Fuel Efficiency Plan Aims for Big Savings

Reader Comments
Back to article

No, disagreement, sir. Your last statement (energy conservation) won myself over to save up my junior year of high school, and work two jobs over this upcoming summer.
Thanks

of IL 3:56AM May 18, 2008

In summer 2007, driving a 1995 Cadillac SLS, I got 30 MPG in lieu of 22 as follows. Filling up at 6 AM, because gas weighs more when cooler, turn off AC and cruise control which gives a constant velocity because better gas mileage is made using a constant acceleration. A clean waxed car has a lower drag. And last but not least driving 60 MPH in lieu of 75. Drag coefficeint (Dc) is velocity squared. At 55 MPH Dc is 3025, but at 75 MPH Dc is 5625 almost double and gas mileage is much less at 75 MPH.
To assure the data was valid, I made a similar trip in December 2007 and again got 30 MPG using the same scheme.
The Mobil Economy Run made a similar test more that 3 decades ago driving a Ford Pinto and got 35 MPG.

John Epperson of CO 11:40PM April 23, 2008

It would be great to stop the increases at the pump. I don't think it will happen. I'm just south of the Canadian oil boom where we are extracting the very expensive Athabasca oil sands. With normal labor costs, it would be $20.00 a barrel to extract this stuff. With labor shortages and materials in short demand it is now in the $50.00 and up range. Brazil is looking at a very expensive off-shore site, America is looking at the very expensive option of extracting oil from shale in North Dakota. Less and less of our crude comes from putting a pump on the prairies and getting the oil for $2 a barrel. Sure some of what we are feeling at the gas pump is just wall street investors speculating, but the day of really cheap gas may be over. I think this article on more fuel efficient vehicles in the painful truth that the best way to reduce our fuel bill will be to reduce our fuel consumption.

Wayne Schlapkohl 3:18PM April 23, 2008