Giving my first "Hypermiling Speech" on Wednesday. Any ideas/input?

[Cobb]

Is it a QA or just a speech? Id try to prepare for a few answers incase anyone throws you a curve ball. Like why do it with price of gas falling, how about buy a hybrid instead or some smarty who tried to 1 up you says he walks or takes the bus.

[Rembrant]

Originally Posted by OG VX

Hey guys,

Open dialog here, what are some key ideas I should discuss?

Personally, I'd have to add some humor to the discussion, just so that it's not so serious, and to get the audience laughing a bit.
Maybe it's only the MPG minded people that would even laugh at such stupid things, but I chuckle every time an old lady in an Echo or Corolla blows by me on the highway, and these days, the 18 wheelers pass me like I'm parked on the side of the road...lol.
However, I am totally ok with it all in the grand scheme of saving my hard earned money.

For a quick anecdotal story, a co-worker and I have identical cars...and I mean identical right down to the color and everything. We're both on the road with our work doing 2500-3000 miles per month. We both travel the same highways and burn the same gas. He drives 75-77mph, and I drive 60mph with the occasional bit of hypermiling techniques. He routinely gets 300-310 miles per tank, and I routinely get 435-475 miles per tank. And by routine, I mean tank after tank after tank, for over a year now. We both get paid for our mileage, so at the end of the day, I'm making more money than he is.

Even people that suck at math get pretty good at it when you put dollar signs next to the numbers, and besides, I've grown to laugh at all the people passing me.

And, on top of all the money saved, driving slower is surely much safer, and I'm not scanning the horizon like a hawk looking for the police.

Rem

[mcrews]

cowmeat makes a good point
gaming!
beat the scangauge!!

People don't like to change behavior. But throw in the fun of gaming and they might change.

[spacemanspif]

Some numbers might help too. For instance when I first signed on this site, someone mentioned that for my commute to work, slowing down to 60 from 65mph would extend my drive by about 1.5minutes lol. If most drive 20 miles to your work on the highway slowing down to 60 from 65 would only cost them 2minutes. Since most don't work right on the off ramp nor live right on the on ramp, chances are that they have to deal with lights and traffic where the 2 more minutes would be absorbed without notice. Also do the math on how much money they can save by increasing their average MPG by just 1 or 2. Don't kill them with math but add just a little to prove the ideas.

[ksa8907]

I have noticed that most people are aware of the mileage their vehicle gets, but few are aware of how much pwr month they spend on fuel. Show them a chart with miles driven on one axis and mpg on the other then calculate cost per month @ a given price/gallon.

That way you can engage the audience and ask a few people what they drive and what kind of mileage they get. Its an eye opener.

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by Daox

I'd probably come up with a list of pros and cons, and then briefly hit each point.

Pros:
- lower driving cost
- reduced dependence on foreign oil- ANY oil
- good for the environment
- becomes a fun game to challenge yourself to get a new high score

Cons:
- longer commute time
- tail gaters

Thats just a few off the top of my head.

Sounds like fun. Be sure to let us know how it goes.

.

[Joggernot]

I like the gaming aspect, so that should be included as an advanced technique.

Don't forget: Tell'em what you gonna tell'em; tell'em; and tell'em what you told'em and you'll do just fine. You know too much on the subject, so your problem will be holding it to 5-7 minutes!

Can you provide a single sheet with some tips?

[dirtydave]

Slow down. My philosophy for life also applies to the road.

Read this!!

[Fat Charlie]

Originally Posted by spacemanspif

...for my commute to work, slowing down to 60 from 65mph would extend my drive by about 1.5minutes lol.

People only think they drive 65 (or 75, or whatever). That's not a reality, but a target speed that gets hit for brief times under ideal circumstances. The rest of the time is spent accelerating to it, hitting the brakes when someone changes lanes badly, accelerating again, hitting the brakes when an on ramp comes in, etc. Your target speed is never going to be your average speed. Commutes on the highway are really just stop & go at higher speeds. Adjusting the target speed downward has the stated benefits that lower speed gets you, but it's also attainable and predictable- your drive will be smoother and actually at your target speed if your target speed doesn't require you to fight your way through the crowd.

If gas being so cheap (How the hell is $2.75 a gallon considered cheap?) right now brings a "what's the point" vibe, it's easy to point out that a month's commuting is a big chunk of money, and can be a lot cheaper with minimal effort. Case in point- at $3.50 gas, my payments+gas were close to what gas alone was in my old SUV. It was pretty close to being a free (brand new) car, paid for out out of fuel savings. At $2.75 it's farther, but complaining that gas savings aren't entirely paying for your brand new car is kind of unreasonable.

[redneck]

.

Good driving habits and hypermiling...??? Why do it...???

Easy...

Show them the MONEY...


Do it Ross Perot style. Use a chart.





Vehicle--------Average MPG----Fuel----Miles driven---------Cost----Less 20%


SUV - P/U.........17.................$3.00.......15,000... .............$2,647.....$2,205

Med. size..........25.................$3.00.......15,00 0................$1,800.....$1,500

Small size.........35..................$3.00.......15,00 0................$1,285.....$1,071

Fuel.................45..................$3.00.... ...15,000................$1,000.....$800
efficient

Hybrid..............60...................$3.00.... ...15,000................$750........$624

(rough numbers)



Tell them people here on the site regularly exceed EPA ratings by 25%-100%, saving even more money. Also, be sure to point out the $2,000 fuel difference a year between a SUV and a Hybrid.

Slowing down along with good driving habits will reduce brake wear, vehicle maintenance, accidents, tickets and associated insurance increases.

Making a game of getting better fuel mileage is good fun way of doing so.

Good luck...




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