Bolder Boulder Road Trip - Day 5

Miles Driven: 669.8
Average MPG: 39.0

Today was the race. This went well. [There will be more in a post in my running blog.]

After the race, I returned to the hotel for a shower and to change. I checked-out and started the trip home. I basically drove until dark, then spent the next bit looking for a place to stay. I did stop before midnight, but no by much. I was pretty wiped by then.

Today's goal was to leave less than 12, preferably less than 10, hours to go for tomorrow. I was around 9 hours from home when I stopped.

Mountain Surprise

Odometer: 9577.8
Tank Mileage: 515.5
Gallons Added: 13.365
Long-Term Average: 39.7
Short-Term Average: 39.4
Calculated Average: 38.5

The previous tank was filled with 85 octane fuel containing up to 10% ethanol. Most of the tank was used above 5000 feet. As usual for the elevation, I didn't notice any issues with the non-spec rating even with the acceleration up the mountain. (The manual calls for 87 octane as a minimum.)

All of the activity yesterday was on this tank. The tank has a net loss of elevation, but it also includes yesterday's activity which was a net zero with a min-to-max variation of over 3000 feet. Today's run was mostly downwind which I'm sure helped offset the use of cruise control.

Finally, at 9500 miles on the odometer, the "oil service soon" announcement came on. This showed in the area on the left of the display that normally shows the temperature and the transmission selection that is used for all such announcements. These announcements replace the normal display. I don't like not being able to see the temperature gage. [more on this tomorrow]

Bolder Boulder Road Trip - Day 4

Miles Driven: 139.0
Average MPG: 42.5

After getting my race package, I went for a short drive to get a couple of small counties and one off the beaten path. This was successful.

During my drive, I used the "low gear" position for the transmission. The book says that this keeps the engine running to provide enhanced braking. In addition to keeping the engine on, the transmission also sets for a low "gear". This is important as the dynamic braking provided by the motor-generators goes away when the battery is full. Of course, "L" tends to enhance energy collection, so the State-of-Charge tends to the maximum anyway. I'm not sure of the trade-offs, but I would like to see more aggressive use of the electric motor and less charge collection when in "L". I would expect braking to use the regenerative mode first (like normal) before engaging the brake pads. I would also like to see some indication of when the physical system engages so I know when I am adding heat to the physical system.

On the way back down Boulder Canyon, I used the camera on my phone for the first time.

Bolder Boulder Road Trip - Day 3

Miles Driven: 448.3
Average MPG: 38.8

Today's goal was to arrive in Boulder, CO. Along the way, 11 counties were run in 3 states. It was a good day, but I was getting tired by the time I got to the Interstate in Limon, CO.

I was very surprised that the Tomtom GPS did not have the hotel I was staying at in its database. I had it set for Boulder, CO. After filling in Limon, I used the SYNC Services option to get directions to the hotel. This worked very well. I spent part of the run into Boulder talking with my father using SYNC. Directions were announced with a tone and shown in the display in the center of the dashboard. Normally, this would be announced by voice in addition to the tone and display.

I prefer map-based guidance, but the SYNC directions are very usable and have been perfectly reliable. On this trip, there were two failures of the recently updated Tomtom with the currently available map data.

No Interstates

Odometer: 9062.2
Tank Mileage: 501.8
Gallons Added: 13.353
Long-Term Average: 39.7
Short-Term Average: 39.1
Calculated Average: 37.5

There was no Interstate driving on this tank. There was some running on dirt roads looking for county lines or quiet places to operate the radio. There was also a net increase in elevation with this tank. Winds were sometimes favorable, but there were also some significant headwinds. Finally, I used the cruise control in hilly terrain which doesn't lead to a good average.

Bolder Boulder Road Trip - Day 2

Miles Driven: 424.2
Average MPG: 38.0

Target today was Dewey County, OK. This was accomplished and a total of 9 counties were covered during the day.

Early Fill

Odometer: 8560.4
Tank Mileage: 400.5
Gallons Added: 10.472
Long-Term Average: 40.2
Short-Term Average: 38.5
Calculated Average: 38.2

As I was going to be running around away from the beaten path, I decided to fill early to avoid having to pay higher prices in the hinterland. Having a useful range well over 500 miles makes avoiding regional prices much easier.

This was the first time I have filled up at a station with NO live attendants. There was no one in the store. It was strictly pay-at-the-pump. I've done this after hours, but never as standard for that station all the time.

[2010-06-01 2326 ETA data]

Bolder Boulder Road Trip - Day 1

Miles Driven: 535.3
Average MPG: 40.4

I got as high as 43 mpg today, but the hills (and a need for speed) impacted this through southern Missouri.

With the three counties I operated from in Missouri, I have now operated in 200 of the counties in the US. I contacted, or was contacted by, over 30 different hams around the country.

Finally, I had a good visit with my father.

I broke 40

Odometer: 8159.9
Tank Mileage: 584.1
Gallons Added: 14.447
Long-Term Average: 40.6
Short-Term Average: 40.2
Calculated Average: 40.4

While it might be a slightly short fill, I am still happy to have finally had a tank with over 40 mpg. This tank was almost entirely Interstate with just a touch of highway and minimal city driving. About half of the miles where through a hilly part of Missouri.

The Road Trip Begins

Odometer: 7575.7
Tank Mileage: 637.6
Gallons Added: 16.462
Long-Term Average: 40.1
Short-Term Average: 40.1
Calculated Average: 38.7

This tank included the partial work week and the beginning of the road trip. I will be resetting the Short-Term average each day.

