Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - What Would You Teach In A Class on Driving Efficiency?

slowmover · 09-24-2011, 02:39 PM

Got here late.

Were it me, and assuming a half-dozen to a dozen participants in typical suburbia, I'd try to teach them one thing, and one thing only: trip-planning. The goal would be to reduce the amount of use the car[s] receives. The class would center around the experiences/reports by each on a week-to-week basis. (Hopefully it wouldn't be all retirees.)

I'd ask them about their cars: age, usual length of ownership plus miles traveled, etc. See if there were similarities between participants. Establish the range of things. What are their constant, regular, destinations as reached by car?

Most folks tend to know their gasoline use. And their monthly debt payment. But it's all that they know. In polls Americans also report feeling harried.

The purely hypothetical Donna B keeps cars five years and drives 60k-miles in that time. Each mile driven costs her 70-cents. If she reduces the annual mileage and keeps the car one more year, her cost is reduced to . . . . How to do this?

To wit:

Week One would be to ask them to drive as normal, but to record gallons used, miles traveled and times en-route. As a trip log. Without revealing the next.

Parameters emphasized for Week Two and beyond (subject to group input):

[1] Combining all short trips (no last minute runs to the store)

[2] Limits on hours available for use (especially no 10-pm runs to the C-store or pharmacy)

[3] The "ideal" of at least one day of not using a car.

The rest of the class sessions would be charting what arose: those preferences and planning aids folks used to quit making such casual non-thinking use of expensive vehicles and fuel.

Then, offering trip-planning aids such as seen here: go to the farthest point and work back towards home. Make only right-hand turns. Etc. Display for them map-reading and GPS skills, plus websites which make this easy (there are many, this deserves the teachers time: route planning aids which need only addresses inputted, with loops and RH turns emphasized).

And see if they find making comfortable changes on ordinary errand-running and commuting to verfiably reduce the time, money, stress and fuel use. The strategy behind the tactics (how to drive being less important than when to drive). And how they'll not only save money (net income cash), but feel better about themselves as a result:

Example: If my Saturday is no longer in main consumed by errand-running now done to & from work on commutes with but one weekend trip, then how will I use it?

Of what will my Sunday consist as a member of a congregation expected to be of service to others. (Not to cram in yet more activities, but to read and reflect as taught; am I better at listening to others by the quality of my response/reflections? How has this set of small changes made for a large change in my internal state?).

If my time is better used, and my cost of living reduced, does this apply as a member of XYZ congregation to the way we are charged to live?

How might this apply to other mindless activities such as television-watching, etc?

.

09-24-2011, 02:39 PM	#21 (permalink)
slowmover Banned Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Fort Worth, Texas Posts: 2,442 2004 CTD - '04 DODGE RAM 2500 SLT Team Cummins 90 day: 19.36 mpg (US) Thanks: 1,422 Thanked 737 Times in 557 Posts	Got here late. Were it me, and assuming a half-dozen to a dozen participants in typical suburbia, I'd try to teach them one thing, and one thing only: trip-planning. The goal would be to reduce the amount of use the car[s] receives. The class would center around the experiences/reports by each on a week-to-week basis. (Hopefully it wouldn't be all retirees.) I'd ask them about their cars: age, usual length of ownership plus miles traveled, etc. See if there were similarities between participants. Establish the range of things. What are their constant, regular, destinations as reached by car? Most folks tend to know their gasoline use. And their monthly debt payment. But it's all that they know. In polls Americans also report feeling harried. The purely hypothetical Donna B keeps cars five years and drives 60k-miles in that time. Each mile driven costs her 70-cents. If she reduces the annual mileage and keeps the car one more year, her cost is reduced to . . . . How to do this? To wit: Week One would be to ask them to drive as normal, but to record gallons used, miles traveled and times en-route. As a trip log. Without revealing the next. Parameters emphasized for Week Two and beyond (subject to group input): [1] Combining all short trips (no last minute runs to the store) [2] Limits on hours available for use (especially no 10-pm runs to the C-store or pharmacy) [3] The "ideal" of at least one day of not using a car. The rest of the class sessions would be charting what arose: those preferences and planning aids folks used to quit making such casual non-thinking use of expensive vehicles and fuel. Then, offering trip-planning aids such as seen here: go to the farthest point and work back towards home. Make only right-hand turns. Etc. Display for them map-reading and GPS skills, plus websites which make this easy (there are many, this deserves the teachers time: route planning aids which need only addresses inputted, with loops and RH turns emphasized). And see if they find making comfortable changes on ordinary errand-running and commuting to verfiably reduce the time, money, stress and fuel use. The strategy behind the tactics (how to drive being less important than when to drive). And how they'll not only save money (net income cash), but feel better about themselves as a result: Example: If my Saturday is no longer in main consumed by errand-running now done to & from work on commutes with but one weekend trip, then how will I use it? Of what will my Sunday consist as a member of a congregation expected to be of service to others. (Not to cram in yet more activities, but to read and reflect as taught; am I better at listening to others by the quality of my response/reflections? How has this set of small changes made for a large change in my internal state?). If my time is better used, and my cost of living reduced, does this apply as a member of XYZ congregation to the way we are charged to live? How might this apply to other mindless activities such as television-watching, etc? .