Vote for Your Favorite Drive Smarter Challenge Video!

Have you ever wanted to be a film critic? Now’s your chance! It’s time to vote for your favorite video from among ten finalists in the Drive Smarter Video Contest launched by The Alliance to Save Energy. Your vote can help determine who wins the $5000 grand prize and three other exciting prizes!

The entrants took highly creative approaches to illustrate driving and vehicle maintenance tips that save money and increase fuel efficiency. There’s the smart, chatty GPS system that inspires flirting… a carpool with back-seat smooching… a broken-heartened, guitar-strumming, singing cowboy with his truck named Earl…

Public voting on 10 short videos aimed at helping to drive smarter, reduce their gas consumption and drive fewer miles has already begun and continues until Monday, October 19, 11:59 PM (EDT). To rate the videos, visit the Drive Smarter Challenge video contest website: http://drivesmarterchallenge.org/contest.  Videos are just two minutes or shorter, and you can return to the site if you don’t finish rating all 10 in one sitting.

Every video is completely different, and we enjoyed rating our favorites.  Now it’s your turn!

Link [Drive Smarter Challenge]

Six Myths About Improving Gas Mileage

Especially with gas prices rising again, myths and rumors about how you can increase gas mileage are spreading like wildfire, from the ridiculous to the real thing. Snopes and Mythbusters have tackled some of them – like whether it’s better to run your AC or drive with the windows open or if acetone improves mileage – and now CBS MoneyWatch has busted six more.

Check ‘em out:

1. If your owner’s manual says “premium fuel recommended,” you’ll ruin your car by filling it up with regular.

Reality: Unless you’re driving in the Indy 500, using regular gas in a car that says premium fuel is merely “recommended” is perfectly fine. And doing so will save you 25 cents per gallon.

“Unless you have a job that requires regular sessions on a racetrack, there is no legitimate need to ever put premium fuel in your vehicle,” says Susan Winlaw, co-author of the book, Car Advice for Women (and Smart Men). Using regular gas could cost you a few horsepower when you’re driving at higher speeds, but chances are you won’t notice the difference, and it definitely won’t hurt your car. Your engine’s fuel-management system is perfectly prepared to handle lower-octane fuel, says Winlaw.

On the other hand, switching to regular in a car for which premium fuel is “required,” as it is for a few high-performance luxury rides, could cause noticeable knocking. And over time, that could lead to faster engine wear.

Those cases aside, just how much could switching to regular gas save you this weekend? According to the AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report, the national average price per gallon recently was $2.68 for regular gas, versus $2.94 for premium. A longish road trip could account for four fill-ups of about 20 gallons each, meaning you’d save almost $21 by using regular gas over premium.

2. In the summer, you should only buy gas at night or early in the morning when the gas is cold. Because cold gas is more dense, you’ll get more fuel for your money.

Reality: Buying cold gas is a lot harder than it sounds, and the potential savings are scarcely worth it.

Consumer Reports thoroughly tested this theory using their own underground tank, similar to those used by gas stations. They found that it’s surprisingly hard to accurately predict whether a given tankful of gas will be cold or warm. For starters, if gas was a given temperature when it was delivered from the tanker truck, it tended to stay that temperature for a while, even after it had been transferred. Not only that, but the first gas to be pumped in a given day could be warm because a certain amount of gas collects in the aboveground pump. So even if you manage to be the first customer of the day, you might still be buying warm gas.

After all that, even if you’re successful in buying cold gas, the difference in density is so slight — perhaps a maximum of 1 percent per fill-up, according to Consumer Reports —that the savings are marginal. “It’s an urban myth” that you should always buy gas at night or early in the day, says Gabriel Shenhar, senior auto test engineer for Consumer Reports.

Get the next four myths over at CBS MoneyWatch.

Link [CBS MoneyWatch] via [Pumps]

Photo: Flickr user kwc

New CAFE Standards Mean Nothing without Consumer Dedication to Efficiency

The Obama administration’s new groundbreaking CAFE and emissions standards for cars and light trucks don’t mean much if the American public can’t be goaded into choosing energy-efficient models instead of gas guzzlers.

The new rule raises the average fuel economy for cars and light trucks combined to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016, and gives the EPA authority to regulate tailpipe emissions from vehicles. But, automakers still have loopholes to create low MPG vehicles – vehicles that American consumers still want.

The only way to get consumers to purchase the more efficient vehicles in the numbers required to make a real difference would be raising the price of gas by 100%-200%, according to Pike Research, a market research and consulting firm that provides in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets.

From Matter Network:

The ongoing problem with CAFE is that it ignores consumer demand and offers automakers too many loopholes for building lower mileage vehicles. The fact is that consumers who are paying $2 or $3 per gallon for gasoline have very little incentive to buy higher mileage vehicles, and automakers still have an incentive (consumer demand) to build low mileage, high powered, trucks and SUVs.

