Hybrid modifications for mpg

[Malibu16_hybrid]

I had a 2012 Prius C for 4 years and now a 2016 Malibu Hybrid for 3. The Prius was a reliable, minimum car with adequate mileage but too dangerous on the highway as well as far too underpowered. The Malibu is a real car - comfortable, powerful, reliable and a beauty.
The difference in mileage may be about 5 mpg less with my Malibu, but with several advantages. The Prius could not retain ev mode past 40 mph, while the Malibu will hold up to 50 mph.
I am not a hypermiler, so my mpg average is only about 38 currently, affected greatly by short 2 mile trips in stop and go traffic about 75% of the time.
Here is my question: All of these hybrids have a short accelerator stroke before starting the ICE unit, especially the Malibu. If I had less throttle response in town, I could probably improve my avg. mpg. There are gadgets out there that can vary the throttle response, designed for supposed acceleration improvements, that can also detune the response. Has anyone ever heard of using one for this application? Any suggestions?

[JeffJo]

Originally Posted by Malibu16_hybrid

I had a 2012 Prius C for 4 years and now a 2016 Malibu Hybrid for 3. The Prius was a reliable, minimum car with adequate mileage but too dangerous on the highway as well as far too underpowered. The Malibu is a real car - comfortable, powerful, reliable and a beauty.
The difference in mileage may be about 5 mpg less with my Malibu, but with several advantages. The Prius could not retain ev mode past 40 mph, while the Malibu will hold up to 50 mph.

The way a hybrid gains efficiency is grossly misrepresented. The gas engine is most efficient at mid-to-low rpms, and about 70% of the power it could generate at that speed. Unfortunately, that level of power, at that speed, will seldom correspond to the power you need.

A simplified explanation of what a hybrid does, is to alternate between two modes. In the first, it produces more power than the car needs at the best efficiency possible, storing the excess in the battery. In the second, it produces little or no power and runs off of the battery. "No power" means EV mode. "Little power" is not as efficient as in the first mode, but the average over the two modes is more efficient than if the gas engine had driven the car alone.

I point this out, because it means that how far you can drive in EV mode is irrelevant. You are still using gas for that leg of the journey, it is just gas you burned at an earlier time. The size of the battery in these hybrids is picked to be enough to manage these two modes. But that also means that the total power they can produce is limited, which affects your question.

Here is my question: All of these hybrids have a short accelerator stroke before starting the ICE unit, especially the Malibu.

Starting out from 0 mph takes little power, so the battery has enough to make the motor do it alone. But pretty soon, if you are still accelerating, it is not. The gas engine has to start to provide more. That's all. And it will likely generate too much, but that gets saved.

If I had less throttle response in town, I could probably improve my avg. mpg.

You could accomplish the same thing by being gentler of the accelerator. But it won't affect mpg appreciably, unless you are really a jackrabbit. Which it sounds like you are not.