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`Hypermiler' Drivers Try to Squeeze Every Mile They Can Out of a Gallon of Gas. (http://abcnews.go.com/US/WireStory?id=3222569&page=1)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Laurie_HCH-I.jpgChris Williams - AP - May 29, 2007

Laurieaw is committed to both the hybrid technology in her HCH-I and hypermiling which allows her to achieve greater then 60 mpg.

The passion that burns in Laurie isn't visible until she gets behind the wheel of her Honda Civic hybrid and drives real slow.

SAUK RAPIDS, Minn. - She accelerates gently when the light turns green, and coasts down hills to save gas. On highways, she stays in the right lane and watches the big SUVs zoom past.

"When I see someone roar past me, I think, `They just used enough gas to last me a week,'" she said.

She is part of a small and extremely dedicated group of drivers around the country who call themselves "hypermilers." They almost exclusively drive hybrid vehicles, and their goal is simple: squeeze every mile they can out of each drop of gas.

Some of their tips are a matter of common sense and could help any driver, especially now, with gas climbing past $3 a gallon: avoiding jackrabbit starts, using alternate routes to avoid stop-and-go traffic, anticipating lights and driving a bit more slowly.

But those are just a start. Hypermilers slightly overinflate their tires to cut rolling resistance, seize every chance to coast with their gasoline engines off, and sometimes "draft" like race cars behind larger vehicles.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Laurie_the_Hypermiler.jpgLaurie shown by her 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid in Sauk Rapids, Minn., is part of a small dedicated group of people around the country calling themselves hypermilers who strive to get every bit of distance they can out of every drop of gas. (AP Photo/Jim Mone).

Some of these techniques can be dangerous, and some cannot even be done in certain conventional automobiles.

Chuck Thomas, a 49-year-old computer programmer from Lewisville, Texas, milks his hybrid Honda Insight for about 75 miles per gallon, 10 more than the government estimate for the vehicle in mixed gas-and-electric driving.

"I do as few accelerations and brakings as possible to get up to speed and maintain it," he said. He cruises a bit below the speed limit, avoids lane changes and coasts to red lights.

Wayne Gerdes, who runs a Web site dedicated to high mileage (CleanMPG (www.CleanMPG.com)) and claims to have coined the term hypermiling, lists a variety of other techniques:

Parking on the highest point of a lot, facing toward the exit, in order to let gravity do the work of getting the car moving.

Drafting off the rear right corner of a tractor-trailer to reduce wind resistance while still allowing the rig's driver to see you. Gerdes recommends following the truck at a gap of about one second; drafting any closer yields eye-popping gas mileage but is too dangerous, he says … http://abcnews.go.com/US/WireStory?id=3222569&page=1

hey, guys, that's us!!! I, and chuck and wayne all got interviewed by AP and are having our 15 minutes of fame.......

hasn't improved the driving of anyone around me , however....

Just want to be the first to congratulate laurie for help getting the hypermiling story in the media. (After all it features her and started on her end of I35 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I35) ;) ). The reporter identified himself with the AP, so I assumed it was going into a local/regional publication. ABC News - was a pleasant suprize!

Well played Laurie! It's great to see the media getting people turned on to hypermiling. Good to see some "good news" on TV. :)

we are getting a lot of coverage on this. if you google hypermiler and then click NEWS, it's shown up in almost a dozen venues.......maybe someone will get the idea.....

update.......there are more than even that! wow........showed up in the minneapolis news WCCO and it says about 75 places including Canada and the UK . wayne, chuck.....we'll get 'em yet :)

Wow! Way to go guys. Definitely some great coverage.

With this on the wire, I expect a lot of regional news will want to start covering it.

Keep us posted on all the "Read about you on ABC News" stories.

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Wow! Way to go guys. Definitely some great coverage.

With this on the wire, I expect a lot of regional news will want to start covering it.

Keep us posted on all the "Read about you on ABC News" stories.

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this link has them listed

http://news.google.com/news?tab=wn&client=safari&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&rls=en&ncl=1116793204&hl=en&filter=0


3 pages on google

ROFL.....my favorite is the Akron Farm Report LOL

Thanks for this story. It's great to see all you drivers in the news, spreading the word.

Hi Laurie:

___Congrats on the piece and it sounds like you did a great job! One driver, 1 gallon at a time … You will change them eventually, I have no doubt ;)

___I am going to modify our news of your interview a tad over the next few minutes if I can find the right pieces and parts.

___Great job and Good Luck

___Wayne

Well done!! One of the most balanced reports on hypermiling I've seen, thanks to intelligent input from you three.

This may answer the question Laurie posed in:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/general/t-some-days-i-wonder-why-we-try-4669.html

I had thought about responding to that thread with Tarabell's sig:
"Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it."
- Mahatma Gandhi
but what you accomplished here is certainly way more than "insignificant" and answers your own question.

P.S. Watch what you say about Akron! I was born there.

this link has them listed

http://news.google.com/news?tab=wn&client=safari&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&rls=en&ncl=1116793204&hl=en&filter=0


3 pages on google

ROFL.....my favorite is the Akron Farm Report LOL

Nice... I found my local paper listed (Houston Chronicle) so I tagged my comment there. I like to remind people that using 1/3 less gas is like paying $1.99/gal for it.

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Here it is!! Great job, Laurie! I've been looking forward to this, and my wait was certainly justified! :flag:

Laurie, Chuck, & Wayne:

Great job, and congrats!

Everybody should do their part to try to get into the local paper. We are all a great hypermiling story waiting to happen.

There are millions of Americans today thinking "$3.30/gallon, and there is NOTHING I CAN DO". Wrong. Read this story. :)

Awesome! Congrats to you all, very nice article, I thought it gives a nice balance to the benefits / risk potentials without being biased one way or another.

What a great article - you guys are the best!

"There are millions of Americans today thinking "$3.30/gallon, and there is NOTHING I CAN DO". Wrong. Read this story. http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/../images/smilies/smile.gif" Hopefully now many will!

Thanks,
Bob

Hi Laurie:

___The News item is drawing attention from all over the darn place! If you have seen the Guest count, we are close to breaking records territory. Holy smokes and let me know if the pics and layout are acceptable ;)

___I hope our server holds out. Tom is probably blissfully unaware of what is going on right now :D

___Good Luck and thanks again for the great story!

As an Edit, an old friend who I have not seen in maybe 3 years just gave me a call to tell me your story made the front page of MSNBC!

___Wayne

The story is spreading; I saw it here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18923454/

It's nice hanging around with famous people!

Nice work!

I got to try hypermiling on an empty country road, thanks to what I've learned on hybrid sites like this one. I got around 80 mpg for 25 minutes, using pulse and glide in my Prius, on level ground.

Harry

Great Job guys! I saw Bradlee and Wayne on our local news (CBS) here in Jupiter Florida. All positive from the reporters and that is excellent news. It also appears we have a lot more visitors here by the number of views.