…Without the shift in consumer thinking, though, the CAFE rules will only be window dressing for their intended purpose – getting more fuel efficient vehicles on the road. Additionally, as automakers try to force consumers into vehicles that are not actually spurred by their demand, consumers will react with their feet, marching quickly to companies that offer vehicles they want.

After all, there is a reason that in 2008 the Volkswagen Golf was the best selling vehicle in Europe, while in the same year the Ford F-150 was the best selling vehicle in the US, and it’s got nothing to do with CAFE rules. Getting Americans to buy more efficient vehicles that use less fuel through top-down product pushes brought on by CAFE rules is failing and likely always will.

It’s true: as long as gas prices are low, Americans will stubbornly hold on to their trucks and SUVs. Last summer, people were ditching SUVs so fast that used car lots were packed full of them. Now that prices have gone back down, that momentum has come to a screeching halt.

Of course, if gas prices were simply raised as an answer to inciting consumer demand for efficient vehicles, who would benefit the most? Oil companies. That would hardly be a good thing for the environment. A high gas tax would be a more effective, albeit more complicated answer.

Link [Matter Network]
Photo credit: Freaky Humor

Obama Will Likely Allow States to Toughen Air Quality Rules

California and other states will most likely be given permission to toughen air quality rules soon after Obama takes office, forcing automakers to produce cars that are far more efficient than those allowed under current federal standards.

More than a dozen states will be able to enforce their own greenhouse gas emission standards on automobiles, rules that are key to fighting global warming.

From the LA Times:

“This is an essential piece of the nation’s environmental strategy,” said Tim Carmichael, president of the Coalition for Clean Air. Environmentalists estimate that cars create about a quarter of U.S. carbon emissions.

But it’s a nightmare scenario for automakers, which argue that complying with the California guidelines would create regulatory headaches and a technology burden that could add at least $1,000 and as much as $5,000 to the cost of each vehicle.

As such, the prospect of the waiver is creating a fierce debate about automotive regulation, pitting concerns about the environment against the deeply troubled finances of an industry that has thrown itself at the mercy of Washington just to remain solvent.

Unsurprisingly, automakers are calling foul, with GM corporate spokesperson Greg Martin complaining that asking GM to meet California emissions standards is like asking a cancer patient to “finish chemo and then go run the Boston Marathon.” Automakers have opposed California’s standards in court for years.

Honda is the only company that has accepted reality and begun preparing for new emissions standards, making plans for a fleet that’s even more efficient than is called for under the strict California rules.

Mary Nichols, chairwoman of California’s Air Resources Board, says the likelihood of getting a waver from new EPA chief Lisa Jackson to go ahead with implementing and forcing their emissions regulations is over 95%.

Automakers have had years and years to prepare for this, and most of them have dragged their feet, focusing on fighting the rules instead of figuring out how to comply with them. It’s about time they were forced to be accountable for the damage their vehicles are doing to the environment.

As Honda’s VP of government affairs said, “Any company that is not assuming a constant rate of improvement in fuel economy and carbon emissions is making a big mistake.”

Link [LA Times]
Photo credit: LeHighValleyLive.com

Garmin GPS Upgrade Gives You a Fuel-Saving Route Option

If you want directions for getting around town that aren’t necessarily the fastest but would save more fuel, Garmin has a new software add-on to their satellite navigation system that will be right up your alley. Garmin announced the new ‘ecoRoute’ software at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week, and it will reportedly be available for downloading on their website starting in February.

Here’s the press release, from Auto Blog Green:

PRESS RELEASE:

ecoRoute™ from Garmin® Helps Drivers Save Gas and Money Through Fuel-Efficient Paths, Smarter Driving Habits

LAS VEGAS, Nev./January 7, 2009/Business Wire – Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today introduced ecoRoute, a free software update that helps drivers conserve money and fuel, easing growing pressures on personal budgets and the environment. ecoRoute, which suggests fuel-efficient navigation, was announced in conjunction with the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, and will be on display at the Garmin booth (South Hall 4, #35832).

“Many of the biggest challenges currently facing people around the world involve the economy and the environment,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “Using ecoRoute on your Garmin nüvi® helps you be a smarter driver at a time when everyone is trying to make their paychecks and their gas tanks go the extra mile. As the global leader in satellite navigation, we embrace the opportunity to be the leader in fuel-efficient, eco-friendly navigation.”

In addition to “faster time” and “shorter distance” for route preference, ecoRoute lets nüvi users choose “less fuel” as the best way to save gas and money. Through ecoRoute’s Fuel Report, Mileage Report and fuel-saving tips, drivers can focus on their fuel conservation even when they’re not behind the wheel. Fuel Report tracks fuel usage over time, and Mileage Report monitors mileage and fuel usage on a per-trip basis. Drivers can customize their nüvi to fit their vehicle by accessing the “vehicle profile” under ecoRoute in the tools menu. There, you can enter your car’s fuel economy and the current price of gas to help nüvi better calculate your savings.

