How To Drive a Hybrid for Maximum Gas Mileage
Hybrid vehicles give drivers the ability to achieve notable improvements in fuel efficiency by introducing a new type of drivetrain that combines an electric motor, regenerative braking, and advanced transmissions. If you drive a hybrid like a normal car, you may not see many more miles per gallon in fuel economy, but a few changes in your driving techniques can yield impressive results.
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Instructions
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Changing Your Technique: What Used To Be Bad Now Can Be Good
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Step on it! For a hybrid, brisk acceleration to your desired cruising speed maximizes the efficiency from both the electric and gas components, according to Mother Earth News. This doesn't mean you can speed everywhere, but a quick scoot away from the light actually works better than a gentle touch.
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Avoid highways if surface roads are an option. Stop-and-go traffic lets your hybrid go further on less gasoline because hybrids use regenerative braking to recharge the batteries. In addition, your hybrid may be able to drive from stop to stop at slower speeds on battery power alone, which means no fuel usage at all.
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Brake softly and for longer. This allows the regenerative braking more time to work. This also may let you spot opportunities to avoid coming to a full stop, which saves the extra energy needed to get rolling again.
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Set your cruise control to electronically maintain your speed rather than using the gas pedal whenever possible. Cruise control maintains speed much more smoothly and finely than most drivers can. If you zero in on the speed that best balances your fuel consumption with your forward progress, then your mileage may soar.
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Minimize your use of stereo, air conditioning, plug-in electronics, navigation, and even interior and exterior lights as much as possible. All of these use power that could be used by the electric motor. Just shutting off your air conditioning while going up hills may give you a noticeable improvement in MPG, according to HybridCars.com.
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Tips & Warnings
Use your car's fuel economy display (if equipped) to track variations in your MPG based on different driving techniques. Some hybrids, such as the Ford Fusion Hybrid, even have advanced displays that provide a wealth of information for drivers to practice maximizing their fuel economy.
Remember to be a safe driver first. If your driving techniques endanger you or impede others, then change them so that you drive with consideration for traffic around you.
