My commute has a very large/long hill. I'm trying to save the most gas possible. Downhill is easy to keep pegged at 99.9 I think I've got that covered. Uphill of course is paying the piper and it is brutal to even keep above 30mpg. What is the best strategy for a 3+ mile 5% grade uphill?
Going uphill is the painful part of hypermiling. The best that you can do is find the most efficient way to accomplish the job at hand. My strategy: * Resolve not to look at the instantaneous MPG readout, it's gonna' suck and all it'll do is make you depressed. * Pick up as much speed as is safe/sane on the flat. * Decide what your desired minimum climb speed will be. * Carry that pre-hill speed as far up the hill as you can. * For as far as you can, strive for "no arrows" climbing, no arrows going to or from the HV battery, most efficient way to use fuel/move the car forward. * If you can't maintain your desired minimum speed, use more go- pedal and take power from the HV battery, after all that what it's there for. * If you run the HV battery down into the red/magenta bars, you will slow down considerably as the ICE works hard to both propel the car and charge the HV battery. (The ICE is just a 1.5 liter 4-banger and its going to be making a lot more noise that is typical, it's OK but unnerving.) * Coast over the hilltop, hopefully at your desired minimum speed, pick up some speed and let the gravity rush recharge the HV battery.
