How to Increase Your Hybrid Car Mileage

There are several ways to save on mileage and many of the techniques you used on a gasoline powered car, will also work on a Hybrid or battery powered engine. Along with proper maintenance, properly inflated tires and clean air and fuel filters, changing the way you drive can extend the life of each charge of your hybrid battery pack.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A Hybrid Vehicle

1. 1

   Hybrid Tip 1: Don't accelerate too slowly.
   One common problem with many new hybrid drivers is that in order is use only battery power and save on gas, hybrid drivers are accelerating too slowly from a full stop. When accelerating too slowly, you are draining your batteries of power much faster than you would if you were to accelerate normally. To keep your batteries in top condition and still benefit from the mileage savings of a hybrid vehicle, accelerate normally. Don't make jack-rabbit starts but don't start out like a turtle either. Once your vehicle is at cruising speed, normally 50 mph, the gasoline engine will shut down, leaving you on battery power. This technique will yield the maximum mileage for your hybrid vehicle. Freeway and long distance driving is great for hybrid vehicles as the batteries will continue to charge when you are traveling at a steady rate of speed.

2. 2

   Hybrid Tip 2: Keep the batteries charged.
   All hybrids have two fuel storage compartments; one is a tank for the gasoline and the other is the battery pack which holds the electrons. Each storage compartment (or "tank") will need to be kept full to go the farthest distance. To use the power in the battery pack efficiently, use your brakes gently and coast when possible. When your vehicle is coasting to a stop or coasting down a steep grade, the hybrid system uses the car's kinetic energy to recharge the batteries. The longer you can coast and the more gently you slow down, the more energy you can maintain in your battery pack. Try not to drain your batteries to low charge levels as keeping the batteries above 50-percent full will extend the distance you can run on battery power, and allow you to conserve even more fuel.

3. 3

   Hybrid Tip 3: Anticipate traffic flow.
   Always pay attention to the flow of traffic in front of you. If you see brakes lights ahead, remove your foot from the accelerator and allow the vehicle to coast a bit. Anticipate a stop by easing off the accelerator pedal early and coasting as much as you can. Give your self more room to allow the vehicle to slow down on its own by not following other vehicles too closely. This driving technique will increase your mileage, prevent drain on your battery pack and will also have the advantage of saving on your braking system. The less you use your brakes, the long your brake pads will last you. Slow braking also saves on tires as the rubber on the tires will last longer when you don't have to slam on your brakes or peal out from a stop.

Tips & Warnings

• Brake slowly
• Accelerate normally
• Drive at a constant rate of speed

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on 12/24/2009 Thanks for the great tips on Hybrid car mileage! 5*