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Old 07-10-2008, 06:40 PM   #6 (permalink)
Lazarus
ECO-Evolution
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by groar View Post
When I heard about ecodriving the first time I found several european web sites with a few (never more than 10) advises, but enough to have a good way to save gas.

After a few searches I found american web sites with the hypermiling term and tons of advises.

In my point of view, the big difference between them is that an ecodriver will never do EOC or drafting, ie things that is not safe in between all hands (*).

So for me ecodriver and hypermiler don't have the same meaning.

As an ecodriver's FE will not be as good as an hypermiler's FE, may be the term ecodriver could be put with EPA+10% < FE < EPA+25%, and hypermiler (or master ecodriver for people who doesn't want the hypermiler term) for FE > EPA+25% (or the current percentage).

Denis.

(*) I don't say EOC and drafting are dangerous when best hypermilers are doing it. I say that these techniques are dangerous if you don't have the good technique and didn't trained yourself enough before using it on the road.
Currently I don't have a good feeling with these techniques so I will not practice them, nor use them.
Yes this is the way I look at it. The term hypermiler was coined to lable a %over EPA. It has morphed and been tagged, fair or not, with the advanced techniques such as EOC, drafting, hyperinflation etc. If you are using these techniques, in the general public eye, you are a hypermiler no matter what your EPA number is. Changing the name and keeping the techniques does nothing except bring the stigma onto eco-driving.

Since the intent of % over EPA is no longer the driving factor I think define the driving by techniques and not by EPA.
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