The main purpose of the road trip is to run in the Bolder Boulder on Memorial Day. Along the way, I will be visiting my father and running counties for those that might need them.

[Posted 2010-05-27 2325]

Spontaneous Reset, Take Two

The display (and the short- and long-term averages) was reset this morning when I started the car for my commute. Based on reading online, there is a fix for this. I will have this addressed when I bring the car in for its 10K service point next week.

On a better note, I had my best mileage for the drive in at 46.2 mpg. This included going through a construction zone on the Interstate.

New Best Tank

Odometer: 6938.0
Tank Mileage: 572.8
Gallons Added: 14.516
Long-Term Average: 39.1
Short-Term Average: 38.6
Calculated Average: 39.4

The Calculated MPG for this tank is the best yet.

This tank included a round-trip to the Dayton, OH area for a funeral. This was 400 miles of Interstate driving without an advantageous wind. The rest was mostly commute to work.

I also discovered that there is not enough metal on the roof to reliably hold a magnetic mount antenna at even low (~55) highway speeds. Luckily, there wasn't any significant damage caused when I discovered this. I will likely be adding a permanent mount in the near future.

Another Late Update

Odometer: 6365.1
Tank Mileage: 602.1
Gallons Added: 15.733
Long-Term Average: 38.8
Short-Term Average: 38.1
Calculated Average: 38.2

Started this tank running around Dayton then drove home on the Interstate (200 miles). The rest of the tank was typical workday commute.

[Posted 2010-05-24 1050]

Late update

[Actually posted 2010-05-19 1040]

Odometer: 5763
Tank Mileage: 543.0
Gallons Added: 14.469
Long-Term Average: 38.7
Short-Term Average: 37.6
Calculated Average: 37.5

A short work week followed by 200 highway miles into the wind.

This fill was with gas that may contain up to 10% ethanol. I didn't notice any significant impact on the previous fill from this station. Most likely, any impact was overwhelmed by other factors.

Green Grand Prix and Headwinds

Odometer: 5219.9
Tank Mileage: 547.6
Gallons Added: 15.493
Long-Term Average: 38.7
Short-Term Average: 36.4
Calculated Average: 35.3

This could have been worse. The first 77 miles of the tank was during the Economy Run of the Green Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, NY. Step one of the event is to top off our tanks. We also had to reset the reported MPG (what I call Short-Term). Then we have to climb this hill to get to the staged start. I was showing ~25 mpg at the end of that climb. We started with one minute intervals. One requirement was to stay within 10% of the posted speed limit. I was car #4. I passed #3 part way to the intermediate stop in Geneva, NY. I entered the required stop location immediately behind the #2 car. When I stopped the car, I noted 47.1 mpg for the leg and a current tank mpg of 45.1. The return to Watkins Glen is down the east side of Seneca Lake. My entry to Watkins Glen is aided by a steep downhill grade as we enter the city. I was all electric from the stop sign on that hill to the record point in town. Final average for the run was 46.6 (48.1 for the return leg). When I got to the expo, I had actually clicked up to 46.7 by the time I parked the car.

We had had strong winds mostly cross to the course during the Economy Run. They increased overnight and included some snow by morning. I was driving into this headwind using cruise control. I gave back a lot of the average mileage during the drive home. The worst segment was 100 miles with the average well under 30 mpg. I just didn't have the energy to eco-drive the whole way home. I can tell you that gravity wins vs winds (at least for what I was seeing). Any obvious downhill and I was getting respectable mileage. The following uphill...wasn't pretty.

New bests

Odometer: 4672.3
Tank Mileage: 634.5
Gallons Added: 16.157
Long-Term Average: 39.4
Short-Term Average: 39.4
Calculated Average: 39.3

I miscalculated my route to the Green Grand Prix and ended up driving beyond "E". I now know that there is an audio warning at zero in addition to the already discovered warnings at 50, 25, and 10 "miles to E".

I set new records in miles driven on a tank, gallons added during a fill-up, and calculated MPG for the tank.

I reset the Short-Term Average as part of the Green Grand Prix Fuel Economy Run. More on this later, but I did get 46.6 mpg for best in my class (and there was at least one other car, a Camry Hybrid, in my class).

A Great, If Irreverent, Review

Another FFH blogger pointed to this great review of the Ford Fusion Hybrid by Racer Boy.

It does mention "hippie chicks" and "dead bodies".

You have been warned.

Enjoy.

First Month

Odometer: 4037.7
Tank Mileage: 598.9
Gallons Added: 15.924
Long-Term Average: 38.9
Short-Term Average: 38.9
Calculated Average: 37.6

The nearly 16 gallons added to this tank represents the largest amount of fuel added in a fill-up. As I had only 4 "miles to E", this agrees with the suggestion that "E" is reached with about 1.5 gallons in the tank. I don't plan to deliberately test that theory (or find out how much of that I can actually use), but it is good that there is some consistency between theory and practice.

I am filling with "miles to E" left having driven more than 50 miles since the 50 mile warning. I'm real happy that this is case and I hope this stays reliable. I will likely do some work on getting a feel for the "real" distance to E at 100 "miles to E".

So far the first estimate after a fill-up seems to be a bit high versus the calculated range (miles driven plus final "miles to E"). I've not determined what value the car is using to calculate "miles to E". I need more data and the reset earlier may have added an additional unknown into the system.

Finally, I drove just over 4000 miles in the first month. At 3 weeks, I was still over 1000 miles a week. Last weekend was the first without significant driving. I actually went eight days before I had to fill the tank. I really like being able to easily cover over 500 miles between gas station visits.