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Challenge can be just as rewarding as savings on gasoline (http://www.rctimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070605/FEATURES01/706050330/1004/MTCN0303) (poll question in thread)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/andrea_hypermiling.jpgBONNA de la CRUZ - Tennessean - June 5, 2007

For Andrea with both her Honda Insight and Toyota Prius, Hypermiling comes naturally. Photo: Lavondia Majors.

Thirty-year-old Andrea Pierpoint likes to drive her Honda Insight hybrid "like a grandma," puttering down the interstate's right-hand lane as gas guzzlers whiz by.

She shivers in the winter and roasts in the summer, refusing to turn on the heat or air conditioner. On the highway, the Old Hickory woman drafts perilously close behind tractor-trailers to save on gas.

"I'll do anything to make my gas usage go down," said Pierpoint, who is obsessive about optimizing the fuel economy of her slow-moving silver chariot, even if it means a bit of discomfort.

These gas-saving techniques are favored among self-styled "hypermilers," people who almost exclusively drive hybrids and do whatever it takes to squeeze extra miles from a tank of gas. It's part cost-savings, part thrill of the challenge.
… http://www.rctimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070605/FEATURES01/706050330/1004/MTCN0303

Thanks again Dan!

Who wrote that story. It is full if innacuracies. Hypermiling is not almost exclusivly hybrid drivers. Though eventualy most hypermilers will get a hybrid because it is the best tool for the job.

These type of articles are only going to make people resent the idea of hypermiling.

"Hypermilers are fanatical about driving conditions, monitoring everything from distance to terrain to ambient temperature, believing they get better fuel economy in warmer months."

Gee Mr. author, couldn't answer one way or another for us readers? Crazy hypermilers with their crazy ideas that Austin winters are preferable to Chicago winters.

I was looking for her mpg in the article over the life of the car.

Wish the close drafting aspect was not emphasised so much - I have downplayed/discouraged it when interviewed by Edmonds and Channel 8 - Dallas.

Don't know her on any forums, but hope she joins here. :)

yes, we should find her and direct her here......another poor woman going to be cut to pieces for driving slow.......sigh......she needs us for a support system :) i would love to be able to talk to her and tell her she's on the right track, no matter what she hears. and lord, knows, we've heard it all........

chuck, how was your interview? do you have a video link?

yes, we should find her and direct her here......another poor woman going to be cut to pieces for driving slow.......sigh......she needs us for a support system :) i would love to be able to talk to her and tell her she's on the right track, no matter what she hears. and lord, knows, we've heard it all........

chuck, how was your interview? do you have a video link?

Yes, she needs to come here and stop getting feedback from trollers and gearheads.

Sent you a PM.

Still waiting for my 1-minute spot that first aired at 5:30, 2-3 more times that morning, then noontime, 6pm, and 10pm.

yes, we should find her and direct her here...

If you read the rest of the article you'll see that she knows all about this place. See below quote:

"Lately, the virtual world of hypermilers has been hyperventilating over one Japanese woman's achievement. She drove a mind-boggling 1,455.9 miles on 12.978 gallons of fuel last summer, averaging 112.2 mpg, according to www.cleanmpg.com.

The Web site was created by Wayne Gerdes, a celebrity hypermiler who claims to have coined the term. Pierpoint gushes about how Gerdes averages 100 mpg with his Insight."

The reporter knows about www.cleanmpg.com (http://www.cleanmpg.com), but we don't know for sure she does (although visiting as a guest is definitely possible as they way outnumber members).

Articles on the internet tend to be a copy of an earlier article.

by the way, MSNBC continues to get hits. i posted this:

mikey, you said it very well. the bottom line is, even with a long commute, i use 10 gallons of gas a week. 10 GALLONS. do the math.....and then check your usage. if you are happy with what you spend, fine. i don't drive slow in the passing lane, and i don't draft semis. neither do i threaten to blow people off the road. on the other hand, i don't spend more than my car payment for gas every week. if you are happy doing that, fine. if you aren't, there are ways to reduce it.


someone responded with this:

My gas-guzzling SUV is the vehicle that just shoved your 20-miles-less-than-the-speed-limit hybrid off the road and out of my - and everyone else's - way!


sigh. i didn't bother with a response. someone that ignorant wouldn't get it anyhow, and i certainly won't stoop to that level.

The reporter knows about www.cleanmpg.com (http://www.cleanmpg.com), but we don't know for sure she does.

