Finally a tank back in the 60s… barely

The tank of fuel I just polished off yesterday was my first tank since January 10, where I was able to obtain over 60mpg. That was on my way to Detroit for the North American International Auto Show, all highway and not particularly difficult to do even under the conditions I was driving into. It was my first time driving in snow or seriously having to deal with below zero temperatures in the negative teens!

I filled this particular ethanol free tank in Irmo on February 10 where I was able to squeeze just 9.232 gallons of unleaded into the tank. 729.6 miles later the gas light was had just turned on and I needed another data point for the winter fuel economy competition I’m participating in that ends this Saturday the 28th. The fuel economy for this tank rang in at just 60.754 Miles per Gallon.

Challenges

The challenges for this tank were numerous; first, I sometimes had trouble “keeping my foot out of it.” I have a recent example later in this write-up. The cold weather obviously was an issue. There were many days where I had a headwind both on the trip to work and on the way home. This isn’t an obstacle but one morning there was a tailwind on the way to work, and a headwind on the way back did not exactly even things out (it made things much worse 50 mpg on the way home? craziness) but 70 mpg on the way to work is something I only see in warmer temperatures. I also did not always keep the car in one of its many sweet spots when possible.

Predictions

The gauge on the car actually read 59.0 when I filled but on HCHIIs, the averaging fuel consumption display is pessimistic, unlike my last car, which let the driver think they were doing better than actuality. This summer I expect ludicrous fuel efficiency!

I realize this is my third best tank in this car since I took delivery in late September, but I was careless with many of my accelerations and I found myself letting the bullies out there let me catch their road rage briefly. For some people even doing 20 over is not fast enough.

Why I will not accept bullying any longer

It was a summer day in Florida, I had only been driving for a few years at this point. I was driving my old Prius, some jerk in a red Ford F150 raised a few inches pulls up behind me, we’re on I-75 North there are three wide open lanes I’m in the far right where you can nearly always find me (unless I’m passing someone). Anyway, jerk pastes himself 3 feet off my rear bumper mind you I am doing 65 because the road is empty and 70 mph (the limit on that road) is unnecessary. So, I crank the speed up to 70 hoping to get some maneuvering space back. He continues at the same distance. I crank it up to 75 maybe he is one of the types who doesn’t realize that five over can get a ticket easily.

No response, we keep doing this until I hit 104 mph (not easy to maintain in a Prius) I come to the realization that if we were pulled over the good old boy behind me would most likely get off clean and I might face jail time for reckless driving. It is as that point I decided that I would not adjust my speeds for anyone other than an emergency vehicle if I am between the minimum and maximum speed limits, and there are available lanes to pass. So I swerve just a bit (at 104 maneuvering is life or death) jerk does not get it.

I punch the hazard lights and leave them on for about 4 seconds, he does not get it, and I leave the lights on and slam on my brakes. He gets it! I keep this up until I am at the 70mph speed limit. Jerk-face pulls off at the next exit. Fuel econ for this, just 36 MPG in a freaking Prius it took a good 15 minutes for my heart rate to get back to normal.

Important!

Do not let these people bully you into breaking the law or endangering your family or someone else’s, speed kills and tailgating is illegal.

One of my naughty moments this tank

As I teach, someone with the road rage cannot get great fuel economy and one of the things other than fear of a ticket or becoming what I hate most on the road grounding me back into my driving Zen was watching that gauge tick below the 60 mark.

There was a blue dually Ford Super Duty brand new looking, he patiently waited while I chugged up the hill from I-20 to I-77 we crested the hill and I started to pick up speed, he didn’t decide to pass me until I turned on the turn indicator because I was about to exit. Now he decides to pass me, poor judgment but nothing illegal or menacing. I foolishly decide to box him out because I knew he was not going to take the cloverleaf at a reasonable speed, his vehicle is not maneuverable and it is top heavy and heavy. He blasts around me anyway. Just as he reaches the cloverleaf, he slams on the brakes and lumbers around the curve and back up the other hill.

I am approaching way too fast now and I need to use my brakes too wasting all that energy I’d just converted from chemical (gasoline) to kinetic (going downhill) and turning it to heat (brakes, I was going too fast for the energy to get dropped in the IMA battery). Normally I can make that turn without touching the brakes and still catch up to all the scaredy-cats who won’t take a cloverleaf at a decent speed despite feeling comfortable doing 80 on a straightaway or up a hill.

Back to the dually, I ended up tailgating this cat with my foot still on the brake (a civic can corner like nobody's business and a tall truck can’t but he was good for another 15-25 mph). I don’t see why people are comfortable at these speeds and distances; one tap of his brake and I would have punctured my radiator on his trailer hitch and “truk nutz”.

I snapped back to reality when it came time for the actual merge on to 77, I checked my mirrors and looked over my shoulder and jumped into my lane, then flashed the timid giant into the lane. Despite my antics when I got to the Killian Road exit #22 I was able to tool up the hill, around the corner and back down the hill to Midlands Honda ever so smoothly and quietly achieving 60.5 mpg on the car’s display.

Expectations

Barring any extreme weather, I expect this next tank to be a short one because I want to get on last quarter tank in the competition but I expect it to be a good one, possibly beating this level of performance. My next quarter tank I expect will put Columbia in good standing in my division of the FE (Fuel Efficiency) challenge for the first tank of the spring session.

Don’t be shy, post a comment.

Kacey Green
for the Midlands Hybrid Club
"Promoting the spread of clean personal transportation technologies."

My fuel economy, tracked at every fill-up since purchase, your mileage will vary.

The Midlands Hybrid Club, the home of the hybrid club and hypermiling of the Carolinas, based in Columbia, SC.