Fuel Saving Tips

Try "Surfing" the Hills in the C-Max Hybrid

Highways in the cities are not flat. There are undulations in the terrain caused by overpasses and underpasses, They are called "vertical curves" and are the result of elevation changes. Overpasses are usually a mile or so apart as they cross over roads below. Sometimes the freeway will go underneath a road and you will descend in elevation to go underneath a bridge. Now Here's the "Surfing" trick, try to eyeball the road ahead so that you are at the top of an overpass when you are at 68 and you are backing off the throttle to go into electric mode. The electric motor is more efficient going downhill, even slightly and you can maintain your speed longer because it takes less KW or juice to go downhill. The C-Max is a heavy car and it's own mass going downhill is a big plus. The longer you can run the electric motor, the higher your mpg will be simply because electric mpg is way higher than than using the Internal Combustion Engine. That is the crux of getting higher mpg. At the end of your trip you should see a definite increase in the percentage of EV-Mode used. Now if you see the road ahead is going uphill for an overpass, time it so you are firing up the ICE to propel you uphill and increasing your speed to the top. If all you do is run the gas engine from the bottom of the hill to the top, and go electric from the tops down you will increase your mileage.