To find out if your nüvi is compatible with ecoRoute through a free, downloadable software update, go to www.garmin.com/ecoroute.

ecoRoute is the latest breakthrough from Garmin, which has spent 20 years using technology and innovation to enhance users’ lives, making Garmin a household name in the automotive, aviation, marine, wireless, outdoor and fitness industries. To learn more about ecoRoute and Garmin’s other products and services, go to www.garmin.com and www.garmin.blogs.com.

I think this is a great idea for those who are into the whole GPS navigation thing. I have resisted GPS, myself, not only because it seems like just another pointless plastic gadget but because I don’t like the idea of using something that could allow my every move to be tracked. I’m paranoid like that. And yes, I am totally wearing a tin foil hat.

Link [Auto Blog Green]

Commercial Shipping Returning to the Eerie Canal

Commercial shipping is making a comeback in the Eerie Canal after decades of decline. Soaring gas prices have caused some companies to rethink sending goods via truck, turning instead to barges – and they’re not alone. More companies are beginning to look into it. So far this season, there have been 42 shipments up the canal – up from 15 last year. 42 shipments is still far from the numbers seen during the Eerie Canal’s heyday, when 33,241 shipments passed through the lock at Frankfurt, 54 miles east of Syracuse.

From The New York Times:

The canal still remains the most fuel-efficient way to ship goods between the East Coast and the upper Midwest. One gallon of diesel pulls one ton of cargo 59 miles by truck, 202 miles by train and 514 miles by canal barge, Ms. Mantello said. A single barge can carry 3,000 tons, enough to replace 100 trucks.

As the price of diesel climbed over $4 a gallon this summer — the national average is now about $3.31 a gallon — more shippers rediscovered the Erie Canal. On one trip in mid-October, the Margot motored down the canal at about seven knots, pushing a barge loaded with a giant green crane. The machine was being transported from Huger, S.C., to the Pinney Dock, operated by the Kinder Morgan Company in Ashtabula, Ohio.

“It really just came down to economics,” said Lee Demers, the dock’s manager. The other option was to move the crane through the St. Lawrence Seaway, adding more than 1,000 miles and greater fuel costs to the trip.

Wow, who knew barges were so green? If a single barge can replace 100 trucks, that’s really getting somewhere.  Of course, the environmental impacts of a huge increase of barges in the canal would have to be considered, but it’d still be a hell of a lot better than having all those trucks on the road. Interesting, how we’re returning to simpler ways of doing things in so many cases.

Link [The New York Times]

Behind Automakers’ Petulant Resistance to Higher Car Mileage Standards

Every time the government proposes legislation to improve fuel economy standards, you can practically hear a collective groan from the automobile industry.  In early July 2008, automakers made a big fuss over proposed new mileage standards, saying they’re too tough.  The new standards would require automakers’ fleet of cars to meet an average of 35.7 miles per gallon for passenger vehicles and 28.6 mpg for light trucks by 2015.

This will be the first time the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has raised its ‘Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards’ (CAFE) since 1985, which is really appalling in itself.  That’s more than 20 years that automakers could have been working on better, more efficient cars.  Instead, they spent that time developing gigantic sports utility vehicles and heavy duty trucks, leading up to a rather sickening pinnacle in recent years with the Hummer.  What’s more, the agency’s mileage standards assume gas prices of $2.42 per gallon in 2016.  What parallel universe are they living in?

Meanwhile, many consumers feel the new standards would be far too lenient.  The Consumer Federation of America wants the standards raised well over what the government has proposed, to 39.5 mpg for passenger vehicles and 30.9 mpg for light trucks.

Even that’s not good enough.  After all, it’s obvious that car companies can easily reach these standards, and far sooner than 2015 – and what’s 35.7 miles per gallon if gas is completely unaffordable or not available at all? Those of us who rely on personal or family vehicles to get around want the auto industry to step up to the plate and start getting innovative.  Challenging times fuel innovation, and it seems like we should be seeing leaders in the industry eagerly savoring this chance to really show us what they’ve got.

What reason is there, we wonder, for automakers to drag their feet like bratty, fit-throwing children on raising mileage standards?  Why aren’t they leading the charge toward the future, with cars that meet and even exceed customers’ desires for greener, more energy-efficient vehicles?

Part of it is fear.  They’ve made good money off the market as it has been for the last two decades. They’ve built their companies around the assumption that they could continue operating like that indefinitely. Completely restructuring their businesses around making more fuel-efficient vehicles will cost them.

