Hyperest-miling: 1,445 miles on a tank of gas in a Ford Fusion Hybrid

In late April Ford set out to prove that the new Fusion Hybrid could travel 1,000 miles on a single tank of gas. The driving team of engineers, a hypermiling advocate, and NASCAR driver Carl Edwards actually broke that mark and kept going – all the way to 1,445 miles before electric power and fuel were fully depleted, for an overall average of 81.5 mpg according to Ford.

 The 69-straight hours of driving took place over a loop of public roads in Northern Virginia, using the George Washington Parkway as their proving ground. This loop included open roads, as well as stop-and-go traffic through downtown Alexandria, Virginia.

Having lived in that area, I know how both the traffic speed and density vary greatly along that route. So I spoke with Jay Ward from Ford with a few questions about the trip. He told me that they specifically chose a weekend, with its lighter traffic, to run the trail, but that they went much further than they thought they would and, consequently, ended up driving during weekday rush-hour traffic.

According to Jay, the average speed on the entire trip worked out to about 25 mph, although on the northern loop of the GW Parkway they drove around 35-40 mph to keep up with traffic. They were actually stopped by the police – for going too slowly! Each driver was instructed to drive with safety in mind before mileage. And high-visibility graphics were applied to the rear of the car for nighttime use.

They didn’t drive in any sort of caravan to block traffic or aid aerodynamics, and drove in a “convoy” only when photos or videos were shot. Still, they received their share of honks from other drivers who wanted to go faster.

Still, what does this mean for the consumer? Well, hypermiling certainly works, but safely keeping up with traffic flow is more important than absolute mileage. (Read our tips on how to improve the mileage on every car you drive.)

Consumer Reports has purchased a new Fusion Hybrid and it has racked up over 2,000 break-in miles. So far, we’re really impressed at its ability to combine an enjoyable driving experience with high fuel economy in a roomy family sedan. Even at “normal” speeds, we’ve seen over 600-mile cruising ranges on some trips. We’re marveling at the over 35 mpg we routinely experience in our commutes.

That said, whether it can best the overall fuel economy (including our city, highway, and trip test cycles) of its competitors, such as the Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry hybrids, remains to be seen. And perhaps we’ll stock up on the caffeinated drinks and do our own “run until empty” challenge. So if you spot a slow moving Fusion Hybrid somewhere in Southeastern Connecticut, near our 327-acre test facility, please don’t honk.

Also read: "Ford Fusion – The best car you don’t know about."

—Jon Linkov

Comments

[Cale]

If you do a "run-to-empty test" don't forget the high vis graphics. You might also want to get some ear plugs (especially for any kids in the car!) to filter out the "colorful" comments passing motorists are likely to shout. ;-)

[darrell]

Besides being a public nuisance; how does creating a moving road hazard and CAUSING congestion (by going so slow that cars behind you cannot remerge into traffic) contribute to the betterment of society? HONK HONK HOOOOOONNNNNNK

[Kperea]

I agree, while hypermilling is a great way to increase your MPG's some of the practices may put other drivers in danger. Reckless driving and road rage become prominent by other drivers and dangerous driving maneuvers become reality as people get upset and try to pass you. I'm glad Ford has such and engaging and fun-to-drive hybrid. Safety first!

[Jim]

Light on the pedal and keeping RPMs low is okay and saves a surprising amount of gas depending on the car, but going slowly on the highway is really asking for it. (Unless you have a "shadow" vehicle behind you for protection, but even then you're endangering others on the road.) I can get 40 MPG in my Corolla using the safe, albeit annoying practice of keeping RPMs low and by driving faster to use less of the engine. I do this in the name of frugality during summer months, although I'd never, ever employ unsafe tactics for any reason, let alone for the sake of being "green."

Granted, this was a proof of concept drive, and for that purpose the results are pretty interesting. Kudos to Ford for the innovative experiment.

[wa0tda]

My Honda Civic Hybrid yields a steady 50+ mpg all summer long during a mixed highway and surface street commute. Winter driving is somewhat less, but always in the 40's. The trick is to accelerate gradually (except when nearby traffic demands more brisk acceleration) and stick to the speed limit. Needless to say, I live in the right lane. Looking well ahead in traffic is not only safe driving practice, but it allows me to almost never touch the brake, since I can adjust to traffic flow. I seldom encounter impatient drivers who think I'm impeding traffic, but then again I'm no hypermiler - just a cheapskate poking along in the slow lane.

[patrick]

Let's see, marketing, plus hype, does this mean we are all supposed to run out and buy the latest, greatest, overpriced, foreign(cheaply) made US automobiles ? Are people really dumb enough to be going GOO GOO over a 35+ MPG rating ? They had a 200+ MPG car back in the 50's - how is a major step backwards in innovation so special ?!!?? With very little work on my 1993 HONDA CIVIC, I get 40-50 MPG. And I have a lead foot; the faster the better. Some greenie tree hugger could probably get 75 MPG out of my car. So why is this Ford so amazing ? It's not. Look at how many American cars are on the road, which are more than 10 years old, the answer - nearly zero. SOME trucks. AND BY THE WAY, MY Honda civic was made right here in the USA, 100% built in Ohio, so take that all snide "We buy American" lemmings. You are buying Mexican junk with an American label smeared on the front, for a premium price. My NEW Honda Civic, will get a full run up as well, including a hydrogen booster and I anticipate the mileage to be well into the 75 - 100 MPG range.
I plan the same with an H1 Hummer, same, if not greater, results expected there, as well.

