RE: [RC] Commute - Hybrid Vehicles - Karen E. Franklin
I currently live in Stillwater, OK and
commute daily to downtown Tulsa, a 75 mile trip, one way. I bought a Honda
Civic Hybrid at the beginning of 2005 and have driven it since then.
First of all I have to caution you –
DO NOT believe the mileage you see on the sticker is what you’ll actually
get! There are so many variables out there to affect your mileage –
weather, driving habits, engine, tire condition, speed, etc. The sticker
on my car stated that it would get 47mpg in town and 48mpg highway. I am
now consistently getting 39mpg. I like to say that they got the mileage
rating on my car by testing it downhill with a tailwind! Also, (and I don’t
know if this applies to regular gasoline cars) there was a “break-in”
period before I was getting this kind of mileage. When I first got the
car I was getting between 30 and 35 mpg (needless to say I was highly disappointed
– I could have gotten that from just a regular and cheaper Civic).
I measure my mileage by calculation everytime I get gas, not by what the
dashboard reading says.
Another thing that is going to affect the mileage
rating on a car is its size – sedans will be rated at a lower mpg than
two-door models. The Honda Insight, I believe, is rated around
60mpg. I have two kids so I needed the sedan style.
There is no industry standard on what is
actually a Hybrid vehicle. The Hondas are different from the Toyotas,
though I don’t know in what way, and the Ford Escape is different as
well. The Ford Escape (at least two years ago) was built specifically as
an “in town” vehicle. The mileage was great if you were
keeping your speed under 40 to 50 mph. Anything faster than that and the
gasoline engine kicked in for power and you were getting regular small SUV
mileage. This may not be the case now though – I was considering an
Escape at the same time I was looking at the Honda.
Yet another point to consider. I
drive my vehicle to Tulsa and back everyday. This is a 75 mile trip with
an average speed of 70 to 75mph, on an east/west turnpike with very little
traffic/in city driving. In Oklahoma, if you’re driving east or
west, you’re dealing with cross winds, whether from the north or
south. These crosswinds cause lateral movement of the vehicle –
almost as if my tires were out of alignment (which they aren’t). With
55,000 miles on my car, I’m getting 39 to 40 mpg. My friend, who
also lives in Stillwater and drives a Honda Civic Hybrid, commutes to Oklahoma
City. Her trip is also about 75 miles one way, but she’s on a state
highway (lower speed limit), she encounters more traffic/in city driving, her
average speed is about 60-65 mph and her trip is on a north/south route (very
good tailwinds one way, headwinds the other). She’s had her car has
about 18 months longer than I’ve had mine and she’s put a bit over
100,000 miles on it. She is currently getting 43 to 45 mpg.
One thing I’ve noticed with my car
that is definitely different from a gasoline car is this – my car
hesitates or surges sometimes when I’m accelerating. Normally, this
would be a bad thing, but in the Civic Hybrid at least, its not. The most
accurate description of what is happening when my car “hesitates”
or surges is that the communication between the gasoline engine and the
electric motor is not fast enough to keep up with what’s going on.
Essentially:
Gasoline engine: “Speed up
now!”
Electric motor: “…Did
you say speed up?”
G engine: “Yes! Speed up!”
E motor: “Okay! Speeding
up!”
I’ve talked to several owners of
this make of car and all have experienced the same thing. I love my car,
but it has taken some getting used to. Maintenance costs are going to go
up for you as well, though I haven’t had any trouble keeping up with it.
In the end, my advice to you is to do your
research (if you haven’t already). Go out and test drive as many
different hybrid vehicles as you can, talk to other owners, etc. At this
point in time, every car company out there making hybrid vehicles has a
different engine set up. You’re just going to have to find what
works for you.
Then again, did you know that the diesel
Volkswagon New Beetle gets 45 to 50 mpg? J
