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

[Weather Spotter]

Himmmm I might need to find a local group that's practicaly minded and not Eco nuts . They make me drive fast the other way.

Or I could see if a local newspaper wants a local story ....

[MetroMPG]

... in an awful little car:



That thing just doesn't coast . Combination of an auto transmission eager to downshift early (while coasting!), and the added drag of the all-wheel-drive. (And yep, I checked tire pressure - set a few PSI above placard.)

Yikes!

Managed to beat the ratings, but it was no fun at all feeling like you're driving through molasses all the time.

EDIT: I think this is the first time I scared a student (slightly). On my demonstration lap, I saw her go for the imaginary "passenger brake pedal" as we were coasting up to a line of cars that was just beginning to move away from a fresh green light. I asked her and she just said "I wasn't sure you'd brake if you needed to!" But she also admitted to being a poor passenger ("control issues" - her words). Have to take that into consideration for future sessions.

[MetroMPG]

That was the last session of this year. I enjoy teaching people who want to learn, so I'll probably offer this again next year, closer to spring time.

It was also fun trying out the various vehicles.

Results of 7 students - averages:

[pRoy]

Just noticed your reply. I will get some people lined up for next spring if your still interested. You taught 6 but I bet everyone has mentioned tips to at least a couple of people, I certainly have!

[Daox]

I find your first comment quite humorous considering how Suby owners seem to love their vehicles so much.

[MetroMPG]

Ha - well, I think we're clearly judging them on different criteria!

I'm sure they're reliable and handy if you have to drive around in snow up to the rocker panels all the time.

==

pRoy: next year - sounds like a plan!

[MetroMPG]

One more chart! Because I'm a nerd for the charts.

[JethroBodine]

I just gave my first lesson. My Mother asked for a lesson since her new '12 Hyundai Tuscon was giving her around 25mpg on the dash readout. I followed Darins formula on her normal commute. The dash was reading 25.3mpg before we started. We rest it and she drove the rout without stopping at her work, simply turning around and going home. We chatted throughout the trip and the trip meter was at 26.4. I took the wheel and reset the gauge. I described the techniques I was using and things I thought she could to improve her mileage. When I stopped, the gauge was at 34.6mpg. Mom said that she had never seen anything over 30 and really wanted to get that also. Unfortunately, we hit some traffic on her trip on the way back to the house on her lap. She was at 30.4 when she got to her work, but wound up at 27.9 when she finished. I could see she was disappointed, but with the extra traffic, unfortunately, that can happen. Tomorrow we might try again, and now my Sister wants me to try to help her with her '10 Beetle.

Edit- The Tuscon 2wd EPA is 25 with either 2.0 or 2.4l engine.

[MetroMPG]

Woohoo! Nice work Jethro!

It is a little disappointing when someone gets "punished" by unusual circumstances on one of the laps, if it takes away from the impact of your demonstration/coaching.

But what else can we do when we're doing this in the real world? Stuff happens.

A friend of mine got a Mazda CX9 (or something - V6 automatic AWD? crossover thing) and complained about his mileage recently. He knows I've been coaching people and asked what he needed to do to make it better. "First," I said, "go buy back the Corolla 5-speed wagon you traded, you damn fool!" I think I lost him at that point.

[MetroMPG]

Just had an ecodriving session with a senior couple: 79 and 80 years old. First session of 2013.

Weapon of choice: Toyota Corolla 1.8L automatic.

He drove while she observed. It was just about a perfect session, except that his first "baseline lap" had me nervous because the traffic light gods kept bestowing green lights upon him at most of the intersections! Had me thinking, "This is going to be difficult!"

Turned out that his being a wee bit of a "throttle stabber", plus the few stops he did have were rushed into with unnecessary late braking, and we did OK after talking over these points.

Even though I faced more red lights on my demo lap than his baseline lap, I squeezed out 5 more mpg and a 1 MPH higher average speed.

So it all worked out in the end: with coaching, he got 14% better mileage on his final lap (and the highest average speed of all 3).