The visitors need to join CleanMPG, learn Hypermiling and spread the word! They also need to know they can join for free and save big bucks on GAS just by asking questions and reading our Articles.

GaryG

MSNBC has it on their front page right now. The link is http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18923454/

hey, everybody. WCCO news, the minneapolis CBS affiliate, has set up an interview tomorrow afternoon! getting kind of busy at my office lately, what with reporters coming and going LOLOL.......good thing the company owner also drives a hybrid :)

Laurie,
I lived in Minneapolis for many years and watched plenty of WCCO. You'll be famous. :)

Hey, are you coming down for Hybridfest (http://www.hybridfest.com)in July? And if so, do you plan to be in the Hybridfest MPG Challenge? I'm certain the reporters would want to hear about that.

In fact, if you get their names/info we are sending out special invites for members of the press to try their hand at the Hybridfest MPG Challenge. Heck we'll even have special prizes for them. It'll be interesting to see how they fare compared to the rest of the hypermilers!

Laurie,
I lived in Minneapolis for many years and watched plenty of WCCO. You'll be famous. :)

Hey, are you coming down for Hybridfest (http://www.hybridfest.com)in July? And if so, do you plan to be in the Hybridfest MPG Challenge? I'm certain the reporters would want to hear about that.

In fact, if you get their names/info we are sending out special invites for members of the press to try their hand at the Hybridfest MPG Challenge. Heck we'll even have special prizes for them. It'll be interesting to see how they fare compared to the rest of the hypermilers!

i would love to come, however the timing interferes with a show that i attend every year with my one horsepower ride......a horse show in blue earth, minnesota. i don't know how many miles he can get on a bale of hay. :p

The MPG Challenge is on Friday, so it's possible you could come for that and make it back to Blue Earth.

i would love to come, however the timing interferes with a show that i attend every year with my one horsepower ride......a horse show in blue earth, minnesota. i don't know how many miles he can get on a bale of hay. :p
Now that you say that, I remember you mentioning that before. Dang!

hey, everybody. WCCO news, the minneapolis CBS affiliate, has set up an interview tomorrow afternoon! getting kind of busy at my office lately, what with reporters coming and going LOLOL.......good thing the company owner also drives a hybrid :)

Be sure to send us a link to any footage they take! I'm terrible about catching the news. I never seem to be anywhere around a tv when stuff like this airs. :o

Made it to the front page of the Buisness and News tabs of the Houston Chronicle.

http://www.chron.com/business/
http://www.chron.com/news/

I'll get a print copy to let you know if it made the printing.

Sounds like a letter to the Editor is in order ;)

___The News item is drawing attention from all over the darn place! If you have seen the Guest count, we are close to breaking records territory. Holy smokes and let me know if the pics and layout are acceptable ;)

WOW... 26 new members since yesterday... man that is a spike.

If I get time I might jump into the threads over at msnbc and abcnews. Typical "Driving slow is dangerous" BS clogging up the comment section of the article. My alter ego is "d4n13" if you see it.

11011011

i went into the breakroom this morning at work, and one of the guys sitting there told me he saw the article and photo. i thought he meant online, but dang.....it's in the local paper here in st. cloud, mn..........

and they put in links to this site and greenhybrid.com........

Good job folks!!!! Its good to see the gospel spread. :)

psy

Good going people!

MSNBC has a discussion board so I replied (as DF1701) at http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?threadid=301280

Usually flamers, but some sensible replies as well.

Way to go Laurie! Be sure and update us on how today's interview went.
You deserve much more than 15 minutes of fame for that nice article. It's in the "most popular" list on several news sites now. :Banane05:

Showed up on page 3 in the business section of today's Houston Chronicle.

Chuck / Wayne, if it's not in your local paper, I got extra Chronicles I can mail to you if you want them. It's a fairly large paper, I'd guess over a million readers.

11011011

MSNBC has a discussion board so I replied (as DF1701) at http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/th...hreadid=301280


Wow, signs of inbreeding on that discussion board! That thing is packed full of anger and spelling errors!

Post after post by Bubba's in their 4X4's, itching to tailgate and intimidate Prius drivers.

Good Lord, it's even worse than I thought out there.

Harry

Showed up on page 3 in the business section of today's Houston Chronicle.

Chuck / Wayne, if it's not in your local paper, I got extra Chronicles I can mail to you if you want them. It's a fairly large paper, I'd guess over a million readers.

11011011

If I'm lucky - I'll get the Fort Worth Star-Telegram ( http://www.star-telegram.com/462/story/118545.html )

as i check out some of the comments made in conjunction with the printing of this article, there are certainly some nasty people out there.....sarcasm is seen a lot, plus comments about buying a hybrid to make up for an extravagant lifestyle. good grief........

and of course most of them jump on the bandwagon about the semis and drafting. they can't see the forest for the trees.

Just wait till the time when Bubba's family selects the smallest vehicle they own to go to the drag strip on the weekend.

That day may not be so far off.

and of course most of them jump on the bandwagon about the semis and drafting. they can't see the forest for the trees.

It looked like the article took great pains to recommend safe drafting...

Drafting off the rear right corner of a tractor-trailer to reduce wind resistance while still allowing the rig's driver to see youOff the right corner means "in the other lane". Even when I'm drafting my biggest problem is that people cut IN FRONT of me (in between me and the trailer).

people are crazy...

11011011

Way to go hybriders!! :D

I just read the hypermilers article in the paper this morning. I've never tried the drafting technique, as I don't think it's very polite to tail someone :/ but it sounds elite :)

I stick with slow acceleration and driving 60-65 when I can. I find that the gas mileage between 60-70mph varies by about 15mpg. I average 48-55 mpg.

Welcome to CleanMPG!

Is that your Insight in the avitar?

MSNBC has a discussion board so I replied (as DF1701) at http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/th...hreadid=301280


Wow, signs of inbreeding on that discussion board! That thing is packed full of anger and spelling errors!

Post after post by Bubba's in their 4X4's, itching to tailgate and intimidate Prius drivers.

Good Lord, it's even worse than I thought out there.

Harry

ya know, after reading all the hate mail and stupidity in those responses, it makes me want to cancel the TV interview and go into hiding.

Hello,

My name is Rob Ervin. I'm one of those media types trying to find out more about hyper miling.

I work for 700 WLW-AM in cincinnati, OH. We're also heard on XM 173. I'm asking Wayne Gerdes or Laurie to contact me at 513-686-8566 or bbc@700wlw.com for an on-air interview.

Sincerely,

Rob Ervin
700 WLW-AM
Cincinnati, OH

Hi Laurie:

___Just hold to your faith ;) You will never reach or convince all the people and you may only reach just reach one. Consider the positive outcome for us all if that one driver begins to consider the possibilities of 10 – 50% decrease in fuel consumption in their current vehicle or better yet, they decide on a different vehicle altogether which may even double or triple his or her FE vs. what he or she has done or is driving before.

