I was going to PM you but I will put it here. I know exactly what you are saying about the drafting. I read much of what is written at cleanmpg but barely post. I have also seen the little arguement over at the FIT website. They were having a "FIT" about hypermilers.

What's being done to "hypermilers" is being done to many other groups. Hey I am a gun owner. Is someone going to go off on me because thugs and hoodlums all across the country feel they have the right to shoot someone? It's the same thing. I own my guns legally and I operate them legally.

Arguing with people usually doesn't help...educating them is. Some people just like to remain ignorant. <---- That was not directed or referenced to anyone specifically.

There are always going to be extremists in any group who do things outside the norm or some do things illegally. Some will be misinterpreted.

Some people don't want to change or learn,this will never change. The best that can be done is to put the information out there and lead people to it. You can't make the horse drink the water.

 

Can someone explain this to me (from the CBS video)...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/...n4125201.shtml

"He made the 800 mile trip in 17 hours - on 8.9 gallons, for an average of 71 mpg. "

By Mapquest, it is an 800 mile trip. And if you used 8.9 gallons of gas that equates to 90mpg. If you back into the distance, using the MPG and gas figures they gave, he only drove 630 miles.

Something doesn't add up.

 

even though wayne gerdes' ideas are not all for every driver, i don't think there is anyone else around who has done so much to bring the idea of fuel saving to the masses. and showing them ways to do it.

we are in trouble, people, open your eyes. with gas at $4, it's not only affecting what and how we drive, it's affecting every aspect of our way of life. it costs more to transport food and supplies, have you noticed the prices at the grocery store lately? i work for a hardware wholesaler, and we have been getting monthly cost increases either from the freight costs or the cost of manufacturing what we sell.

we are spewing crap into our environment in ever increasing amounts, yet nobody has the nerve to get out and tell people they need to do something. and if they do hear it, they either think the government will fix it (which it won't) or it's not their problem (which it is) or they can afford it (but the rest of us can't).

yet when someone does present ideas for at least trying to stem the tide, he catches flak for it. when i got my hybrid 2-1/2 years ago and started seeing what it could do, this was the place i found. now suddenly getting mileage seems to be secondary to what kind of radio or what color the vehicle is. where is the "green" part of the name? and when did hypermiling become a dirty word?

call it eco driving, or whatever, but wayne has got people aware. when CBS and CNN are finally making it news, you can see that the message is finally getting out.

 

Mapquest doesn't always give you the SHORTEST ROUTE. I don't know if you noticed but I don't think both vehicles went the same distance.

 

that was clarified in an earlier post. there was a missed communication with a reporter, plus the tank held more than was expected.

 

I feel Wayne is letting loose too fast with his extreme hypermiling techniques. Society is just now starting to listen to those of us who have been driving like this for a while. Short and simple, Society is not ready. To the regular folk, just driving the speed limit is way out there. Give it some more time, they (people) will come around. Wayne's techniques and in general hypermiling will become more acceptable in the future. My feeling is, if the CBS or CNN report came out next year, it would not sound so extreme to as many people because more of them would already be using some variation of hypermiling techniques. Here in NJ people have been close drafting for years, only they call it tailgating. If somehow we can communicate with the driver of the big rig, what we were doing back there and he was ok with it, think of how much fuel our country could save.

 

Go fill your tank with E30 (30% ethanol) and decrease greenhouse emmissions by approximately 50%. Thank you for listening.

 

I understand Wayne sold his Honda Insight and currently owns no hybrid. Unless you can tell us otherwise, he borrows other people's hybrids for these demonstrations. This proves the superiority of his driving message ... always using a hybrid.

Bob Wilson

 

I saw the segment this morning. He was driving a Honda Accord. It was not a hybrid and was an automatic.

 

Well that is less hypocritical ... unlike the "Today" show article. Do you know if he'll be driving the Honda Accord automatic at Hybrid Fest?

Bob Wilson