Another Cyberwagon update. 150 or so miles into this tank of gas and I'm still sitting just above 47 mpg. Pretty happy with that.
One of the genius things about the Prius is the information it shows you about the power systems and being able to see how you're driving habits effect your efficiency. It almost feels like a game trying to be as efficient as possible.
@kelbot welcome to the world of hypermiling :)
@donblanco Ha, yeah I've been reading a little bit on a Prius forum and some of them take it very seriously. Apparently there is a method of driving called Pulse and Glide that is supposed to achieve maximum mpg. It involves accelerating to 5-10mph above the speed limit and coasting down to 5-10 below the limit and then repeat.
That sounds extremely annoying to other drivers and once you factor in traffic and lights, turns etc I would say the benefit is hardly worth it. I won't be doing it.
@kelbot it originated before hybrids and during a time of high gas prices. I used to do it all the time, had an extra gauge (and later an app) to track it. Not effective or welcome in heavy traffic...but when you get 40+mpg in a car rated in the low-to-mid 20's, it feels significant. It's gaming your driving, so it's also distracting from the drudgery of the trip.
@donblanco @kelbot when I was a kid my dad found stretch of road in upstate new york that, if you were going 67mph at the top of one particular hill in a Grand Safari stationwagon, you could throw it in neutral and coast for almost 50 miles, as long as you didn't mind dropping down to ~15mph on the upslope of a couple of the later hills. The 1970s gas crisis was no joke.