Go Hybrid, how to drive economically?
There is no need to convince anyone that hybrid drives are more ecological and economical than traditional combustion engines, but many drivers, when getting into such a car for the first time, may feel a bit confused, because everyone promised wonderful savings, and here fuel consumption is not lower than in my old diesel! We will talk about how a hybrid car should be handled using the example of Toyota Corolla Touring Sports available at PANEK Rent a Car.
The hybrid likes it firmly In order for the computer controlling the drive to know what we want to do at the moment, it needs factual and decisive information from the driver, so we have to learn some reflexes. If we want to accelerate sharply, we press the gas pedal to the stop, so as not to give the computer room for interpretation. It is supposed to accelerate and that’s it. However, when we reach the set speed, remove the gas and press it again, setting its position so that the car maintains the speed. The high speed at the beginning will drop quickly and the rest of the journey will be silent. Another overtaking maneuver is also carried out according to the above scenario. Pressing the accelerator halfway down will only put the engine into high RPM, but nothing else will happen.
Why is it like that? The Toyota hybrid system consists of a naturally aspirated gasoline engine, which produces power in the upper engine (122 hp at 5,200 rpm), as well as maximum torque at 3,600 rpm. The Corolla’s power and torque are transferred to the wheels via the eCVT CVT, which is designed to keep the revs close to the intersection of the power and torque curves for optimal performance. The advantage of a continuously variable transmission is the practically infinite number of gears, and it is this characteristic that is responsible for forcing the engine to run at high speed.
Light leg Hybrid also likes when the driver handles the gas pedal like a biscuit cousin at his aunt’s tea. A light touch of the accelerator pedal with your right foot is a sign for the hybrid system to use an electric motor. Note that when the car is started, the electric motor is always turned on first, and the internal combustion engine joins it at speeds above 30 km / h, during dynamic acceleration and when the traction batteries need to be recharged. If we drive at a constant speed, the system eagerly uses the electric motor again, and it draws energy for power from energy recovery during braking or from the internal combustion engine, which then works as an electricity generator. In order to obtain the best results in fuel consumption, the car should be handled extremely gently, and although the hybrid system can show its claw at traffic lights, it is a strong supporter of the principle that haste is degrading.
Anticipate the unforeseen One may be tempted to say that driving a hybrid car is like a strategy game in which the driver carefully observes the road and predicts the event two moves ahead. There is no point in racing from light to light, because in a moment we will all stand on the next ones anyway. The driver of the Toyota Corolla hybrid is a master of strategy, so he accelerates to the permitted speed, and then recovers energy, quietly losing speed. The hybrid also does not like sudden changes in speed and “jerks”, so if we see that 500 meters further at the intersection the signal lights red light, we let the car roll to the intersection without using gas.
Calm first and foremost The hybrid Toyota Corolla Touring Sports from PANEK Rent a Car is not a racing car. It is closer to the family bus, which will be used to safely travel on vacation and the profit of 15 minutes over a distance of 400 kilometers does not interest anyone here. The car is able to achieve fuel consumption on the road at the level of 5 l / 100 km, and in the city the record breakers boast of results even below 4 l / 100 km. Toyota with the XII generation Corolla model presented the 4th evolution of its “self-charging hybrid system”. The design is technically refined and practically 100% reliable. This fact, along with low fuel consumption and low emission of harmful substances, has made the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports Hybrid one of the favorite models in PANEK Rent a Car.