She (Pierpoint, the subject of the article) apparently knows about Wayne Gerdes at least, since she gushes about his accomplishments. I lurked in many forums when I first started going online until I became more comfortable putting my comments out there. Now people probably wish I had stayed in the shadows :D

As for SUV drivers who are proud of pushing smaller fuel effient cars out of the way, yeah, they probably wouldn't understand, but I might ask them, "And doing so is a good thing because... we should all use more gas so more money goes to the middle east? It's fun to pollute the planet as much as possible? Driving small wimpy cars is unamerican? You have a small "brain" and it makes you feel better?

Saw an applicable bumper sticker yesterday:

"IT'S EVERYONE'S RIGHT TO BE STUPID
but you're abusing the privilege"

...As for SUV drivers who are proud of pushing smaller fuel effient cars out of the way...

Such forum posts remind me of spiteful grade school kids that have nothing better to do than name calling. :rolleyes: What I wish we could know is how many of them are in heavy credit card debit, going bankrupt, etc. because they feel their cars, clothes, homes must be showy....OK this does not apply to all of them but the anger strongly suggests they feel threatened.

by the way, MSNBC continues to get hits. i posted this:

mikey, you said it very well. the bottom line is, even with a long commute, i use 10 gallons of gas a week. 10 GALLONS. do the math.....and then check your usage. if you are happy with what you spend, fine. i don't drive slow in the passing lane, and i don't draft semis. neither do i threaten to blow people off the road. on the other hand, i don't spend more than my car payment for gas every week. if you are happy doing that, fine. if you aren't, there are ways to reduce it.


someone responded with this:

My gas-guzzling SUV is the vehicle that just shoved your 20-miles-less-than-the-speed-limit hybrid off the road and out of my - and everyone else's - way!


sigh. i didn't bother with a response. someone that ignorant wouldn't get it anyhow, and i certainly won't stoop to that level.

Last year I saw a GM SUV rear end and push a Escort down Lewis Ave. in Tulsa. The poor fellow in the Escort had the brakes locked up and the SUV was smoking its rear tires pushing the poor car down the road. The wife and I were car pooling at the time. And in complete shock.

I get altleast one close call a week with somebody running up behind me not paying attention. One of these days somebody is going to buy me a new car. :) And possibley work for me the rest of there natural days on earth.

There are folks that wont think twice about hitting another car to make a point. Ive seen it.

psy

I get altleast one close call a week with somebody running up behind me not paying attention. One of these days somebody is going to buy me a new car. :)

psy

Always stopping at red and yellow lights is a way to get somebody else to buy you a new car. I briefly considered actually doing this when I had a Buick, but decided that I'd rather buy my own car than get whiplash.

--Walter

One of these days somebody is going to buy me a new car. :)(I realize you're being facetious, but) believe me you don't want that. I've been injured twice in rear end collisions. Spinal injuries take a very long time to recover, and the last 5-10% of recovery often never happens. You just learn to live with aches and pains you never had before.

There are folks that wont think twice about hitting another car to make a point. Ive seen it.Wow. That's truly chilling. Sounds like aggravated assault to me, but I bet the guy didn't even go to jail.

Hi All:

___Let us give some credit for the publicity. Andrea is doing a kick @$$ job and I cannot wait to publicly and personally congratulate her for it. Reporters will sensationalize anything even though they haven’t a clue as to what Hypermiling is all about. Just take it as yet another green reporter without the facts trying to glamorize a story for her readers. The huge positive for all of us in this story is there is yet another Hybrid owning individual who has made a difference.

___Way to push tanks in your Insight Andrea and thank you from the entire membership of CleanMPG (www.cleanmpg.com).

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi All:

___Let us give some credit for the publicity. Andrea is doing a kick @$$ job and I cannot wait to publicly and personally congratulate her for it. Reporters will sensationalize anything even though they haven’t a clue as to what Hypermiling is all about. Just take it as yet another green reporter without the facts trying to glamorize a story for her readers. The huge positive for all of us in this story is there is yet another Hybrid owning individual who has made a difference.

___Way to push tanks in your Insight Andrea and thank you from the entire membership of CleanMPG (http://www.cleanmpg.com).

___Good Luck

___Wayne

If you are reading this - way to go Andrea!

If you are reading this - way to go Andrea!

chuck, you just beat me to this post.........wayne is right, congrats, andrea!!!!

Ok, that was me in the Tennessean. :) I had never heard of this sight before I read about it the other day on MSNBC.com, but I have spent WAY too much time reading the forums on Insight Central.

