Hypermiling on NPR
#1
07-31-2005, 08:03 AM
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Join Date: May 2005
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Hypermiling on NPR
The NPR radio show "Living on Earth" has a segment on hypermiling in a Prius. Dave Bassage is interviewed "about his quest for the Holy Grail of fuel economy, 100 miles per gallon in a Toyota Prius."
"BASSAGE: Well, what we'll be doing in a couple weeks is that four of us will be driving one Prius, taking turns behind the wheel, nonstop. We'll start at 6 o'clock on a Friday on a full tank of gas and drive until we run out. And our goal is just to see how far we can possibly get on a single tank of gas."
Living on Earth
What is Dave Bassage's screen name on GreenHybrid?
--Walter
"BASSAGE: Well, what we'll be doing in a couple weeks is that four of us will be driving one Prius, taking turns behind the wheel, nonstop. We'll start at 6 o'clock on a Friday on a full tank of gas and drive until we run out. And our goal is just to see how far we can possibly get on a single tank of gas."
Living on Earth
What is Dave Bassage's screen name on GreenHybrid?
--Walter
#3
07-31-2005, 11:15 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Walton, WV
Posts: 12
Re: Hypermiling on NPR
I'm here now! I thought I was a member here from when this group first started up, but couldn't seem to log in, so I just registered again with the handle "NVIROCAR", which is also my vanity plate.
Dave Bassage
Dave Bassage
#7
07-31-2005, 11:18 PM
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Re: Hypermiling on NPR
Thanks for the warm welcome, all. I know that Dan and Wayne are quite active here, so they'll also keep everyone updated on progress related to this weekend's marathon.
As to the pressure being on, Jason, I got quite a taste of that when I did the NPR interview. It was 97 degrees and I had a local WVPR reporter riding along to tape my side of the conversation as I listened to Jeff Young on the headset and tried to duplicate the driving style we'll be using this weekend. The AC was off and the windows rolled up to both maximize mpg and eliminate any extraneous noise for the recording. By the time we finished both of us in the car were sweating profusely.
I felt like I'd bungled the interview as my brain felt like mush and it seemed like my driving, thinking, and talking had all suffered equally. The 81 mpg I reported sounds pretty good but the evening before I had driven the same course and scored multiple 100 mpg five minute bars. I actually contacted Jeff and offered to repeat the interview, sure I'd made a mess of it, but he assured me he had plenty of good tape, and sure enough he managed to splice together enough of my more coherent and humorous responses to make me appear far more together than I felt at the time.
I'm looking forward to the HBO presence, as it will help us achieve one of our three goals - to spread the word about what these great cars are capable of and how to get the most out of them. Our other two goals, of course, are to get the maximum possible mpg and miles out of a single tank of gas and to have fun doing it!
The biggest challenge for me will be to drive at the same level as Dan, Wayne, and Rick, all three of whom have considerably better records than I do. My personal best tank of 71 mpg sounds good compared to a lot of drivers, but pales in comparison to what my teamates have accomplished. We do plan to stay flexible on the shift assignments as we see how we each do on our first shift or two in order to keep the better drivers behind the wheel the most, and we'll make every effort to assure that we both start and end with Dan behind the wheel, as this whole thing was his idea to start with and he both discovered the course we'll be using and refined the strategy needed to consistently score 100+ mpg laps on it.
And please bear in mind that the true athlete in this marathon is the Prius. We'll just be helping her be all she can be!
Good to be here,
Dave Bassage
As to the pressure being on, Jason, I got quite a taste of that when I did the NPR interview. It was 97 degrees and I had a local WVPR reporter riding along to tape my side of the conversation as I listened to Jeff Young on the headset and tried to duplicate the driving style we'll be using this weekend. The AC was off and the windows rolled up to both maximize mpg and eliminate any extraneous noise for the recording. By the time we finished both of us in the car were sweating profusely.
I felt like I'd bungled the interview as my brain felt like mush and it seemed like my driving, thinking, and talking had all suffered equally. The 81 mpg I reported sounds pretty good but the evening before I had driven the same course and scored multiple 100 mpg five minute bars. I actually contacted Jeff and offered to repeat the interview, sure I'd made a mess of it, but he assured me he had plenty of good tape, and sure enough he managed to splice together enough of my more coherent and humorous responses to make me appear far more together than I felt at the time.
I'm looking forward to the HBO presence, as it will help us achieve one of our three goals - to spread the word about what these great cars are capable of and how to get the most out of them. Our other two goals, of course, are to get the maximum possible mpg and miles out of a single tank of gas and to have fun doing it!
The biggest challenge for me will be to drive at the same level as Dan, Wayne, and Rick, all three of whom have considerably better records than I do. My personal best tank of 71 mpg sounds good compared to a lot of drivers, but pales in comparison to what my teamates have accomplished. We do plan to stay flexible on the shift assignments as we see how we each do on our first shift or two in order to keep the better drivers behind the wheel the most, and we'll make every effort to assure that we both start and end with Dan behind the wheel, as this whole thing was his idea to start with and he both discovered the course we'll be using and refined the strategy needed to consistently score 100+ mpg laps on it.
And please bear in mind that the true athlete in this marathon is the Prius. We'll just be helping her be all she can be!
Good to be here,
Dave Bassage
#8
08-01-2005, 10:03 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Lewisville (Dallas), Texas
Posts: 3,155
Re: Hypermiling on NPR
I wish you Godspeed - er. never mind the speed part! 
I hope you get to 100mpg and the result is positive for hybrid publicity. Hope the message is something like: "Dave got 100mpg - you can get 50-60mpg on your work commute".
I hope you get to 100mpg and the result is positive for hybrid publicity. Hope the message is something like: "Dave got 100mpg - you can get 50-60mpg on your work commute".
#9
08-01-2005, 05:17 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 839
Re: Hypermiling on NPR
Now that the TDF is over, this marathon is the next best thing going :-)
There is one small part of me, though, that is worried what the one-liner public take-home message will turn out to be. It seems way too easy for the uninformed to conclude that hybrids are cars for people who want to drive funny at 35 mph. I know Dave has followed the discussion on Prius-tech started by Julian Edgar bemoaning 'unnatural' driving becoming a Prius identifier. If he cannot understand the merits of refining driving techniques, what is a mildly interested but ignorant neighbor going to think ?
I guess my hope is that the impression comes off positive -- facts aside.
Good Luck Dave, Wayne, Dan, Rob, Rick -- and whoever else joins the party !
There is one small part of me, though, that is worried what the one-liner public take-home message will turn out to be. It seems way too easy for the uninformed to conclude that hybrids are cars for people who want to drive funny at 35 mph. I know Dave has followed the discussion on Prius-tech started by Julian Edgar bemoaning 'unnatural' driving becoming a Prius identifier. If he cannot understand the merits of refining driving techniques, what is a mildly interested but ignorant neighbor going to think ?
I guess my hope is that the impression comes off positive -- facts aside.
Good Luck Dave, Wayne, Dan, Rob, Rick -- and whoever else joins the party !
Last edited by EricGo; 08-01-2005 at 05:26 PM.
#10
08-01-2005, 07:31 PM
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Leominster, MA
Posts: 2,161
Re: Hypermiling on NPR
I dissagre EricGO. Most people's focus won't be on how they did it but on what they achive. When someone says they are going to try for a 100mpg tank you dont focus on hey they are doing strange things to get it. Of course they are or everyone would be getting 100mpg tanks. The focus is on the mileage. I believe people will look at the car as one of the players in the attempt. It will get recognition just as the drives will. The way the drivers will be driving will be inconsequential to average Joe.