Their biggest excuse is that ‘it’s not feasible’.  But, that certainly seems like a weak argument when hybrids as they are today are already more efficient than the proposed standards and are set to become even more efficient as improvements to the batteries and drivetrain systems continue to be made over the next few years.  Plug-in technology is well on the way.  Other alternatives to fossil fuels are being researched and developed at this very moment, and who knows what else could crop up.

Even without raised CAFE standards, automakers will be forced to green up.  They don’t have much choice anymore. High gas prices will undoubtedly be a great catalyst for improved fuel economy, simply because automakers no longer have a choice, regardless of how they feel about the new standards. Having low gas prices for so long encouraged automakers to keep on producing huge, gas guzzling vehicles, and encouraged consumers to buy them. Over the last few decades, car companies grew to depend upon sales of SUVs and trucks as a large part of their profits.  Now, they’re being forced to reevaluate the entire industry.  That’s because consumers have dropped SUVs and trucks like they’re radioactive.

High gas prices, in effect, forced consumers to take responsibility for their share of the problem: they’re now clamoring for smaller vehicles. Consumer desire for big cars and trucks was the biggest obstacle car companies would have faced in making their fleets more fuel efficient, so the rest of the onus is on them.  That doesn’t mean that we’ll never have affordable SUVs and heavy duty trucks again – it just means that most of us can get by on smaller, lighter cars during this shift toward cleaner energy.

One thing that will likely happen during the shift to more fuel-efficient vehicles is that prices will rise a bit for consumers.  Without those SUV profits, automakers will be forced to raise prices on their current lines of compact cars as well as new models that debut in the next few years.  While consumers will have to swallow those price increases up front, the vehicles will be less expensive to run over time.

The funny thing is that the Big Three automakers – GM, Ford and Chrysler – have seen huge drops in profits because they failed to anticipate this shift toward smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles.  Strange, when it seems as though everyone else could see it coming from miles away, but perhaps they were too busy rolling naked in money, luxuriating in the profits brought to them courtesy of low gas prices and at the cost of the environment.  It almost seems as though they’ve engineered their own downfall, and they’re just now starting to realize it as plants close and thousands of workers are laid off.

GM, for one, is finally accepting reality and said just yesterday afternoon that they’re prepared to make hard choices in order to survive.  They plan to sell off $4B – $7B worth of assets in order to afford upcoming changes to their product line.  We hope to see more of that in the upcoming months.  The loss of jobs is, of course, very unfortunate, but hopefully those people will be able to become a part of the new, greener industries starting to sprout up.

The times, they are a-changin’, and the auto industry is going to have to change with them, just like everybody else, like it or not.  The only way out is through.  As we all try to find our way out of the Era of Oil and into a better, greener future, it’s going to be a bit painful for everybody, but there’s no doubt that it will be worth it in the end.

Link [CNN]
Photo credit: Make Your Own Gas Station Sign

‘Pulse and Glide’ to Save Gas

A group of five ‘efficiency aficionados’ drove an unmodified 2nd generation Toyota Prius to a fuel economy record of 109.3 miles per gallon over 1397 miles in Pittsburg, PA using a driving technique they call ‘pulse and glide’. This was in 2006, but many people still don’t know about ‘pulse and glide’ and how it can save them gas – even if they’re not driving a hybrid. It could cut down on pollution, too, due to decreased emissions while the car is in neutral.

From Metrompg.com:

Pulse and glide works like this: let’s say you’re on a road where you want to go 60 km/h. Instead of driving along at a steady 60, you instead accelerate to 70 (that’s the pulse), and then coast in neutral with the engine off down to 50 (that’s the glide). That’s it. Rinse and repeat. And repeat. And repeat…

By doing this, you’re still averaging 60 km/h, but it turns out that pulse and glide is significantly more efficient than driving along maintaining a steady 60 km/h.

Metrompg.com put the technique to the test in a Geo Metro, modifying the technique to eliminate the ‘turning the engine off’ part, since that wouldn’t be practical – he just put the car in neutral during the ‘glide’ part. (If you’re not familiar with hybrids, the engine shuts off automatically when you lift of the accelerator).

With the engine idling, and the car in neutral, the average mpg shown on the ScanGauge in the glide down from 90-70 km/h was 550 mpg. When you average that against the 34 mpg of the pulse, it works out to an average of 64 mpg. Now we’re at an 8% increase over the steady-state mpg.

I would name the difference between the two techniques “full” pulse & glide (neutral, with engine off in the glide) vs. “mild” (neutral, with engine idling in the glide).

So, now you know the next time you find yourself cruising down a lonely road at a steady speed, you’re not getting the best mileage you could. You could be pulsing & gliding to maintain the same average speed, and saving lots of fuel in the process.

This technique isn’t always practical in real-world driving; it’s best for those long lonely roads where they’re aren’t many other cars around. Of course, it’s all a bit more complicated than the summary above – get all the details at Metrompg.com.

Link [Metrompg.com]