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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg Green, Dangeous or Just Weird? (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/green/detail?&entry_id=36300)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/semi.jpg
Cameron Scott - San Francisco Chronicle - Feb. 26, 2009

It seems that there is still this preception out there that drafting 1 foot behind semis is the definition of hypermiling. :eyebrow: When will it stop. Feel free to click to the SFGate article and comment. ;) --Ed.

Hypermiling is driving in the most fuel-efficient way possible. Sounds great when you think of not gunning the engine only to slam on the brakes at the next light. But when you consider that sometimes hypermiling means tailgating an 18-wheeler to within inches of your life with the engine off, the practice becomes somewhat more controversial.

When I posted in the "automobiles" forum of Craigslist to see if there were any .... http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/green/detail?&entry_id=36300

The article wasn't even written cleanly.

"like Wayne Gerdes who gets 59 MPH" - You mean MPG?

"which goes along way to safer driving than most" - it should be two words, "a" and "long".

I only nitpick because this makes you lose credibility when you are otherwise supposed to be a credible news source.

But when you consider that driving over the speed limit ALL THE TIME means driving yourself and others to within inches of your death, the practice is controversial if you are going anywhere.

Hi, all. This is my first post here and my first time on the site. I'm the author of the blog post linked to in this thread. I'm excited to learn more about hypermiling. I'd especially love to hear from anyone who hypermiles in the Bay Area, Calif. If you do, shoot me an email at green [at] sfgate.com. Use the word hypermiling or it may go into my spam box.

Hi, all. This is my first post here and my first time on the site. I'm the author of the blog post linked to in this thread. I'm excited to learn more about hypermiling. I'd especially love to hear from anyone who hypermiles in the Bay Area, Calif. If you do, shoot me an email at green [at] sfgate.com. Use the word hypermiling or it may go into my spam box.

I thought that was a news story; I did not realize it was a blog. Maybe my comments were too rough. Nevertheless I see the errors have been corrected.

I will be posting that email as soon as I get a chance to do so. I noticed I have to sign up in order to post, so I'll have to find some time for that

These articles bring to mind 4 letters. SSDD. (I haven't had the time to read the article though.)

SF Gate is the online edition of the San Francisco Chronicle. I'm in the Bay Area, and have emailed the author. I'll try to tone down my extreme hypermiling so I can be a better role model ;).

SF Gate is the online edition of the San Francisco Chronicle. I'm in the Bay Area, and have emailed the author. I'll try to tone down my extreme hypermiling so I can be a better role model ;).Thank you for mentioning their name as I got it wrong. :o

The author of the blog seems unfamiliar with hypermiling, but has an open mind.

Ricardo and myself have posted over there casting hypermiling that can and should be part of mainstream driving, just like the ecodriving site does, only going farther (pardon the pun).

Since I already had an account there, I added my (Snorkler) comments to the blog, too.

Back to the sign on the truck --- I wonder if that was posted for other truckers, and not hypermilers at all? I've often seen big rigs in chains of 6 to 8 rigs in a row with minimal space between them. If they are all owner-operators, maybe they are trying to do a chain version of drafting? I dunno . . . what other interpretation for that sign is there?

Back to the sign on the truck...what other interpretation for that sign is there?

Maybe he wants people to draw detailed pictures on the doors of his trailer? :D I know that was stupid, sorry. - Dale

but still why write such a negative piece if you aren't the least bit familiar with something, especially if it isn't clear its only an opinion piece and you have a large readership, very irresponsible.

Hi everybody,

Keep in mind that News Articles are not CleanMPG stories, but those we find of particuluar interest to our members....we link directly to the article with a couple of paragraphs, a comment most of the time, and a picture from our gallery. The cover picture does not always perfectly match the article...was this picture from the SFGate? - No. The picture choice was at this discretion of the moderator.

Anyone that has used the Gallery knows it takes more time than posting a couple of sentences. ;) Also, we image-edit it to 310 pixels wide for a consistent front page look, and consider fair use policies. Sometimes we moderators have a good match, sometimes we don't, sometimes we make do with whatever is in the Gallery. For instance, one of us might have 10 minutes to post a breaking news story about GM and Chrysler and the best match will be a logo of the Big Three....someone will get bent out of shape that the Ford logo is in there and the story really is not about them.

In this case, Jud chose a semi with the "Drafters Welcome" sign to sarcastically point out many have attempted to misinform the public that this practice is maybe as commonplace as dialing and driving - that was his call.

I use to TWO second draft some of the slower ones at one time, but now I have slowed to the point that everyone and everything passes me.

I just stay to the right and do my thing..

http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/6545/70mpgsegment.jpg

Hi all,

Chuck is correct, I used this pic for sarcasm. I edited in the "Drafters Welcome" sign some time ago for another article and thought it would be funny and make a point on this one. I should have noted that it was a "phooshoped" in sign.

Cameron (TheGreenLine) Although your article was negative on the whole, I do detect a little bit of an open mind on the subject. As with any movement, there are extreme and rogue elements to it. All of us here will tell you that a drafting dangerous and should not be used. I wish that you could sit down with an experience hypermilng with one of us and then write a story about that. I think you write a different story.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg Green, Dangeous or Just Weird? (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/green/detail?&entry_id=36300)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/semi.jpg
Cameron Scott - San Francisco Chronicle - Feb. 26, 2009

It seems that there is still this preception out there that drafting 1 foot behind semis is the definition of hypermiling. :eyebrow: When will it stop. Feel free to click to the SFGate article and comment. ;) --Ed.