The reporter (Bonna) for this story was actually VERY nice and pretty much just knew what she had read. The parts about drafting that she left out were that I said that you don't actually have to be THAT close to draft, and that if you're gonna draft, you ONLY draft! No eating, talking on the phone, etc. Pay attention to driving!

My LMPG on the Insight is starting to drop. For a long time it was around 65, it is now down to 63.9 after 93,000 miles. My battery is also finally starting to go (no IMA light yet). I didn't mention these things to her b/c I want these cars to get all the positive press possible.

Yep, I drive slow, I draft, my tires are kept at 40 psi. When I get on the interstate (rare), I find a semi going 65 and stay behind him. On my way to work in the mornings, I drive no more than 55 mph in the slow lane and not on the interstate. I am RELAXED when I get to work, and when I get home from work. Driving does not stress me out anymore.

For some reason I don't obsess so much in the Prius. I still like to keep it as high as possible, but I actually use the AC and heat and will go the speed limit. Maybe it's just my old lead foot trying to creep back in.

I was also thinking today about some of the comments that people have left about the article on the Tennessean's website. They talk about how we should back off and not tailgate. I think there is a HUGE difference between drafting and tailgating. Tailgating is what people do when they are in a hurry and they are angry and being very aggressive. I am not an aggressive driver. I am a defensive driver. I try to stay out of the way of the tailgaters because they are quite a dangerous crew!

Any other questions? ;)

Andrea :)

Now for a formal welcome to CleanMPG!

My lmpg is 59.6, but about 70 the last 1-2 years. I've gone from aggressive driver to hypermiler over the 1st six years of my 2000 5-speed Insight (also silver).

Have you had software updates? They did to mine. My batteries were replaced at 94,000 from a combination of software problems and the 1st couple of years of aggressive driving. {blush}. I'm at 121,200 miles and think this battery pack can realistically make it to 250,000.

I've noticed a pattern - reporters must have a legal department looking over their shoulder and have to stress any potential dangers. Also, reporter usually have time or space limitations and content gets pruned out.

This is simply surreal....a hypermiler gets in the news, send an open invitation out, and it's accepted. :)

Andrea, not many people have driven an Insight and a Prius. I've had two short trips in a Prius and can't say I "know" the Prius - yet.

My impression is a Prius is like a Mac - an Insight is like a Linux computer. Insight - very hands on, fun if you know what you are doing. Prius - very user-friendly, cool displays.

by the way, MSNBC continues to get hits. i posted this:

someone responded with this:

My gas-guzzling SUV is the vehicle that just shoved your 20-miles-less-than-the-speed-limit hybrid off the road and out of my - and everyone else's - way!


sigh. i didn't bother with a response. someone that ignorant wouldn't get it anyhow, and i certainly won't stoop to that level.


I agree any response would only have provoked more comments from them. Truth is sometimes when they get aggressive like that on the road towards me I floor it and leave them in the dust. Stopped doing it cause I'm going FE and I rather save my gas then show them who really has more power. (I drive a Nissan Altima)

On the other hand, it seems such flamers try to "win" the arguement by posting a ton of flame-bait, so it's good to have sensible posts so bystanders here our side. ;)

The Prius is definitely the "bells and whistles" car. It has a lot of flash (GPS, 6-disc in dash CD changer, cruise, etc.). It's fun to drive, but the mpg display is hard to watch and drive. They should've added a small slider like the Insight has up by the windshield. The Prius also has that "family car" feel to it. It's great for toting around friends, since they all would rather leave their cars parked right now. :)

The Prius is definitely the "bells and whistles" car. It has a lot of flash (GPS, 6-disc in dash CD changer, cruise, etc.). It's fun to drive, but the mpg display is hard to watch and drive. They should've added a small slider like the Insight has up by the windshield. The Prius also has that "family car" feel to it. It's great for toting around friends, since they all would rather leave their cars parked right now. :)

Solution: get www.scangage.com (http://www.scangage.com) and put it over the dash on your Prius. The OBD II plug under the steering column.

www.priuschat.com (http://www.priuschat.com) has a little discount at their online store.

Interesting note: The times I've done close drafting, the coolant temperature goes up about 7F.

Ok, that was me in the Tennessean. :) I had never heard of this sight before I read about it the other day on MSNBC.com, but I have spent WAY too much time reading the forums on Insight Central.

The reporter (Bonna) for this story was actually VERY nice and pretty much just knew what she had read. The parts about drafting that she left out were that I said that you don't actually have to be THAT close to draft, and that if you're gonna draft, you ONLY draft! No eating, talking on the phone, etc. Pay attention to driving!