___The negatives are going to appear just as the AP reporter posted the Surf Draft item (completely safe and legal) and it is being misconstrued yet again … Either way, take this opportunity to reach far more vs. saying nothing and hope those looking for a better and more sustainable path stumble upon a site like CleanMPG.com. You are doing great and I hope you follow through as you are a great spokesperson for any number of reasons in my eyes.

___Laurie, do you want to contact Rob above? I can take care of it but I want you to shine like the star I know you are this week ... "Just do it" I always say :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

ya know, after reading all the hate mail and stupidity in those responses, it makes me want to cancel the TV interview and go into hiding.Just remember that for every idiot mouthing off to hear themselves speak, there are a handful of intelligent people actually thinking about the article.

I find it amazing that the dumbest ideas usually have the most vocal backing. I have a tried and true idiot detector. It looks for my favorite idiot identification phraseI've done this 20 years and I've never heard of such a thing in my lifeTo beak this down there are two parts. The first is meant to declare the speaker an authority on the subject, the second part is meant to show his ignorance. By compounding the two there is a multiplicative effect resulting in, an idiot.

Smart people can be ignorant of information, hence they obsorb it and become more knowledgeable. An idiot on the other hand must declare the information flawed since they do not know it. This is similar to my children's (who are not idiots) infant game of peek-a-boo. Since they can't see me (they cover their eyes) I must have vanished. Once they get older the game doesn't work since they know I never go anywhere, it's just their perception that is changing.

So I suppose peek-a-boo would still work on idiots, but I'd look like one trying to perform the test. I find it easier to simply listen for the declaration of idiocy.

Shew... I feel better ;)

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Laurie,

I'd say most of those people in that feedback section are pure trolls, looking to provoke a response from hypermilers and hybrid owners. Those who aren't trolls seem completely uninformed about hybrids. Then there are the people afraid of new technology, and dead-set against anything new and different.

Good luck in getting the message out to those people who are open-minded enough to listen. The rest are unreachable, and should be ignored.

There is far too much ignorance about hybrids. You can help reduce that.

Harry

Troll-bait does not bother me near as much when it's a general public forum - you just expect a lot of hostility, but post the most dispassionate, intelligent response possible and hope the reasonable people will respond to yours instead.

At HybridFest I soooo want to impersonate a troll so everybody can laugh at these miserable people.

The past couple of days, I've seen about eight newly-purchased vehicles on Dallas roads - five of them no larger than medium sedans. :)

ya know, after reading all the hate mail and stupidity in those responses, it makes me want to cancel the TV interview and go into hiding.

Laurie, don’t worry about convincing the ones who have no inclination to do this anyway. Think about the ones who are looking for a way to make a difference. The ones you might make a light bulb go on for and realize changing their driving style a little not only just might work -- but be fun, save them money, and help them feel they are doing something good -- all at the same time.

Not only that but by saving gas they get to stick it to the villain of their choice – the big3 automakers, the EPA rating authority, the oil companies, OPEC, their annoying co-worker with a Hummer, the global warming nay-sayers, Chavez, our current administration … the list is endless ;)

So don’t let them steer things negatively, you just keep playing up the positive effects and tap into the public's frustration. As in "at $3.60 a gallon, who wouldn’t want to do this?" Go blow their doors off! :Banane36:

ya know, after reading all the hate mail and stupidity in those responses, it makes me want to cancel the TV interview and go into hiding.

Laurie, please don't give those detractors the satisfaction of prevailing over something that is larger and more valuable than they are.

You've done an awesome job with your previous interview and it would sad to capitulate so early in the process.

You have my full support and confidence. And, as we go forward we just have to continue to focus on the strenght and value of our convictions and we will make a difference.


Going forward however, I believe we've gotten to a point that as a community, we need to manage and "standardize" the PR aspect of hypermiling. I would suggest that we tackle the issue of drafting rather aggressively as I believe it is being used by the detractors way too often. This has clearly become a game of mis-information and we've given them the means.

I would suggest we "drop" drafting as a potential technique, since it is obvious that the typical disclaimers and warnings are not getting through and registering. Most hypermiling folks don't use drafting anyway... so perhaps it would make sense to not even mention it.


Cheers & good work.

MSantos

laurie,

I'm declaring your article the most important one after the Mother Jones article - don't give up!

Detractors love to discredit by cherry-picking the most controversial things and say it's all like that. I have rarely drafted - many of you don't at all - it's definitely not a major part of hypermiling. Hypermilers do things they have control over - it's hard to find a big rig that steadily goes at a good drafting speed long enough to be worth it - at least in the city.

A hypermiling apologist thread might be a good idea - knowing how to respond to detractors so they sound even more idiotic to the people we want to reach.

Here's a quote of my comment to my local newspaper's story about Laurie's interview.
I tried to be informational about how the HCH-II's FE capabilities are implemented:

"I’m a local hypermiler - just qualified on my last tank filling
at 51+ mpg for our 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid. The warmer weather helps and it also helps non-hybrids. Just to familiarize you with how this
hybrid functions in its quest for ultra high mileage:
There is an IFCD (Instantaneous Fuel Consmption Display) located near the top of the dash board so you don’t have to shift your vision far from the road. This display shows mpg from 0 to 100 graphically. Your actual mpg could be even higher though no displayed. The upper end is
attainable on some level stretches and all down grades unless pressures is applied to the accelator. A numerical guage shows the current fuel consumption in mpg since the trip odometer was last zeroed. I try to keep the IFCD maximized as much as I can. When no accelator pressure is applied the valves in the ICE (internal Combustion Engine) are closed without any gas being used. Another gas
saving design is the AS (Auto Stop). While standing still at traffic
lights or stop signs the ICE turns off and restarts when the foot is removed from the brake, all automatically. It’s really difficult to
decide to press on the accelator when 100 or more mpg are dislpayed on the IFCD. As I like to sign off:
Driving a Honda Civic Hybrid: “PRICELESS”

Pardon the typos!

BTW the newspaper was the Albany,NY Times Union.

Galileo

Laurie, don’t worry about convincing the ones who have no inclination to do this anyway. Go blow their doors off! :Banane36:


ROLFMAO.....most of them think a hybrid can't go fast enough to do that. i may have to do it while they are at the gas station. a friend at work told me it cost him $92 to fill his truck! he's not a speeder or fast driver, but he's stuck with it. it's frustrating for those who are in a position of not being able to change their ride. the only way i ended up here is because the timing was right in 2005 when the price of gas went up after katrina, and i could afford to buy the HCH, and the dealer that i got my CRX from had one coming in.

what struck me the most was that so many of them think it's their god-given right to speed. after all, THEY are in a hurry and much more important than we are. it's just as much our right to slow down a little, and heck, we're even legal.........

boy, i am glad i don't live in a big city. i would end up crazy.

