won't charge the battery properly. I just went through this experience and the 12v had to be replaced. My car didn't sit in Mexico for any length of time."

 

Hermans, did Ford replace the battery under warranty? This is the only issue I have. My battery saver message is constantly coming on. Since almost everything is electric in the FFH, I would like to put the largest 12v battery possible in it. My concern is that the FFH's charging circuits wouldn't like the change. Electronics are not my forte so I need some advice from you experts out there.

Yes, it was replaced under warranty. I have no idea if you could put a larger (more powerful) in the FFH. It may, or may not, affect the electronics. The last few days it came on constantly when the car was turned off. The radio was playing and within a few seconds the message would come on and immediately turn the radio off. It got progressively worse so I knew the battery was not charging properly. From the dealer info I know it was below 11 volts. Much longer and the car would not have run.

Edited March 20, 2013 by hermans

[B25Nut]

The fact that nothing comes up about the battery in the Vehicle Health Report makes me doubt how much I should trust the report on other future issues.

[hybridbear]

Jeff, with that short commute have you had troubles with the battery Saver message coming on? The ICE charges the 12v battery when it is on. Short trips trying to run in EV mode won't charge the battery properly. I just went through this experience and the 12v had to be replaced. My car didn't sit in Mexico for any length of time.

 

My wife only uses one tank of gas a month, so there is much mileage on ours yet.

 

These 12v batteries are much less powerful than the 12v that is in my 2010.

 

 

"Jeff, with that short commute have you had troubles with the battery Saver message coming on? The ICE charges the 12v battery when it is on. Short trips trying to run in EV mode won't charge the battery properly. I just went through this experience and the 12v had to be replaced. My car didn't sit in Mexico for any length of time."

 

Hermans, did Ford replace the battery under warranty? This is the only issue I have. My battery saver message is constantly coming on. Since almost everything is electric in the FFH, I would like to put the largest 12v battery possible in it. My concern is that the FFH's charging circuits wouldn't like the change. Electronics are not my forte so I need some advice from you experts out there.

 

 

Yes, it was replaced under warranty. I have no idea if you could put a larger (more powerful) in the FFH. It may, or may not, affect the electronics. The last few days it came on constantly when the car was turned off. The radio was playing and within a few seconds the message would come on and immediately turn the radio off. It got progressively getting worse so I knew the battery was not charging properly. From the dealer info I know it was below 11 volts. Much longer and the car would not have run.

B25Nut & hermans - when you are getting this message have you tried starting the car in Engineering Test Mode to check on the battery? There is a screen in that mode that measures the current battery voltage. In our car it seems to always read 13.8 or 13.9 volts. That screen might help you to see when the battery is failing.

 

The fact that nothing comes up about the battery in the Vehicle Health Report makes me doubt how much I should trust the report on other future issues.

Surprising. When we had the CEL come on both times the Vehicle Health Report was helpful. When we had ice blocking our fuel filler flaps from closing the VHR identified the issue as one of those valves not closing tightly and told us to check that. When the CEL came on because of a bad purge solenoid the VHR also told us that the issue had to do with the evaporative emmissions system in the car. Both times I relayed the VHR info to the dealer, who knows if they listened to me or not, but it seems like a useful tool to help save some diagnostic costs once the warranty expires.

[GrySql]

The fact that nothing comes up about the battery in the Vehicle Health Report makes me doubt how much I should trust the report on other future issues.

If your VHR was done with a Warning present I too would be concerned about the validity of VHR!

Each new VHR causes the last one to be deleted from the syncmyride.com website and the car's computer.

I email a copy of the VHR to myself, from the website, because if something else happens I have a record of all the Warnings I've ever gotten.

[hermans]

B25Nut & hermans - when you are getting this message have you tried starting the car in Engineering Test Mode to check on the battery? There is a screen in that mode that measures the current battery voltage. In our car it seems to always read 13.8 or 13.9 volts. That screen might help you to see when the battery is failing.

The hybrid tech checked the test mode and it showed no battery issues. It showed up when he did a load test. When I did a VHR before I took the car in, it showed both batteries to be OK.

Edited March 20, 2013 by hermans

[Wildcat2xx5]

Well, I have two round trips from work and so far I can only get ~35-37 mpg average. Fact of the matter is it is still double what I was getting a week ago, so I am happy. The inbound trip is not ideal as there are a lot of little hills, not many flat stretches, the outbound trip is only half the inbound trip, the other half is mostly downhill. I am hoping that the summer will buy me a few more mpgs, I'm happy regardless for right now.

 

Update: Getting more used to driving with the car, last two days i was over 40 mpg. I think it will only get better as I learn more about how to maximize on my routes to and from.

Edited April 10, 2013 by Wildcat2xx5

[B25Nut]

I've been wondering how, in cold weather, Coach was able to EPA+ MPG. His first tank lasted so long he had to be doing all short commutes. On his last post he was still on his second tank. He had to be doing something we didn't know about. Coach, please come back! Were you using an EBH?

[DeeCee]

I've been wondering how, in cold weather, Coach was able to EPA+ MPG. His first tank lasted so long he had to be doing all short commutes. On his last post he was still on his second tank. He had to be doing something we didn't know about. Coach, please come back! Were you using an EBH?

Remember he is from Louisiana where cold is 40 deg.F. I'm sure he will get back to us soon and share his tips.

[acdii]

Football players thats how

[terryb]

He has a very handsome blocking sled stand in.