My LMPG on the Insight is starting to drop. For a long time it was around 65, it is now down to 63.9 after 93,000 miles. My battery is also finally starting to go (no IMA light yet). I didn't mention these things to her b/c I want these cars to get all the positive press possible.

Yep, I drive slow, I draft, my tires are kept at 40 psi. When I get on the interstate (rare), I find a semi going 65 and stay behind him. On my way to work in the mornings, I drive no more than 55 mph in the slow lane and not on the interstate. I am RELAXED when I get to work, and when I get home from work. Driving does not stress me out anymore.

For some reason I don't obsess so much in the Prius. I still like to keep it as high as possible, but I actually use the AC and heat and will go the speed limit. Maybe it's just my old lead foot trying to creep back in.

I was also thinking today about some of the comments that people have left about the article on the Tennessean's website. They talk about how we should back off and not tailgate. I think there is a HUGE difference between drafting and tailgating. Tailgating is what people do when they are in a hurry and they are angry and being very aggressive. I am not an aggressive driver. I am a defensive driver. I try to stay out of the way of the tailgaters because they are quite a dangerous crew!

Any other questions? ;)

Andrea :)

Quick post... Got to go... 5:00 CST...

Congrats Andrea and thanks for preaching to the masses!

11011011

Congratulations Andrea, and welcome to CleanMPG. Glad you're happy with just driving the Prius. There are enough folks here already trying to make my results look miserable with their Prius extreme hypermiling! :)

Congrats Andrea, from me as well!

I also own both a 2001 5 speed Insight (Blue) and a 2005 Prius. Have had the Prius since Feb 2005 and the Insight since Aug 2006. I learned a lot of my hypermiling techniques from Wayne Gerdes in the Prius before I had the Insight and MPG jumped from mid to high 40's to 60 and above highway on good days and 60's to 70's in the city. What a kick!
Unfortunately my wife usually drives the Prius (she's learning the techniques and sometimes achieves 60).

I prefer the Insight because I feel like I have more control over MPG with the 5 speed, and simply because I drive it most of the time. Driving the Prius I think I get a little up tight because of the concentration required to manage the gas pedal to get the high numbers.

Lately with the Insight I feel like I've had a bad day if I don't do at least 80 MPG. Current tank at about 730 miles is at 84 MPG. My biggest complaint is that I can only fill up once every 3-4 weeks and get the satisfaction of a great tank so rarely!

I have nothing but contempt for the rude drivers, but I've managed to be able to ignore them most of the time. I just drive at speed limit or a little below and let them waste their gas and energy.

Everyone keep up the good work!!!

Who wrote that story. It is full if innacuracies. Hypermiling is not almost exclusivly hybrid drivers. Though eventualy most hypermilers will get a hybrid because it is the best tool for the job.

These type of articles are only going to make people resent the idea of hypermiling.

I Agree: Nothing else needs to be said.

Terry (tiger)

a prius and an insight, not fair :cool: (where is that jealousy emoticon... here is a green banana instead :Banane03: ) Welcome to the site, you are in good company

Hypermiling is not almost exclusivly hybrid drivers.
Represent!

Great work, Andrea.

I knew who you were from my IC posting days.

Randall

FWIW I contributed two comments to the "discussion".
I also reported one post that actually consisted only of name-calling.

It's true that there is a huge amount of uninformed and knowledge-resistant negativity in that discussion. However even so I am glad that it's occurng. I think that as more posts have been added the percentage of positive responses has increased - but I did not do a detailed count.

FWIW I contributed two comments to the "discussion".
I also reported one post that actually consisted only of name-calling.

It's true that there is a huge amount of uninformed and knowledge-resistant negativity in that discussion. However even so I am glad that it's occurng. I think that as more posts have been added the percentage of positive responses has increased - but I did not do a detailed count.

I posted there today - great job, Bruce!

I encourage members to do the same - just post an intelligent defense of hypermiling - even if it's pasting some old post of your's. The public needs to see something other than ignorant flame-baits.

Any other questions? ;)
Are you coming to Hybridfest?