I would suggest we "drop" drafting as a potential technique, since it is obvious that the typical disclaimers and warnings are not getting through and registering. Most hypermiling folks don't use drafting anyway... so perhaps it would make sense to not even mention it.
I agree. I don't draft for several reasons:
(1) I tried it and found it didn't net me much, partly because most of the trucks were going faster than I wanted to.
(2) I don't want to get the front of my car and its windshield stonepecked.
(3) I hate staring at the back of a semi trailer (or the side) for miles.
(4) Danger of a thrown tire tread or stuff being thrown up.
Yet I'm still getting great mileage on both cars. And I agree that it makes hypermiling seem risky even though drafting done properly isn't that dangerous.

It might be worth stressing that hypermiling is both FUN and RELAXING, which is a large part of why I do it. It's very rewarding to get great mileage, plus it turns a boring commute into a fun challenge. And I arrive much more relaxed than I did a year ago when I was driving 80-ish. Some of the reporters make it sound so serious that they may put people off.

your comments are all things i am going to try to remember when the TV people get here. i am going to stress that drafting is NOT something that most of us do. that i am just a normal person who doesn't want to go broke buying gas. and i happen to like a relaxing drive rather than the nose-to-tail parade i see on the 4 lane here on thursday and friday nights in particular.

also, there is the fact that for the most part, unless you see the badge on the civic, most people don't even know it's a hybrid. a civic is a civic, right?

yikes, they will be here in an hour. won't be able to report until this evening, since i go right from here to my one horse power ride.

....if you close draft, you will miss exits unless you know the route by heart or have a nav onboard.

....if you close draft, you will miss exits unless you know the route by heart or have a nav onboard.

that must explain the guy who had to pass not only me, but the guy in front of me this morning, so he could turn left a half mile later.........

good grief. there is an online talk show called garage logic in minneapolis, moderated by a guy called joe souchery. he's been bad mouthing both me and wayne for a few minutes now. i can't get AM radio in this building very well, but we sure are getting noticed.........sheesh

Anyone realize that in about 24 hours this thread poped up with about 55 replies and 1200 views?

Hi Laurie:

___I was out with a video guy from the Chicago Trib this afternoon and I pointed out to him again and again that half the traffic on the road was within ½ second of one another. He never noticed that before although I was doing my own thing between 47 and 62 on the 55 mph limited Interstates while everybody was passing ;) I don’t know about Minnesota or Montana but in Chicago, there is not enough road for everybody to have a 3 second gap let alone a 1 second one :rolleyes:

___Screw em and if they have an issue, I will invite them out for a Clinic myself. #(%$ @$$ SOB’s :angel:

___MSantos, I have to disagree with drafting. Anybody in the far right lane at or between the speed limits is being helped along in a Traffic Side. Anybody next to and just behind anyone is in a Surf. Anyone at 1.5 – 2 seconds is in a Distant. Those that are ignorant of the facts can preach they never draft but it is the fact of life in any congested urban area so who is kidding who? A Close-in is a bit dicey but the other 3 are standard fare although the average driver has no idea he or she was even in one. For that matter, most of them do not realize they are driving into a Hurricane at 75 mph down the highway either! The average person cannot even stand up in a base Hurricane but most sure willing to drive their cars into one anytime they hit the open road :angry:

As an edit. Laurie, the link to this Garage Logic guy is AM 1500 KSTP (http://webclust1.liquidcompass.cc/sos4stnrd/audio_player.php?id=KSTPAM). His show is complete but I listened to a few of his podcasts from last week. He sounds like the standard talking head with no substance … I wish I would have known when he was on in real time as they have a call-in number and I would have loved to spend some time on-air with this guy ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I just read the whole darn thread at MSNBC. My countrymen are really stupid aren't they?

___MSantos, I have to disagree with drafting. Anybody in the far right lane at or between the speed limits is being helped along in a Traffic Side. Anybody next to and just behind anyone is in a Surf. Anyone at 1.5 – 2 seconds is in a Distant. Those that are ignorant of the facts can preach they never draft but it is the fact of life in any congested urban area so who is kidding who? A Close-in is a bit dicey but the other 3 are standard fare although the average driver has no idea he or she was even in one. For that matter, most of them do not realize they are driving into a Hurricane at 75 mph down the highway either! The average person cannot even stand up in a base Hurricane but most sure willing to drive their cars into one anytime they hit the open road :angry:

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Wayne, I am not contesting your justifications one bit, I can relate to your arguments quite easily - and I agree, in general large groups of people are often good examples of bovine pathology at work. No contest there! ;)

But as I review this and past feedback (many times laced with much ignorance) it appears the drafting issue is the only major "weak" point in an otherwise solid set of techniques that define hypermiling. In light of this, and strictly from a PR standpoint, I would catapult the next action items into a "damage containment" mode. At least in part with the intent to de-fang current and future detractors.

Essentially, all I was suggesting is that (we) evaluate the major tenets and goals of hypermiling (as you envisioned) and perhaps consider strengtning it so that it can better widthstand this level of scrutiny. From my experience, as soon as drafting is included as a technique, eyebows raise. Even more fascinating is observing the reaction of law enforcement personnel when they are told about it.

So, what would it take to make hypermiling more mainstream(able) without turning it into a equally flacid discipline like eco-driving? Is "mainstream" a suitable goal, or are we content in being perceived as hardcore and therefore more vulnerable to the ignorant hordes perhaps forever condemned to remain a cult of sorts? If mainstream is the goal then I think the "drafting issue" may be the low hanging fruit.

Anyway, I shaped this primarily as a suggestion, nothing more. I am neither qualified nor worthy of taking it beyond this point. So I apologize if it looks audacious of me to even suggest so.


Cheers;

MSantos

Anyone realize that in about 24 hours this thread poped up with about 55 replies and 1200 views?

Exactly ! Wellcome to all non-member readers. By reading on this site, you will see that the biggest risk for an hypermilers is the bad behavior of other drivers. Hypermiling technics are save when mastered and never forget, we mainly do hypermiling for your childs.

Please, take the time to read on this site and open your mind.

Pierre

Hi Msantos:

___You are right wrt to taking it to the public but they have to learn sometime? This AP guy kept asking about it and I told him the 4 types and 3 of them are done every day. The 4th is not recommended and will get yourself killed! The lack of detail in his article lead to the non-sense being posted over at MSNBC and it is sad to see the diatribe of the un-informed.

___I added my rant to the MSNBC non-sense (Page #28 no less ;)) with a lot less heat then I was originally going to!

***********************************************************************

Hi All:

___I was saddened to see so many that do not have even the most basic understanding of the articles contents or its message.

