Hypermiling Hybrid Solar Power Energy Generation Guide
Hypermiling Hybrid With Fuel Saving Features
By James J Dixon
Hypermiling hybrid cars is easy with so many built-in
features designed to conserve fuel. For instance, the
Ford Fusion has a "regenerative braking system,"
which recycles 94% of the energy created by braking.
Brake pads are said to last three times’ longer with
this model.
Behind the rear seat, there is a battery pack that
fuels the car with electric power on speeds up to 47
miles per hour. A powertrain control module is calibrated
to ease the transition from gas to electric, so drivers
never notice the shift, and since the engine only needs
to perform half as much work, owners only need an oil
change every 10,000 miles or so, rather than every 3,000.
Additionally, hybrid owners say they can review a number
of other techniques and tricks that help them maximize
their gas mileage even more.
Accelerating and Coasting To Save Fuel
Serious hybrid owner Jim Kelly of Richmond, Virginia
got his Toyota Prius up to 78 miles per gallon, which
is considerably higher than the EPA rating of 48 for
city and 45 for highway. He says he uses techniques
like "pulse and glide" -- where he accelerates
and coasts for as long as possible before accelerating
again.
He parks his car facing outward to avoid shifting from
reverse to drive, and avoids making left turns whenever
possible, so he won’t have to stop and wait for the
oncoming traffic to pass.
Burning Less Fuel By Traveling Slower
"Stoplights don’t bother me so much, because as
I learn my routes and know the lights, if I do it right
I may never hit a red light," Kelly adds. He doesn’t
mind being stuck behind slow-moving cargo trucks because
it allows him to burn even less fuel by traveling 20
on a 55 mph road.
However, you don’t need a hypermiling hybrid to get
excellent MPG. Andrew McGuckin drives an 11-year-old
Honda Civic that is rated 33 mpg in the city and 38
on the highway. McGuckin is averaging 57 mils per gallon,
which means he’s "using only two-thirds as much
gas, or saving $1 per gallon if gas is $3 at the pump,"
he says.
A More Relaxed Driver
The biggest surprise to a lot of new hypermilers is
that they become more relaxed, more vigilant drivers.
"I actually notice probably twice as much out front
as I used to," says McGuckin. "I’m not on
the phone, eating, drinking, listening to music or anything
else," he says.
"The personal relaxation was a surprise to me.
This is time that I already have to spend every day,
so why use it to work myself into a frenzy? On my 11-mile
commute, I could arrive a minute sooner if I floored
the gas all the way, but why?"
World Record For Driving On A Single Tank
Wayne Gerdes, the hypermiling hybrid expert, currently
holds the world record for getting 2,250 miles from
a single tank (164 MPG). He drove 800 miles from Chicago
to New York in his hybrid Toyota Prius in 17 hours and
still had a quarter tank of gas left over when he reached
his destination.
Whether you’re driving a hybrid or an old gas guzzler,
the experts say the first step to getting better gas
mileage is to be aware. Hybrids come with automatic
MPG calculators, but regular drivers can buy one for
$170 (www.scangauge.com),
which will show them in real-time just what a difference
their driving habits can make.
We can complain all day long that our cars "aren’t
built efficiently." Or we can accept our role in
fuel consumption and do something about it.
About the Author:
James J Dixon has written a number of articles on Hypermiling and Recycling including
Fuel Saving,
Hypermiling To Save Gas,
Hypermiling Your Car,
Waste Water,
Disposal Of Plastics.
Look out for new articles as they become available on this site.
Little Known Electric Car Facts.....
How does an electric car affect the environment?
The first thing that needs to be
addressed is that electric cars, depending on how the
fuel cells are created, are not entirely environmentally
friendly. Yes, they do not use gasoline and do not give
off any emissions but some models do have power grids
that use coal.
There are models of power grids
that are being developed that do away with the use of
coal. Even with using coal for the power grids, electric
cars are a vast, vast improvement over gasoline vehicles
and as a result are much better for the environment.
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