ACC with Stop and Go test to improve fuel mileage

[dabangsta]

I normally do not have a daily driving routine. I work from home, and I rarely drive the 2019 Edge SEL FWD with ACC around town, just on journeys away from the city, vacations, etc.

 

My son is driving my 2012 Fusion Sport AWD, and my wife was in the hospital. So that means 3 round trips daily, 11 miles each way. It is city driving, with 5 miles of it on a 45 mph parkwayesque drive (3 stop lights, 4 lanes wide mostly).

 

I did the first 3 days driving normally (which is to say, more aggressive than most, keeping up with traffic speeds, no coasting or hypermiling), and I averaged 19.5 mpg. I then starting using the ACC. Next 3 days my average was 22.9 (it was 23.4 but had to do some aggressive maneuvering to get away from a maniac). I still went with traffic (cruise set to 56 in the 45 segments, 46 in the 40 segments), and was never the last away from a stop, usually the first.

 

It was much less stressful that most commutes, I still would use the gas pedal to go faster as needed, I still paid attention and was an active participant in the experience, but it helped even out my driving, and limit my speeding up to get around a car, then going faster than others, so repeating that.

 

Also auto start/stop helps if you are trying. The temps hit 105 again so it will stop less and less, and I could watch the average go down while sitting or once back underway, but once the heat hit again, it would drop .1 or .2 sitting and I would have to baby it to get them back.

[Wubster100]

Both adaptive cruise control and normal cruise control will apply the brakes to slow down when your vehicle's speed is above the set cruise speed. This could hurt fuel economy when coasting down a hill. In theory, you should be able to achieve the best fuel economy by driving manually instead of using cruise control.

Edited September 29 by Wubster100

[dabangsta]

Around town there are no hills for the "test" I ran (well one, but if it wasn't for the one, I bet elevation change over 11 miles would be 30 feet).

 

I am still trying to get the PID for brake pressure and brake light activation setup in Torque so I can log and monitor it. I had tried a mirror on a suction cup on the back of the car because I was curious about brake light activation using ACC, but that doesn't tell me when the actual brakes are applied and to what degree.

 

Out on the highway, with actual hills and mountains, cruise can be detrimental to mileage if you are trying. Without an eco mode, it is pretty aggressive in maintaining speed up.

[Haz]

@dabangsta: Try conducting your ACC brake activation test at night on an unlit road with no following vehicle, perhaps with a helper driving in front of your Edge to induce its ACC braking.

 

Brake light activation should be evident in your Edge's cargo area and/or in your Edge's exterior rear-view mirrors.

 

Good luck!

 

Edited September 29 by Haz

[Wubster100]

At night, I can see a slight red reflection when I look back.

 

Too bad we don’t have any drive modes like an eco mode.