___About Drafting. There are 4 types. 3 of them most here use daily but apparently nobody does? The Surf Draft is along side and behind the target, not directly behind it. Speed limits are speed limits. I took out a Chicago Trib video reporter on a clinic just today. 54.3 displayed and a 57.5 + actual in the 05 non-hybrid Accord including a stop and crawl on the Kennedy. We were the safest people on the Road throughout the Chicago Interstates headed into downtown and back out to the suburbs again. Why? Because hypermilers are paying attention to what people are doing behind, in front and to the sides and are creating buffers to insulate themselves from others driving beyond the speed limits. Was there drafting involved? There were the 3 types as there always are. We saw hundreds of non-hypermilers Close-in drafting however! Was I between the limits or below in the stop and crawl? You bet? Was anybody killed? Not even close …

___If you would like to learn how to reduce your own consumption of a precious natural resource that we import 60% of daily, the site linked in the article is my own. Feel free to join at your leisure. Heaven forbid if you ever go out on a hypermiling clinic with a rated driver so they can teach you to drive both safely and efficiently … Unless that is you like feeding your daily habit with oil from the likes of Iran or Venezuela to name just two who love America to death? It doesn’t matter if it actually comes from Canada, Mexico or our own Gulf of Mexico either. If Europe or Asia cannot purchase Canadian, Mexican or US oil, it will come from the two aforementioned countries. Remember, we only import 60% of our daily consumption and climbing so who needs hypermiling? You do.

___The amount of fossil fuels you use is in your hands. It is now up to you to decide just how much …

***********************************************************************

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Imagine a world with 21% mortgage rates, concerns about the US economy, lots of trouble with Iran, the equivalent of $6 oil....actually it's happened - 1979. Energy was linked to all of the above.

Got to make an article about that sometime.

I just read the whole darn thread at MSNBC. My countrymen are really stupid aren't they?

Yes. That thread proves that beyond any doubt.

Harry

good grief. there is an online talk show called garage logic in minneapolis, moderated by a guy called joe souchery. he's been bad mouthing both me and wayne for a few minutes now. i can't get AM radio in this building very well, but we sure are getting noticed.........sheesh
joe souchery! Man I haven't listened to that in a while. I used to listen when we lived in Minneapolis. It can be heard on the internet, too, i think.
Ripping on hypermiling seems like a topic that they would have a lot of fun with. I wonder if I can get a tape of it.

hi, all......the poster girl for hypermiling here........sheesh, fame makes me tired LOLOL.

wayne, your comments in the paragraph above that you posted is GREAT!. very well said. and you are right.......all the cabin goers that populate the highway i drive are nose to tail, 70 miles an hour, every friday night. that's drafting at one of its worst examples.

i had a long interview with WCCO TV. they got held up coming out of minneapolis, and then it poured rain and was still raining when they got here. we spent at least 1/2 hour sitting in their car waiting for it to stop. it gave me time to just talk with them and explain what my position is and that people are reacting to one thing in the AP article that almost nobody practices, the drafting. that we are just normal people who don't want to pay $75 for gas, and just work a little hard at it.

like i pointed out, just looking at my car, it looks like any other civic on the road, and on any given day, i have yet to see myself holding up traffic. the argument that i haven't the right to go slower than the limit is really senseless, since I-94 runs right through this area, and the limit is 70, but it also states the minimum of 40.....

they did some film of me driving around, doing some coasting and show the gauges. as i was about to pull out of the driveway at work, a semi came around the corner and we made a joke about hurrying to catch up with it. we also did a session just standing by the car with her asking questions. i tried to keep our aim toward not being crazy, and not drafting. i spoke of taking the backroads home because i can drive slower and get home relaxed and not stressed from being in the speed parade.

when i mentioned that we are being called crazy, she told me that she has interviewed a lot of crazy people in her job, and i am not one of them. she also mentioned joe soucheray as not being very well liked anyhow.

so, she thinks it went well, and will most likely air tomorrow night. she will call and let me know.

i also am scheduled for an online interview with the station in cincinnati tomorrow afternoon at 4:10 central time.......and there was a call from a CNN reporter in chicago......unless he got in touch with you instead, wayne.

oh,and when she was trying to get her lead into the article, she started out by calling what we do extreme ways to save gas, and i really tried to explain that term is quite the opposite of what we are trying to do. so i think she ended up saying something like: everyone likes to save at the pump, but there are some out there who do their best to get the most value out of every drop of gas." i think that puts a better spin on it than us just being crazy drivers.

So, what would it take to make hypermiling more mainstream(able) without turning it into a equally flacid discipline like eco-driving? Is "mainstream" a suitable goal, or are we content in being perceived as hardcore and therefore more vulnerable to the ignorant hordes perhaps forever condemned to remain a cult of sorts? If mainstream is the goal then I think the "drafting issue" may be the low hanging fruit.

"Mainstream" is the goal. Greenland glaciers are not going to stop melting and political instability/violence in the Middle East is not going to end because I'm hardcore.

I don't enjoy the focus on drafting either, for the reasons you mentioned. Hypermiling BEGINS with the perception that it is dangerous, and bringing up drafting pretty much confirms it in the uneducated mind. Just this week a friend asked me about my 120mpg trip to work. His first question: "Do you do anything dangerous"?

I've already sent multiple emails to my local Austin paper to entice them into a story about local hypermiling.......with no success yet. My wife asked me if I was gonna pull out all the stops to get 120mpg to work if a reporter came along for a ride? Hell no. I'm gonna drive as "normal" as I can with speeds as typical as possible, get 90mpg, and say "look.....90 and you couldn't even tell I was doing anything different." See? hypermiling can be done with minimal sacrifice.

That's the bait. Once they see how easy it is, then they can decide whether to pull out all the stops later.

A call from CNN!

How far is this going to go?

Laurie,
FYI, by my count the sites registered member list grew by 7% since your story aired. 60 new members!

Way to go!

11011011

Laurie--

Word of warning, WLW here in Cincinnati is as conservative as it gets. I believe conservative talk radio was practically invented here, so be ready. However, I think you're going to be on the afternoon drive time show with Gary Burbank, which is a little more general and less political in nature. I have no idea the tack they'll take with the interview, but just beware, I should say. --RN

Then if it get political, say if stiffs Hugo, Osuma, etc....

Laurie--

Word of warning, WLW here in Cincinnati is as conservative as it gets. I believe conservative talk radio was practically invented here, so be ready. However, I think you're going to be on the afternoon drive time show with Gary Burbank, which is a little more general and less political in nature. I have no idea the tack they'll take with the interview, but just beware, I should say. --RN

thanks. this is what he sent as a description of the programming:

Generally, the Gary Burbank Show is a fun, light-hearted talk show that has fun but does not make fun. We aren't mean. We aren't going to attack you. We want this to be an interesting, lively and informative discussion. We do a lot of funny stuff about politics and sports and lately, gas prices. But this would be more straightforward. We would ask you about hyper miling techniques. Does it work? Is it safe? Is it courteous?

The tone wouldn't be "Meet the Press" but is sure wouldn't be "Howard Stern" either.

