pulse and glide is not a realistic method in city

Move to the country?

 

That has not been my experience. I have found that any pulse and glide will increase segment mileage, even if the glide is only for 5mph or so. It does not work at highway speeds, but there are other techniques that will help increase mileage. In city driving, I try to anticipate the upcoming stops or slow downs and coordinate then with the glide.

 

stop and go is just a killer. it takes so much energy to move a car from stopped. that's why i use the california stop when possible!

 

I always called it an Oklahoma Slider...

 

i could go with that, as long as the cops aren't around.

 

P&G results from driving our CMax hybrid in town:







YMMV

 

Is this the Energi? I guess I do not understand the display. 895 miles, of which 695 were in EV?

 

No this is the hybrid but I have an Energi also. The EV total is the miles accumulated while driving on the electric motor and battery. The energy from those came from the gasoline engine (and some regen). IOW, I "glided" 695 miles and "pulsed" the remainder to get 895 miles out of one tank of gas.

I'll agree with the OP that you can't get fantastic results like this in crazy, heavy traffic or a stop light every block but P&G will increase FE even in those conditions.

 

The OP unfortunately presumes that just because pulse and glide is unrealistic for them in stop and go traffic - that this must translate out to most others sharing the same experience. In fact - that would be as unrealistic as me presuming everybody else finds pulse & glide easy in stop and go traffic.



Neither statement is correct. perhaps the OP was really looking for help from some of us? ... duno ... however, if you convince yourself that you can't do something - the odds are you'll prove yourself right
.

 

I used to be a city tractor trailer driver and then trained new truck drivers at a community college (50+ years in the trucking industry GEEZ). Driving to increase MPG's in the city is actually pretty easy and once you get used to it you can achieve great gas/fuel economy regardless of whether you're driving a C or any other vehicle out there. I've found if I anticipate traffic signals, I increase my MPG's and make better time. I drive smoothly, look ahead, and in particular pay attention to the walk/don'walk signals. If it's signaling "walk" I know there is a good chance I can make it through the light without needing to stop. If it's "don't walk" or has been "walk" for a long time I figure I'll have to stop so I start to glide in my C. I told my truck driving students to constantly study traffic lights. If you do this and act accordingly your fuel economy will increase and you will actually become a more aware driver and therefore increase your safety. Of course, you have to also pay attention to traffic in back of you so you don't PO the driver in back of you.

 

I think the problem with the OP is not looking beyond the car in front of them, and just following along and repeating what the car in front does. You can't pulse and glide under these circumstances as you have no opportunity to glide since you're not anticipating anything. If it's truly stop and go with stop signs and lights, can't you see the sign and lights and know that you'll have to slow down? Once you know that, go into a glide, even if it's just backing off the throttle. It appears you're just pressing the gas pedal, then pressing the brake pedal, then pressing the gas pedal....well you get the point.

 

I drive a fairly busy highway with tons of lights regularly. The trick is to look way ahead and ignore the person behind you. Typically on the 2 mile stretch I drive, I may stop completely at one or two lights out of the approx 10+ I go through. And they are very major roads where the light cycle is crazy long and the cars stack up densely. Generally I can anticipate the light cycles and adjust accordingly. The key is not driving like everyone else, anticipating lights/other drivers' mistakes, and taking things lightly. If you gun it after a light turns green, it isn't going to get you there any faster because the next light may just be red. If not that one, there are always more ahead lol.

 

If you don't have far to go before the next stop, just don't accelerate that much then.

 

Shorter pulse and longer glide?
I do it all the time in city driving and works great for me. If I get below 60MPG (displayed), I'm disappointed and better have some good excuse.
I have to admit, knowing your route helps a lot as you can plan ahead.
Now, interstate is a different animal. I would never do P&G on interstate, unless I was suicidal.