Hypermiling is driving in the most fuel-efficient way possible. Sounds great when you think of not gunning the engine only to slam on the brakes at the next light. But when you consider that sometimes hypermiling means tailgating an 18-wheeler to within inches of your life with the engine off, the practice becomes somewhat more controversial.

When I posted in the "automobiles" forum of Craigslist to see if there were any .... http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/green/detail?&entry_id=36300

Picture altered and contributed by bestmapman (maybe we need picture credits too?) - Dale

Hi All:

___Added my own for Cameron...


Hi Cameron:

I scared the pants off Dennis Gaffney? Maybe you need to speak with him about how scared he was vs. what he wrote. He made his $'s by pumping up the article as I have driven with hundreds of main stream online, print and Video journalists including anchors you may see on the TV around the country while pegging Prius’ at 99.9 + and various non-hybrids at 2X's the EPA. What they quickly discover is the only story is that Hypermiling proves "WE" are the only drivers that are legal on the road. It is all about following the speed limits and paying attention to what is ahead and looking out for the foolish drivers at 10 + over the limits playing in the right hand lane where we are.

“But when you consider that sometimes hypermiling means tailgating an 18-wheeler to within inches of your life with the engine off”

One, you are never inches from a semi with your engine off and with your engine off, are you keeping up with said semi? This is simple common sense and you failed to apply such when you posted this.

Dennis also did not write about his trip from my home to O'Hare air port using basic hypermiling techniques that netted 51 mpg in my Accord. With nothing other than DWL, DWB and following the speed limits.

It is reporting like yours that scare me let alone I would hate to be in an accident with you driving given I suspect you are over the speed limits and with perception and reaction adding as much as 1/3 of a football field before you even touch your brakes at 70 mph should make you think twice before posting what you have little knowledge about.

As far as whipping people up in frenzy, if you did not do your home work, is it any wonder with reporting like yours?

You called me out by name which makes my calling you out fair game. I also see you signed up at CleanMPG and expect to hear your reply soon.

Good Luck

Wayne Gerdes - Owner/Admin CleanMPG.com
___We'll see what comes next.

___SentraSE-R, what do you mean by "extreme" hypermiling as that is not a description I have ever used or coined???

___Good Luck

___Wayne

In the last two years maybe there has been 100 stories on individuals that hypermile. Out of those, only two of them spoke of drafting semis...I did not post those stories and instead Wayne and myself posted comments at the appropiate newspaper to call them out as a bad ambassador for hypermiling.

Cameron alluded to extreme hypermilers in his blog. He mentions the one camp that stays within fairly normal safe-driving parameters, keeps its tires filled; drives on ridges instead of valleys in the road; sticks to known, efficient routes; and maintains an even speed as much, and as long, as possible. It's the other camp he lumps with extreme hypermiling. It doesn't help that many members of this forum are attacking him for trying to understand what we do, nor does it help that our hypermiling does span a wide range of methods.

He hasn't replied to my email, but if he does, I'll try to educate him and the wider Bay Area audience that we can get vast mileage gains with simple and safe driving behavior changes. I'm not sure whether I'll discuss the activities we get criticized for.

Hi SentraSE-R:

___I would ask that you discuss everything with him including what we get criticized for because there is nothing to criticize, just educate.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I'll be happy to do so, Wayne. I hope Cameron gets back into the office Monday and follows up with me.

Cameron alluded to extreme hypermilers in his blog. He mentions the one camp that stays within fairly normal safe-driving parameters, keeps its tires filled; drives on ridges instead of valleys in the road; sticks to known, efficient routes; and maintains an even speed as much, and as long, as possible. It's the other camp he lumps with extreme hypermiling.

Please try to explain that what he describes in his blog as "extreme hypermiling" isn't hypermiling at all, it's just stupid dangerous driving that doesn't save fuel at all. If you really want to save fuel, you'll slow down. And then there's no way to keep up with a truck to draft it.

It doesn't help that many members of this forum are attacking him for trying to understand what we do,

If he wants to be a journalist it goes with the territory. Been there. Someone making an authoritative statement about something had better get their facts straight first, or expect to get called on it if they mis-state something. He needs to understand what we are doing first, then write the blog.

He hasn't replied to my email, but if he does, I'll try to educate him and the wider Bay Area audience that we can get vast mileage gains with simple and safe driving behavior changes. I'm not sure whether I'll discuss the activities we get criticized for.

I think it would be great if you did that. People need to get their facts straight first and foremost.

Why not take him for a ride so he can see for himself what we do?

I offered to take him for a ride, in the private email I sent him. I hope he takes me up on my offer. That's the best way to educate people - show them their fears are unjustified.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Cameron is interested enough in hypermiling to want to go for a ride or follow up with an interview. I'll try another email to him, but I'm not optimistic.

He got back to me yesterday morning. I replied late tonight. I'm trying to set up a demonstration for him.

Don't bring up any variation of the D word, even traffic side or wake effect. Reporters in his school of thinking, as he's proved, love to latch on to something negative sounding and spin it out of control.

If I mention it, it will only be to say it's not as effective as going slower.