Laurie, you are doing a bang up job on this! Keep it up!

I'm looking forward to seeing the interview tonight -- what time and channel should I be watching?

Good call on the relaxing nature of hypermiling. Part of the reason I picked a manual transmission was so that I could be more involved in the driving process -- hypermiling just takes that to the next step.

Sound like you may be receiving requests for more interviews for a while. :D

But this would be more straightforward. We would ask you about hyper miling techniques. Does it work? Is it safe?

Just occurred to me, how about emphasizing that we're actually SAFER than other traffic on the road:
(1) we're paying 100% attention, not juggling a cell and paperwork like the guy breathing down my neck this morning, and not spacing out thinking of Other Things
(2) we're driving at the speed limit or a bit below, not 10-20mph over
(3) we're not playing NASCAR on the highways as so many people like to do these days

IOW, counteract the "it sounds dangerous" with "it's actually safer, and here's why".

Personally, I think I'm even more aware of what's going on around me on the road than I was as a motorcyclist. The gauges keep me focused on driving. I listen to music and use the (hands free) cell far less than I used to, and when I do either of these things my MPG suffers.

Hi Lightfoot:

___Great points and I will use them in the near future. I have a “Defending Hypermiling” California radio interview scheduled while I am on my way to work this afternoon and will be leaving 30 minutes earlier then normal just so I can pull over and have a nice conversation with the fine ladies and gentlemen of whatever radio station it is.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Laurie, you are doing a bang up job on this! Keep it up!

I'm looking forward to seeing the interview tonight -- what time and channel should I be watching?

Good call on the relaxing nature of hypermiling. Part of the reason I picked a manual transmission was so that I could be more involved in the driving process -- hypermiling just takes that to the next step.

Sound like you may be receiving requests for more interviews for a while. :D

i don't have the scheduled time for sure, they are going to call me, however, it most likely will air tonight on WCCO, channel 4 in minneapolis.

Hey guys,
I know were not really about self permotion, but I think it would be useful to have a section for articles / video / audio in which CleanMPG members were the focus. I know that quite a few admins and members have been in the press lately, and it might be nice to have one section (possible subforum of in-the-news) that had these members interviews.

Mostly I'm just having a hard time keeping track of all the fame you guys are spreading :p

11011011

Hi Dan:

___Eric, Chuck and Tarabell are screaming in the mod forums for just that. HF and the MiHG have a media page devoted to this. Given how much attention Laurie’s News Article received, it is something we will have to do very soon …

___You know your claim to fame is going up today as well, right ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Dan,

The reason a list of all the articles/interviews made by members here has not happened is the buzz over laurie's article has kept things busy.

I could be "drafting" laurie's article - a possible interview with WFAA-Channel 8 in Dallas.

Dan,

The reason a list of all the articles/interviews made by members here has not happened is the buzz over laurie's article has kept things busy.

I could be "drafting" laurie's article - a possible interview with WFAA-Channel 8 in Dallas.

just don't call me a semi.....

ok, here's one i get at work, from one of my peers, which torques me off every time i hear it, and it was frequently mentioned on the MSNBC mud slinging board.

you all know i have a 40 mile drive to work.....so you know what's coming?

"YOU SHOULD JUST MOVE CLOSER TO WORK"

right. that's the answer. :mad:

because i want to save gas, never mind that i already use less than 10 gallons a week, i should move closer to work, spend more money for a smaller place, lose the equity in the one i have, etc. etc. the area i live in is somewhat depressed as far as decent paying jobs, with walmart, unfortunately, being one of the bigger employers in the town closest to me. i am fortunate to have a decent job, where i have been for 10 years and hope to stay here until i retire.

i moved to where i live long before gas prices became the issue they are now. i moved to be away from the growing congestion and noise, and because i say i am working to save gas, this should be my solution?

on my commute, because the greater part of it is on a rural 4 lane, i frequently see the same vehicles almost daily. and a large majority are large, fuel wasting cars and trucks with one person, driving faster than i do. and i'm the problem???? what's wrong with this picture?:confused:

....yeah it would be wonderful if we all had the money to move near work, preferably to a walkable distance, but these days a lot of people are simply happy to have a job.

Hey guys... I've started trolling through the MSN Forum (God bless post #83 on page 7). I'm reminded of a forgoten quote coined by some PR guy. Went something like
Bad press is good pressThe idea was that even a lot of bad press ends up netting you a lot of press. I bet the Admins over at MSN are screaming More Hypermiler stories, did you see the hit count on it's comment section! I bet you'd have to go far and wide to find another story with 333 (whoa, did Wayne mention 3's) comments tacked onto it.

I think I'm seeing a ground swell here.

Keep up the good work, and let us know when the streaming video of your feed is...

11011011

i read through most of them yesterday. i started feeling like the poster child for hypermiling......sure are a lot of people out there anxious to brag about their speeding.

there was an interview on the radio a short time back by a minnesota highway patrolman, and he spoke about tailgaters. he says there are a lot out there, and they are just not paying attention. he has been tailgated while driving his squad car! he moves over and lets them pass.......and then pulls them over....LOL, justice is sweet.

he also says, contrary to what many think, that you are not required to go the speed limit, just don't be badly holding up traffic.

I just posted my reply to the Dust to Dust "Piece of Spinella's" :D

the area i live in is somewhat depressed as far as decent paying jobs, with walmart, unfortunately, being one of the bigger employers in the town closest to me.

Tell them you're staying there to do your part to support that walmart?

Sorry, I'm being silly but I could not resist.

Ultimately I think society may readjust so that people DO live closer to where they work, which might be a good thing because it might encourage improvements in more built-up areas. But that will take time. I sure would not want to live in the town wherre I work right now.

Tell them you're staying there to do your part to support that walmart?

Sorry, I'm being silly but I could not resist.

Ultimately I think society may readjust so that people DO live closer to where they work, which might be a good thing because it might encourage improvements in more built-up areas. But that will take time. I sure would not want to live in the town wherre I work right now.

actually, i don't patronize walmart, so i guess i am a big loser LOLOL.

i think telecommuting will become more acceptable and mainstream. there were a couple of days this winter in which i couldn't get to the office, however, i am set up with a similar computer at home and worked there. the same person who suggested i move closer to home, also said if i think it's going to snow that much, i should get a motel room close to the office. ummmm...no thanks. besides, i have critters at home that need feeding.....

I just posted my reply to the Dust to Dust "Piece of Spinella's" :D

huh? am i missing something?

I abbreviated Dust to Dust as POS. :D

On the MSNBC forum, I posted a link refuting his work.

Incredible at the childish vitrol/falsehoods looking at 20 pages!

Would you please post it or a link to it here? I'm on Macs and MSNBC's site insists on versions of IE that won't run on Mac OSX. I'd like to read it and can't.

Thanks!!

claims.