[Chuck Thomas]

Great blog.

For two years I've read the same ole same ole rants on hypermiling by the ones that are likely unwilling to speed even SLIGHTLY less. Given the hysterical fits they make, you would think this is more threatening than the 49 admitted to the hospital in Boston due to a conductor texting his girlfriend....and other distracted driving too numerous to mention. This was not typical driving even from a hypermiler's standpoint. Over a hundred Americans die on the roads daily from speeding, DUI, distraction, reckless....I challenge anyone to document ANY hypermiling-caused accident.

[Wayne Gerdes]

Hi Jon:

___Being one of the drivers, individual who trained the other drivers and person responsible for creating the route, I thought it may be an appropriate time to add my own commentary. My name is Wayne Gerdes by the way.

___Since you lived in the area and have driven through Alexandria with its “gauntlet” of maybe 30, non-timeable stop lights over 3 to 4 miles, what was your average speed through the area? 15 mph? 10 mph? 5 mph? If you lived there, than you know exactly what it is like driving through those lights yet failed to mention this fact in your report. We had driver turnover time including log keeping, multiple photo and video shoots during many of the turnovers, parking the “Challenge” Ford Fusion Hybrid for almost 4-hours between one stint to bring the camera crews onboard as we were ready to surpass 1,000-miles with Carl Edwards behind the wheel and even had a one-hour layover because one of the engineers had an important test occurring in real time back in Dearborn as he was about to drive off which caused another driver to have to head back to the launch point and take his place on the fly.

___You should have been there as it was a “Blast” :-D

“They were actually stopped by the police – for going too slowly!”

___That was not the “Challenge” vehicle but one of the other transport Mule vehicles. The mule vehicle with one of the drivers was trying to figure out the Northern Route turnaround point when his turn for driving came about later on. The drivers had only driven that portion of the route on late Friday night and were out again on Saturday night before their own stints.

“Still, they received their share of honks from other drivers who wanted to go faster.”

___Since Consumer Reports has had an anti-hypermiling bent for some time now, the hint of or promotion of over the speed limit driving has got to stop. Speeding is directly responsible for approximately 20,000 fatalities on our roadways here in the US let alone the untold billions of gallons of fuel wasted in the process. During the “Challenge”, we were driving between and up to the speed limit and perfectly legal unlike some of our fellow citizens that love to travel the Parkway at 10 + over. Fortunately or not, the Parkway Police were pulling over those that chose to speed as fast as we could count.

___I chose the Parkway for its 4-lanes, 25 to 45 mph speed limits, construction areas with 35 mph limits on the Northern section and ability for anyone to pass at will. We used multiple techniques to avoid causing traffic congestion which is beyond this blog entry but works for all traffic and roadway conditions. I suggest you learn more about RR, RP and Quick hit alternates for the safety of your family and your fellow citizenry before putting your foot to the floor and driving oblivious.

___Did we cause a small amount of traffic congestion? At some points we did. AND in many cases it was due to people pulling alongside and giving us the thumbs up while we were driving a beautifully rendered 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid on our way to 1,445 miles on a single tank of fuel :-)

___Regarding CR’s tips... Those same tips have caused us as a nation to average just 20 mpg for decades and caused havoc for us and the planet. This includes 9/11, destruction throughout the Middle East and god only knows what we are doing in Africa for its oil right now. “Tips” are what you give to your fellow horse racing fan at the track. Hypermiling is simply beating the EPA and using “Techniques” that have proven themselves to achieve upwards of three times the EPA rating of a given vehicle and proven over millions of real world miles. The 81.5 mpg over 1,445.7 miles achieved in the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid is proof of this excellent vehicles capability and the Hypermiling techniques we used to achieve it.

___Is it time to stop the madness or continue on with our collective heads in the sand? Hypermiling is a bridge to hopefully all-electrics when we will not have to use a drop of petroleum to move from point A to point B other than to lubricate the wheel bearings. And I pray they will arrive in force long before gasoline ever reaches $10.00 + per gallon as some in Europe experienced last year while we were lucky only to see just $4.11 per gallon as a nationwide average price early last July.

___Regarding the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, I think you are discovering the same thing I did. It is a wonderful and very comfortable Mid-sized sedan that just so happens to offer 50 + mpgUS on the highway and 70 + mpgUS around town when driven responsibly. During the same weekend, I was extremely fortunate to train men and woman from all walks of life who had never set foot in the Ford Fusion Hybrid previously. They averaged as a group over 71 mpg’s throughout the weekends driving clinics. One achieved over 80 mpg while the least efficient driver recorded a 66 mpg driving loop. Hypermiling the Ford Fusion Hybrid is really this easy and I hope to train others to do the same in their own Ford Fusion Hybrid in the future.

___Finally, here is a testament to the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and its capabilities. I personally tried to purchase one of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid mule vehicles after we had completed the drive but discovered that it is Ford's internal policy to let their used fleet vehicles go to auction so as to remove any hint of favoritism or malfeasance to my detriment.

___With all of the above, you know how to contact me if you are in need of more details.

___Good Luck

___Wayne Gerdes

[Harry]

From the article: "We’re marveling at the over 35 mpg we routinely experience in our commutes."

You people need Wayne to give you hypermiling lessons. I've noticed that your mpg results for any car is usually well below the EPA numbers. You people are hypomilers, instead of hypermilers.

[steve]

Plz Review the 2010 Prius. Your public is dying for your opinion on this car more then any other new car out there.

thx in advance!