What Would You Teach In A Class on Driving Efficiency?

[skyl4rk]

I think the key message is:

Drive slow and always try to coast before stopping.

There are many variations on this theme, which could include
Drive a little slower than traffic
Look ahead and take your foot off the gas if you think there could be a reason to stop
Leave a lot of space between you and the car in front of you
As soon as you see a "stop sign ahead" sign, take your foot off the gas
Try to judge stoplight timing and take your foot off the gas early
Drive the speed limit minus 5 when you can
Using the cruise control to keep speeds low at a desired level
Coasting down hills

For the radicals: Pulse and glide on 35 mph four lane streets in traffic with stoplights

Other themes
Finding the sweet spot (usually lowest rpms in highest gear)
Tire pressure
How to measure your mpg tank to tank

Assignments:
On a road with no traffic, drive to 25 mph and coast to a stop. Measure the distance (in blocks or ???) or watch the odometer to see how far you go
Vehicular curling: on a straight, level road with no traffic, start at 25mph, and identify a target to coast to. Let the drivers judge where to take their foot off the gas to coast to the target.

[cfg83]

Frank -

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

As Gasoline Prices Rise, Alliance to Save Energy Urges Drivers To Be More Fuel Efficient, Take '6° Challenge' As Gasoline Prices Rise | Alliance to Save Energy

Here's a brief yet fairly complete outline, already done.

And a website

Drive Smarter Challenge

All right, I got 100% on the 6 degree quiz! But I used the context of the other questions to figure out question #1. I saved $192 on the drive-smarter-challenge.

CarloSW2

[Tango Charlie]

I've been posting one "tip" every weekend on facebook to see what kind of responses I get, as a sort of research experiment for how normal people might react in an Efficient Driving Class. So far, it's been the typical opposite, knee-jerk reactions. "I'll never slow down! I wear out WOT sensors as fast as brake pads!" Har har har.
Today, though, I finally got a nibble; "What is your opinion of rear spoilers?"
Another friend from my highschool days asked "What would you suggest to get better mileage in my Cube?"

[Tango Charlie]

My church has "Wednesday Night Workshops" in step with the school year. The first installment started last week, and since they liked the fuel efficiency idea that I pitched a while back, they let me teach one. Two people showed up. One guy I would characterize as somewhat of a gearhead. The other fella doesn't know a spark plug from a crescent wrench, but he's very intellectual. Not a bad audience, really.

I've decided to organize each weekly session into four basic catagories;
General Information, Driving Techniques, Common Myths, and Vehicle Modifications.

Last week I started out with How To Compute Your MPGs (General Info).

Then I talked about how to use the car smarter to save gas, (Driving Techniques) like consolidating errands, and using the more efficient or warmed up vehicle if given a choice, etc. Then I presented the crazy concept of slowing down. This was received with less resistance than I anticipated. Or maybe they were just being polite. I'm gonna hit it every session.

For Myths, I asked them what they have heard about what gets better mileage, and we came up with a pretty decent list. We covered a few (intake turbulators, fuel line magnets) and saved a few that I want to cover in more detail next week (HHO, pickup tailgates, and windows vs. AC).

For Vehicle Modifications I talked about tire pressure, weight reduction, and synthetic oil.

For "homework" I assigned them to calculate a tankful's MPG, and check their tire pressure.

Next week I plan on covering Newtons Laws of Motion, DWB, Scangauges/Ultragauges, and grille blocks.

I hope they come back.

[JRMichler]

I'd push:
Timing lights gets you there in exactly the same time, but using much less gas and without wearing out brakes.

Coming up behind a slower vehicle without using brakes - same time, less gas.

Changing to a slower speed limit without using brakes - less gas. Calculate how much time is lost on a typical speed limit change. For example, it takes me 4 seconds longer to coast from 40 MPH down to 25 MPH as compared to drive 40 and jam on the brakes. I ran that calculation for a speed maniac coworker that got stuck behind me one day. Use real data for a local road.

Then DWL - again same speed less gas.

[Frank Lee]

^Yeah, and tell them to keep that damned left foot off the brakes ALWAYS.

[320touring]

Interesting thread this- might be handy for helping my carshare colleague to get even more out her modern TD..

Her hazard perception could do with some brushing up..

Hope your class folks come back and have done their homework!

[Tango Charlie]

They both came back!

I gave them a short refresher on Newton's three laws and the Conservation of Energy, then I hit them with DWB. They were all ears. I explained how DFCO works and they were intrigued. I had 'em eating out of my hand, I tell ya. Ha ha! I talked about grille blocks, and instrumentation like Ultragauges, MPGuino's, and vacuum gauges. I talked about removing roof racks, spoilers, and mud flaps, which led to talking about aerodynamics in general.

My work/social schedule was insane last week, so I didn't have time to make out a fill-in-the-blank worksheet for the class, or put the finishing touches on the PowerPoint, but it turned out to be a real good class anyway. I hope to be better prepared for the final session next week.

I took them for a short ride in Olivia to show them the SGII in operation, and demonstrate DFCO. When I pulled back into the church's parking lot, one of the guys said, "Oh! You used your brakes!"

Next week I'm planning on giving them links to some websites, and reviewing what we covered the first two weeks. Maybe I'll briefly cover some more advanced techniques like EOCing and Pulse and Glide.

[320touring]

Result! thats sounds very very positive!

Good work

[TheMarkofPolo]

It sounds like you're having a good time edifying others. Reminding them about Mr. Newton is a great idea.

If you decide to do more workshops, you might provide a teaser, like a short, sparky presentation--enough to get folks to come back for details/explanations. Again, though, as someone else said, know your audience.

I wonder if there would be interest on my campus...or in my sustainability society for actual workshops. I did a presentation geared towards college students for last Earth Day...HERE. I gave the presentation in the student center, and caught the eye of several students.

Oh, there is also a thread started about giving FE presentations if it would add inspiration for anyone.