Not in his dubious Dust to Dust research that is so quoted, Spinella says a Prius lasts 100,000 miles while a Hummer lasts 300,000. How many GM vehicles you know lasted 300,000 miles? Now how many Japanese vehicles have lasted 200,000? My Honda Insight is currently at 121,000 - one is at 300,000 and had the battery replaced at 250,000.

wooo hooo......just got off the air with WKRP in cincinnati, and it went really well. they asked good questions, got a little goofy, and i was able to really try to dispel the idea that we are all out there drafting semis. as the guy pointed out, there's not a lot of semis going 60 in the right lane anyhow.

he asked about some tricks we use, i told them about how far above the EPA i am driving, and anyone can improve. and do i feel like i take a lot longer to get home........

the getting home thing is no big deal, since i pointed out that on my way in there are two traffic lights in 40 miles. if i were to get stuck at both of them if i were driving 65, it would probably hold me up as much as driving 60. i have a 50-50 chance of making the light and most mornings i do. i also mentioned we are more focused on what we are doing and pointed out what the mn highway patrol said about cars that tailgate him......they just aren't paying attention.

he asked if i was doing it for montary reasons, for the environment or to stick it to the oil companies? to which i replied ALL OF THE ABOVE. and then pointed out that when i had my CRV when gas prices were up in 2005, i was paying more for gas than the payment.

i think i came off as credible and we got in a plug for the website and the fact that ALL cars can benefit from some of the techniques we talk about.

:D:D:D

wooo hooo......just got off the air with WKRP in cincinnati, and it went really well. they asked good questions, got a little goofy, and i was able to really try to dispel the idea that we are all out there drafting semis. as the guy pointed out, there's not a lot of semis going 60 in the right lane anyhow.

he asked about some tricks we use, i told them about how far above the EPA i am driving, and anyone can improve. and do i feel like i take a lot longer to get home........

the getting home thing is no big deal, since i pointed out that on my way in there are two traffic lights in 40 miles. if i were to get stuck at both of them if i were driving 65, it would probably hold me up as much as driving 60. i have a 50-50 chance of making the light and most mornings i do. i also mentioned we are more focused on what we are doing and pointed out what the mn highway patrol said about cars that tailgate him......they just aren't paying attention.

he asked if i was doing it for montary reasons, for the environment or to stick it to the oil companies? to which i replied ALL OF THE ABOVE. and then pointed out that when i had my CRV when gas prices were up in 2005, i was paying more for gas than the payment.

i think i came off as credible and we got in a plug for the website and the fact that ALL cars can benefit from some of the techniques we talk about.

:D:D:D

oh yea, he asked about the air conditioning. my take on that is people get into their car after work, it's been sitting in the sun all day and yes, it's hot in there. they automatically turn on the air, and go home. i will open the windows, since i spend all day in an air conditioned office and want some fresh air. he asked if i then went home into an air conditioned house, and i actually said, nope, i got out to the barn to feed my critters. :)


in edit: sorry to post twice, i hit the wrong button when i added the last paragraph.

Would you please post it or a link to it here? I'm on Macs and MSNBC's site insists on versions of IE that won't run on Mac OSX. I'd like to read it and can't.

Thanks!!

i can't get it on my mac either, and had to use virtual pc (yuk)

wooo hooo......just got off the air with WKRP in cincinnatiGot a link to the station home page? Need to pull the podcast tonight ;)

11011011

I just got my Insight washed and cleaned as there is a possibility of an interview. Interestingly, There was a van with a Minnesota license plate. :D

On MSNBC's board, d4n13 made some good points - the seem very familiar :D

I just got my Insight washed and cleaned as there is a possibility of an interview. Interestingly, There was a van with a Minnesota license plate. :D

On MSNBC's board, d4n13 made some good points - the seem very familiar :D

Ahh shucks... I made it to page 21 before I blew a gasket. Since the first 21 pages were filled with assertions presented as fact, I figured I take the same tact.

Ohh well, thread has gone cold now anyway, but there were a few true believers in the early fight (even those that were mis-informed).

I'm totally freaking out the guys up at work with my bulletin board by my office. I have Laurie's article (pulled from the local paper), and three mileage post-it's. Today, Yesterday, and Best.

They are going to get unglued when I post my new best (got it on the way home today)

<whisper>
81.0
</whisper>:p

Posting on daily grind right now.

11011011

ok, here's one i get at work, from one of my peers, which torques me off every time i hear it, and it was frequently mentioned on the MSNBC mud slinging board.

you all know i have a 40 mile drive to work.....so you know what's coming?

"YOU SHOULD JUST MOVE CLOSER TO WORK"

right. that's the answer. :mad:

because i want to save gas, never mind that i already use less than 10 gallons a week, i should move closer to work, spend more money for a smaller place, lose the equity in the one i have, etc. etc. the area i live in is somewhat depressed as far as decent paying jobs, with walmart, unfortunately, being one of the bigger employers in the town closest to me. i am fortunate to have a decent job, where i have been for 10 years and hope to stay here until i retire.

i moved to where i live long before gas prices became the issue they are now. i moved to be away from the growing congestion and noise, and because i say i am working to save gas, this should be my solution?

on my commute, because the greater part of it is on a rural 4 lane, i frequently see the same vehicles almost daily. and a large majority are large, fuel wasting cars and trucks with one person, driving faster than i do. and i'm the problem???? what's wrong with this picture?:confused:

They don't like us laurie. lolololololololol

I get the same darn thing from folks here. "You want to save gas move to Tulsa"

I then drop the bomb on them. I let them know my house payment with Ins. included is only $268 a month. And,,, its almost payed for... Hummmm It maybe a shack. But its a all equity shack.

Our car ins. is only $400 every six months on two Hondas and one Ford. Full coverage. Hummmmmm Living in Okmulgee is alot cheaper there. Plus our agent knows we make the Tulsa drive but only reports us as 5 mile per day. Try getting that out of a Tulsa ins. agent... LMAO

We have charge accts. at our pharmacy, jewelry store, china/curio shop, liq. store, auto parts store, and also where we buy our gas and such. No interest, no service charge, free delivery and gift wrapping when needed.

Our basic health care cost after ins. is almost free. Most of the time our health care providers are happy with the 80% the ins. pays so we get bills with due amounts of $00.00. Aint that sweet.

Our dry cleaner doesn't charge us for repairs or small alterations. Thats nice!

After a bit of this. I ask them how they justify that new home and Tahoe they cant afford. They just kind of walk off grumbling.

I also let them know I have money in my 401k. I know they blew there retirement on the house, hoe and jet ski. :)

So dont come at me with the "Why dont you move to Tulsa and be a droid like the rest of us".

:Banane35:

They don't like us laurie. lolololololololol.....I then drop the bomb on them. I let them know my house payment with Ins. included is only $268 a month. And,,, its almost payed for...

