I tend to save up battery for long hills by turning on Sport on flat roads, then switching to EV as I'm starting my ascent. Not sure if this is the right way to go about it. Perhaps just keeping it in Normal and then using any available battery when I reach the hill would be better.
My preference is to arrive at the top of the hill with battery at its lowest point, and then using the downgrade to recharge.
I've been working (thinking and experimenting) for a long time on how to best meet the mpg challenge of the long hill.Here is what I'm doing now, which seems to be giving my best mpg uet:
I use Sport prior to the hill to build up battery reserve and, depending on conditions, speed. Then I continue in Sport to about half way up the hill, but allowing speed to drop off while using the far right 'slow truck' lane. At roughly the halfway point I'll drop out of Sport into Normal. Then as I near the top I'll push the EV button, and go for engine off operation for the last bit of the hill; with the goal of maintaining EV mode across the top and into the downgrade recharge.
My thinking is that I'm using Sport and Normal in the low and mid portions of the hill to mix stored battery power with ICE operation, to climb the hill and maintain some level of residual battery charge level (SOC). That SOC to be used at the top of the hill to insure maximum use of gravity on the downgrade for recharging. And also to avoid any delay in beginning the recharge process while at the top of the hill.
Also, when in EV mode, does it matter how far up the blue bar I am? Is it still more efficient to stay mid-way up the blue bar?
Yes. My guess is that the further up the blue bar ya go the faster the battery is discharging (or the amount of gasoline the ICE is using).. My biggest personal mpg challenge has been to moderate my urge for high acceleration. Keeping halfway up the blue section has been a big help with that.