Last year I wrote about how hypermiling can dramatically cut your gasoline consumption.  Well, I recently learned that the New Oxford Dictionary announced hypermiling as the 2008 word of the year.  They discuss the history of the word, some of the methods and positive results of changing bad driving habits.  If you began keeping a log of your own gas mileage, then you could test hypermiling to see what kind of personal gains can be achieved.

In another story, you can see that web based tools and the internet can help cut vehicle emissions.  A pilot program in Denver configured 400 vehicles with greenhouse gas-tracking systems to provide the driver with feedback on their driving.  They could immediately see the impact of rapid acceleration, sudden braking and excessive idling.  This information resulted in reduced emissions and better fuel economy.

Automakers have also begun informing drivers with real time statistics.  The Toyota Prius already encourages drivers to seek more efficient energy use through a digital interface.  Now Honda is taking it a step further with their upcoming new car, the Insight.  This story on Earth2Tech discusses how the “Eco Assist” dashboard turns fuel efficiency into a video game.  They compare this to a Wii Fit for cars where drivers are rewarded with positive feedback for good driving behavior.

We should all strive to cut our gasoline consumption and reduce vehicle emissions with hypermiling, web based tools and enhanced driver instrument panels.  Good driving habits combined with advancement in technology could go far in improving our fuel efficiency.  Maybe someday all cars will be connected to the internet to help reduce our consumption, track carbon emissions and offer peer review through community.  I would like to add passenger energy as the next advancement in our fight for energy independence.  How ‘bout you?

photo credit: Marcin Wichary

Today President Obama endorsed efforts to allow states adopt rules for stricter emission standards.  In a USA Today story, Obama pushing stronger fuel-efficiency standard, they detail many of the reasons behind this initiative.

This may seem like bad news for the automakers, but they know these changes are necessary.  We need to focus on lessening our dependence on foreign oil for our own national security.  In a Wall Street Journal story, they make some excellent points:

President Obama again linked his energy agenda to the economy, the environment, and national security. Spending hundreds of billions of dollars on foreign oil helps finance terrorism, subjects Americans to volatile gasoline prices, and courts the “irreversible catastrophe” of climate change. “These are the facts,” he said.

This won’t happen over night, but it is a very good first step.  We need to aggressively curb our greenhouse gas emissions and slow global warming.  California has been ahead of the curve on this issue and it is about time the rest of the country caught up.

Higher gas mileage and lower emissions, sounds pretty obvious, doesn’t it?

photo credit: net_efekt

Hypermiling is an interesting method of increasing your car’s gas mileage by making changes in the way you drive.

Accelerating more slowly away from green lights and stopping more gradually for red lights can cut fuel consumption by 25 percent or more.  This change along with maintaining more steady driving speeds would have a dramatic effect on reducing our current energy consumption.

With today’s high traffic congestion, vehicles are getting lower mileage due to more frequent braking, an ever increasing amount of idling time and longer commuting time.  If Passenger Energy could reduce the number of vehicles on the road, we would not only save big on all the vehicles left home, but also by running the remaining ones much more efficiently.

photo credit: edkohler