Yeah move next to work. So what if it's downtown and the starting price in the neighborhood is $500,000-$1,000,000 - no sweat....right. :rolleyes:

Got a link to the station home page? Need to pull the podcast tonight ;)

11011011

he says to download today, as it will be replaced tomorrow.....

http://www.700wlw.com/pages/onair_garyburbank.html

or this is the link to the actual podcast:

http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/18227/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/18227/podcast/CINCINNATI-OH/WLW-AM/BURBANK053107HR3.mp3?CPROG=PCAST&MARKET=CINCINNATI-OH&NG_FORMAT=newstalk&SITE_ID=1209&STATION_ID=WLW-AM&PCAST_AUTHOR=700WLW&PCAST_CAT=Talk_Radio&PCAST_TITLE=Gary_Burbank_On_Demand

i have a mac. if i have downloaded this to my computer and gotten it into itunes, then i have a permanent copy? can you tell i don't have an ipod.


i listed to this, and hey, i almost sound like i know what i am talking about. thanks, wayne, for the encouragement to talk to them.

I just listen to the podcast. That was wonderful!

psy

What an excellent interview Laurie! I just heard it too. You sounded like the one with their head screwed on straight and him, like a stuttering dummy.

Perfect, you're an outstanding spokesperson for this group! I agree, Mr. Golden Voice was a bit scattered.

Here's the deep link to the MP3 for you ipod'ers.

http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/18227/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/18227/podcast/CINCINNATI-OH/WLW-AM/BURBANK053107HR3.mp3

Queue to 04:00 and listen to around 13:00

11011011

I have listened to the WLW podcast several times - good job laurie!

Also posted again at the MSNBC discussion so the flamming idiots don't crowd out all the good posts made by members here (Dan, ericbecky, Wayne, to mention a few :) )

Congrats all!!! That article even made it in a Southern Illinois newspaper in the "World" section!!:Banane45:

Hi Laurie:

___That was an excellent interview and your discussion flowed so smoothly. We have to get you in front of a microphone more often :D

___Good Luck and great job!

___Wayne

I just listen to the podcast. That was wonderful!

Same for me. Could not be more perfect.

Pierre

My google-blog-bot just found a reference to your story here (http://thestonescolossaldream.blogspot.com/2007/06/rolling-with-biggy-hypermiler.html). It's a great example of someone getting the FE bug after reading about it (as opposed to the stuff on the MSN forum).

Very funny... Gotta admit, I've had similar conversations...

Wife: Hun, you missed the turn.

Dan: I know, lights green and I'm a little hot so I'm gonna bleed off some of this speed.

Wife: But were going the wrong way...

Dan: There's a cut through about a half mile up, I can EV through it and go around to the loading dock.

Wife: What's at the loading dock?!?!

Dan: We can get in through the car audio install garage.

Wife: :mad:

Dan: :o

I'm sure you've had some of these conversations. If not, perhaps I should buy my wife some flowers....:p

Hi All:

___Doing a search for news this morning and ran across yet another pic of Laurie doing what she does best. Nice job Laurie!

The Minnesota Hypermiler … (http://news.yahoo.com/photo/070529/480/0ed91861f214400983e0ea896ae7f2ab)

___Laurie, what is that net - ring thingie w/ the feathers? If it helps improve FE, I had better get one for myself ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi All:

___Doing a search for news this morning and ran across yet another pic of Laurie doing what she does best. Nice job Laurie!

The Minnesota Hypermiler … (http://news.yahoo.com/photo/070529/480/0ed91861f214400983e0ea896ae7f2ab)

___Laurie, what is that net - ring thingie w/ the feathers? If it helps improve FE, I had better get one for myself ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

wayne, it's a dream catcher, made for me by my best friend. the indians used to hang them over the beds of their children, with the idea that bad dreams would get caught in them and only good ones would filter through.

As of this morning, the article is still linked in www.msnbc.com (http://www.msnbc.com) under Business/Oil & Energy - quite a ride. :)

i don't think the reporter who did this story had any idea how far it would go, and how much interest it would occur. the story that wouldn't die. i sent him links yesterday to both the ATA article, and the one by joe socheray, since the reporter is from minneapolis, where soucheray is based.

Hi Laurie:

___Great stories like yours don’t die, they age like fine wine :D

___I just finished up a live radio interview with a great host (John Quirby/Kibry/Quinby?) on what I believe was AM620 in Ohio somewhere? We talked about FE and Emissions, why and how’s a bit … And then the Drafting question came up. I said it had caused a bit of a stir in the online community and how we were trying to dispel the myths vs. facts and such. I went over the 4 types and how 3 are fine but the fourth was not. Received a good response from the callers … Talked about the snake oil and 100 mpg carburetors although that was a waste of my time. There was a caller Bob who was driving an Insight at that very moment. A 67 mpg last tank so he was doing well. Another named Ross I believe that talked about removing stop lights and signs. I brought up European Roundabouts and we had another minute or two on that. Either way, the Close-in drafting item was put to bed nicely imho :)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Another named Ross I believe that talked about removing stop lights and signs. I brought up European Roundabouts and we had another minute or two on that.

"European?!?? Roundabouts?? :mad: Don't you mean Massachusetts Rotaries? Alas, out of state traffic engineers have been eliminating rotaries here till there are not many left.
As long as everybody knows how to handle rotaries, you don't have to stop, saving lots of gas. Would you believe that MA has the nations lowest traffic fatality rate?
--Walter

Hi Walter:

___To bad we did not have more of those :(

___Laurie, I had one of the trucking online publications contact me today about my concerns wrt Hypermiling and drafting. I gave him the scoop on the 4 types, 3 of them are fine and Close-ins are not as well as what I see daily in the Chicago area. Only 1 or 2 truckers following the limits vs. the thousands that pass by at 10 + over the posted limit, 20 + in construction zones, no way is there a 3 second gap between anybody in the traffic I drive … that kind of thing. Let us see what “he” publishes after the fact. People Magazine contacted me today as well. I said come on out for a clinic as that will be a lesson for a lifetime. The writer said she will try? Yet another opportunity … If it goes off, who knows what will be put to print? Are we a bunch of raving lunatics or just a group of likeminded individuals trying to make the planet a better place 1 person and 1 less gallon at a time?

___Good Luck

___Wayne

People Magazine contacted me today as well. I said come on out for a clinic as that will be a lesson for a lifetime. The writer said she will try? Yet another opportunity … If it goes off, who knows what will be put to print? Are we a bunch of raving lunatics or just a group of likeminded individuals trying to make the planet a better place 1 person and 1 less gallon at a time?

___Good Luck

___Wayne

:eek::eek::eek:

the answer to your question is yes, we are........:p

Well following Marc's lead I penned an email to the news desk of my local paper to fish for a story. Since they ran the AP story, I thought they might bite.

I'll keep you posted. My tact will probably be high-score. I read a hypermiler story on that line of subject and didn't seem to get the road ragers that torqued.

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