I was out on a bit of an errand yesterday. Gorgeous fall day, small town New England roads, good stuff.
On the way back the drive settled into a comfortable type of engagement between driver and vehicle: I would coast down a hill on electric, then juice it for a couple of seconds to get up the next hill, then on the flat on electric. This cycle started to repeat itself, I began to look ahead to the next hill, think about how long I would need to run on gas, give a touch of throttle, let up. Something interesting was happening on this drive, there was a rhythm that I could just kind of feel. It felt good.
I began to challenge myself with the MPG. Slowly it began to move upwards. I would go up a hill and it would drop. On the other side, it would rise. But the overall trend was upwards.
Then it hit me why this rhythm felt so good. It was a conversation between driver and car, somewhat distantly like driving along a twisty road giving throttle, backing off, a little more throttle. This felt similar, just a little sporting somehow as the car responded to my inputs, we were working together, in this case to maximize efficiency and mileage. There was a blend of man and machine that was surprising and felt great at the same time. I can't recall the exact figure when I pulled into home but it somewhere in the low to mid fifties. Not bad for having a good time.
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My mileage is improving. I think I've finally figured out the pulse and glide. And you're right, it feels almost like a dance when you get it right. I've been getting 50+ on certain routes. Love those drives! My long-term, which includes some highway driving, is at 38.7, and it has been rising a point every 5-6 days. We'll see how high I can go.
ReplyDeleteDonna,
ReplyDeleteThat is it, you've got it! Exactly my experience 50+ on certain routes. I just had a long trip to Toronto which dropped my long term down to about 41. Still, pretty great mileage overall. I like what you said about it being like a dance, that puts it perfectly.
Richard