Have you ever given 1-on-1 ecodriving instruction? (Here's how I did it.)

[Chuck.]

Here's one I did this past spring > Get Better Gas Mileage No Matter What You Drive « CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

[MetroMPG]

Hi Chuck -

Just watched the video - nice work. They always edit down for time, but you got some of the fundamental points out there. And the proof is in the pudding with each of those driver's results.

For emphasis, I wish they had attached a dollar figure to that Hummer H2 owner's improvement: she would save $1200 a year with her 20% ecodriving improvement!

[Chuck.]

^ Thank you for the kind words.

I was not aware the H2 was going to be part of the story. A spot that was not aired I compared the cost savings of a Prius vs. a Ford F150 pickup. Little did I realize they probably decided to take it to the most extreme and compare the Prius vs. the H2.

The other thing was to make this simple, absolutely legal, and something the public would consider doing. Yes, I could do 100mpg, but I'd rather have hundreds if not thousands getting 20% better....we can go into all kinds of techniques, but the first step of hypermiling is to get drivers to want to do it in the first place, and it's the hardest one.

[MetroMPG]

This driver said he'd never been able to meet the city OR highway rating of his 2009 Ford Edge (all-wheel drive, 3.5L V6).

We surpassed the EPA rating on this rainy day. But...

Here's a first: we were denied by the Canadian NRCan rating! This is the first vehicle I can remember where I haven't been able to beat the tougher Canadian rating.

Nothing at all unusual happened during this drive to explain not being able to beat the tougher rating. Makes me skeptical about its accuracy.

Nevertheless, this guy was genuinely surprised and thrilled to see a 15% improvement from his baseline lap -- especially since we had the exact same average speed on all 3 laps.

[pRoy]

That's a great car to test since it is so popular in this area. I bet on the home stretch your were thinking EOC!

I have several others looking to take your class. Let me know when you get space.

[2000neon]

With more seat time in it you could probably show some higher numbers. Geeze, EPA of only 15! I don't get it, they aren't that big, not that powerful.. What am I missing? I guess it is all wheel drive but wow.

[MetroMPG]

Nope! I think I can say with confidence there's not much more to be wrung from that Ford with plain vanilla techniques. At least not on my usual teaching route anyway. Not sure why it's so thirsty.

EDIT: There are 124 Ford Edges from 2007-2013 with reported gas mileage parked at Fuelly. The MPG averages by model year are pretty bad. *(includes all engine types, both FWD and AWD):

2013
19.1

2012
20.9

2011
20.0

2010
19.5

2009
19.0

2008
18.2

2007
18.5

Source: Ford Edge MPG Reports | Fuelly

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pRoy - as a matter of fact, the Edge was the last scheduled session. So if you know someone who's interested in Thurs or Fri after lunch next week, I'm game for another one.

[Weather Spotter]

Originally Posted by ps2fixer

That is probably why Weather Spotter went from ~55mpg steady speed to 65-70mpg P&G lol. I have an automatic, so P&G is kind of hard on the starter, and eats up most of the gains .

that is exactly what improved my MPG

I tried doing 10, 15 20, 25, & 30 MPH glides. how I accelerate 15 mph is a wash (I use it on the freeway to keep travel time down and MPG up). 20 starts to net me some gain, 25 gets me a lot but the 5mph from 25-30 is all gain. pass the gravy


I showed my brother how to hypermile. he was getting 27-29 MPG and I did a trip to church on a route I know well and pulled 44 MPG. he did the trip home and got 39 MPG. his next tank was his best at 39 MPG then his lead foot came back from vacation and he is back to 27-33 depending on how hard he tries.

[Weather Spotter]

Metro, if you get anyone in your talks who is from or knows someone in my area who wants tips I would be happy to give a lesson every once and a while.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by Weather Spotter

then his lead foot came back from vacation

HA! I lol'd.

Do what I did: offer to give a seminar to some local group. (I got conscripted by an acquaintance who goes regularly to a monthly eco-themed lecture group.)

Just keep it simple so you don't freak people out. VANILLA ECO-DRIVING. Most people will be thrilled with the 10-20% improvement you can get from that, and the occasional one that wants more advanced tips, well that's when you can dole them out.