em may grow big - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

blade · 05-13-2011, 11:50 PM

em may grow alot now with the big jump in gas what do you all think

Christ · 05-14-2011, 03:24 AM

Happens as gas prices rise... Stalls a bit as they fall. The general membership trend is an upward curve, though.

Kodak · 05-14-2011, 01:05 PM

Probably. EM comes up #5 on Google when I put in 'hypermiling' and #7 for 'improve fuel economy.'

However, it's not even on the first page for other related phrases such as: save gas, save fuel, more mpg, increase mpg or gas saving tips.

As far as EM, some people searching for ways to save gas will probably find the forum, but others will only read the same every-day article that hardly qualifies as "news" to most. There are a ton of generic 'save gas' articles online that say exactly the same thing. As prices rise, maybe the most basic hypermiling tips will become somewhat more common.

TheMarkofPolo · 05-14-2011, 05:10 PM

Now is a good time to reel 'em in. Now may be a good time to promote introductory articles and materials on the main page. The tips are comprehensive, but perhaps a bit daunting to newcomers.

Anywho, I've been trying to get out the word to anyone talking about gas prices. That's most folks these days. The conversation starts with "Hypermiling is your friend." I also advertised it during an Earth Day-related presentation on campus.

blade · 05-14-2011, 06:07 PM

yea i tell people to come here and just read a bit if they do nothing else. alot i think my be too lazy to do that even but i keep my hopes up. well i guess we all just keep charging away it has to catch on

Kodak · 05-14-2011, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMarkofPolo

The tips are comprehensive, but perhaps a bit daunting to newcomers.

Agreed. One of the worst ways to present hypermiling to most drivers is to make it seem like a complicated skill set that requires a lot of work. In reality, the root of hypermiling is just awareness and anticipation.

tugboat · 05-15-2011, 10:15 AM

I know that I had joined out of curiosity a while back, then drifted away, kept getting the occasional 'We Miss You!' email. Then I got a new job that I have to commute more than 40 miles each way. THAT got my attention, gas-mileage-wise, and brought me back. In the short week since I got my ScanGauge and started heavily reading the site, I've really changed my driving style. I think the SG was a hugely good investment, that's probably saving me more money than any mods I'm going to do will, by changing how I look at pushing the gas pedal.
But I do agree, as gas goes up, more people will at least come and look. I work at a large hospital on an Army base; I'm hoping some people will notice my mods in the parking lot and maybe think about it

I really should buy a sticker for the windows, now that I think about it. The sticker alone will probably be worth 2 mpg.

piers.singer · 05-15-2011, 12:05 PM

Personally, when I first came to EM I found the 65+ mods and 100+ tips lists incredibly daunting. Clearly I have stayed the course but there are plenty who may be being scared off by it. Perhaps it should be a little more compartmentalised, such as a page on aero mods, one on hybrid mods etc. etc.. Whilst one man may think, "wow! look at how much I can do to save fuel," another may think, "yikes! look at how much I have to do to save fuel".

I think that an Ecomodder 101 could be a good idea, putting all of the most basic hypemiling tips and eco-mods on one page in an easy-to-read sort of way. Perhaps some basic How-Tos wouldn't go a-miss either. Something like "My grille block gave me x.xx MPG, took 30 minutes to make and only cost me $x.xx. I'll show you how in 5 easy steps!" I don't know, that might be going over-board with the cheese and the shiny teeth, but ultimately we need to show people that eco-modding and hypermiling are easy and cheap.