Welcome Andrea! We hypermilers of the female persuasion are still a little under-represented, so it's great to have you here :D:D

We hypermilers of the female persuasion are still a little under-represented, so it's great to have you here :D:D

Hi Andrea! So glad you stopped by here and hope you stick around. I agree with Debbie, we could use some more female representation. Keeps the testosterone level around here in check. :D

Hi Andrea! So glad you stopped by here and hope you stick around. I agree with Debbie, we could use some more female representation. Keeps the testosterone level around here in check. :D
You really think having more women around somehow limits the flow of testosterone?? :D

You really think having more women around somehow limits the flow of testosterone?? :D

Should only be a problem if we started doing "My Ride" like this. (http://www.fastcoolcars.com/girls_cars_2fast2furious.htm)

:D

Should only be a problem if we started doing "My Ride" like this. (http://www.fastcoolcars.com/girls_cars_2fast2furious.htm)

:D
Which one of those is you? ;)

For sometime I've wanted to take a picture like one of those and splash the following verbage:


CleanMPG Zine
The Tesla - enough testrone?
Cover car an Insight with the Enzyte ad

LOL. I could be one of their mothers (perish the thought). Maybe even grandmother ...

LOL. I could be one of their mothers (perish the thought). Maybe even grandmother ...

hey, i thought i was the only one that really was driving like a grandmother....grandson is 13, granddaughter is 10.....me? i'm still 29.

*NEVER* me, even on my *best* day :p - & now I, too, fit into the grandmother category.

(I just realized - the next time my hubby tells me I'm driving like a grandma, I'll remind him that I *am* one :D:D)

Ok, so I've been reading the comments to the article again this morning (gas mileage isn't the only thing I obsess over!). I'd like to know who these morons are that think we drive below 45 on the interstate. Slow doesn't mean barely moving! And, besides that, around town, speed limits on the interstate are only 55, and so I only go 55. When it goes up to 70, I go 65. I don't see the problem with that, especially since it wasn't that long ago that the speed limit was only 65 anyways. I never understood why they raised it when they know there will always be speeders. I think we need to start a push to get the speed limits lowered so we can all save a little gas.

Just a thought.

Ok, so I've been reading the comments to the article again this morning (gas mileage isn't the only thing I obsess over!). I'd like to know who these morons are that think we drive below 45 on the interstate. Slow doesn't mean barely moving! And, besides that, around town, speed limits on the interstate are only 55, and so I only go 55. When it goes up to 70, I go 65. I don't see the problem with that, especially since it wasn't that long ago that the speed limit was only 65 anyways. I never understood why they raised it when they know there will always be speeders. I think we need to start a push to get the speed limits lowered so we can all save a little gas.

Just a thought.

andrea, i wonder that myself. and when i see comments about hybrids either driving 35 in the left lane or drafting a semi (which seems kind of impossible to do both), i just don't know where that comes from. first off, a lot of people don't even recognize a hybrid. and on my albeit slower commute to work (60mph), i never see anyone driving slow in the passing lane. but i do see a lot of people in a hurry riding a lot closer to semis than i would.

somewhere along the way, the point of the article was missed. we are trying to save gas, no matter what vehicle is being driven. speeders and large vehicle drivers somehow have decided we are picking on them, which may be the case here, however in the articles i thought we were giving suggestions for fuel economy. i made a reference to an SUV in that i probably use as much in a week as they do going to work one morning, and perhaps they read more into that (as perhaps they should). but it sure brought a bunch of crazy, angry people into the light.

Andrea,

I'm starting to think DUI also means "Drivel Undermining the Internet" - not sober thoughts.

I've seen charactarizatons of me that are almost beyond recognition as many of you probably have as well.

I made a few posts at The Tennesseean's forum

You might like the story Walter found - it's now a news item.

i just added what i hope is a sane post on the tennessee paper forum.....let's see how the flamers treat this one :)

andrea, i wonder that myself. and when i see comments about hybrids either driving 35 in the left lane or drafting a semi (which seems kind of impossible to do both), i just don't know where that comes from. first off, a lot of people don't even recognize a hybrid. and on my albeit slower commute to work (60mph), i never see anyone driving slow in the passing lane. but i do see a lot of people in a hurry riding a lot closer to semis than i would.

somewhere along the way, the point of the article was missed. we are trying to save gas, no matter what vehicle is being driven. speeders and large vehicle drivers somehow have decided we are picking on them, which may be the case here, however in the articles i thought we were giving suggestions for fuel economy. i made a reference to an SUV in that i probably use as much in a week as they do going to work one morning, and perhaps they read more into that (as perhaps they should). but it sure brought a bunch of crazy, angry people into the light.Unfortunately I think it's a (sad) natural human tendency. When people see someone else behaving in a way that might appear more virtuous than their own -- even if you're not being pious, judgmental or condescending about it at all) -- they will do everything they can (or believe whatever they can, however absurd) to minimize or undermine it. Good ole cognitive dissonance at work.