Hypermiling in the news
 

So, Im kinda surprised there isnt a topic on this already, but did anyone see the thing on hypermiling that CNN news did?

No, in fact I didn't (don't watch much television at all). Was it neutral, positive or negative? Are we "wackos" according to them, or guys with some cool ideas? Or maybe wackos with cool ideas? Or are we a general danger to life, liberty and the American Way(tm)?

they probly are saying that our efforts actually are counter productive in some way or another.

couldnt find anything when i did a search for "hypermiling" on their site... what was the report titled?

They're certainly counter-productive as far as Mobil Oil is concerned.

No, it actually showed hypermiling in a "good-light" and did a pretty good job of it. They interviewed a guy that was an avid hypermiler and he talked about exactly what hypermiling was and how to do it. They took a car ride and he did EOC, lack of braking, high speed cornering, etc etc..the norm. Then he talked about his scangauge and at the end, the man doing the interview told everyone where they could buy a scanguage.

They also went on to do another segment about fuel economy facts/myths dealing with windows vs. AC, general maintenance, tire pressure, etc etc..

The one thing I kinda disagree with is that they said a dirty air filter giving you worst mpg is false. Some of the airfilters I pull out of cars are so insanely dirty, they have to be cutting fuel economy. Their reasoning way, computer controls the fuel to air mixture, resulting in similar MPG, but less power...I dunno...

LOL, my G/f's cat is plugged up, kinda typical on her car (GM) but the mileage has been going up. it just sucks if you want to tromp it. It stumbles, and pukes a bit. the computer says shes averaging 28 mpg with a 3.8l v6! I did pump up the tires a bit, and she does lots of highway driving...

Thats really good, considering my 3.8l v6 is rated at 17mpg city...What is it, firebird?

I saw a follow-up to this just 2 min ago. They had Wayne from cleanmpg explain to one of the reporters how he hypermiles in his accord. He also hypermiled the reporter's yukon, using EOC, no braking, hard cornering, no AC, windows up, drafting, etc. After the report, one anchor said it was "funny, but dangerous", the other female anchor said drafting seems dangerous and that multi-tasking while hypermiling is dangerous. The reporter was giving a live-broadcast from his yukon, wearing an ice vest and it looked like he was close to getting into an accident with a cab. The anchors got worried and the female again said that hypermiling while on a cell phone or doing a live broadcast is dangerous. They said that its something that most drivers probably couldn't handle thinking about.

I don't think they put hypermiling in a good light. Rather, its something extremists and fanatics do. It was almost like a joke.

Actually, they have a good point. Many drivers can barely handle driving normally, let alone with their cell phone and dvd player, and then to pile on hypermiling too? Hypermiling requires lots of thinking about how the car works and how traffic works, and lots of acting with your hands and feet and eyes...

Yea, that sounds like the same thing I say, but I'm going to have to disagree with you about the "joke" thing...

We watched the same report, but at different times. i'm sure the anchors were different or they said something different at each broadcast. honestly, those guys have a tough job and they gotta say something that's not biased like "those hypermilers are nuts" or "everyone should be doing this".

...unless cnn likes to not actually have live broadcasts but say they do. this was around 1:00 PM

Actually its sad the interview had to be so disturbing, to a viewer or interviewer. You could ride in my car and fall asleep while I hypermiled.

Not a criticism of those who go to extreemes to achieve results, but it would have made it a whole lot more appealing to people to make it seem somewhat less crazy (from the viewers perspective).

"Stealth hypermiling" may be a better term for my particular style. Yesterday I used the terrain to restart my engine for the first time in a month, but few people will push start their car (interview). I did when I forgot to turn off the lights and the battery was almost dead.

I generally make a turn in 3rd gear, but it certainly is not a traumatic experience.

I avoid using the AC but if its 90 outside and we are dressed up, it's going on folks.

A much better job of disseminating useful information without all the scary tactics that make people dismiss us as extremists and dangerous to all those around us would have been my preferred interview.

I think this was a product of the "news flash" mentality of the media, everything has to be bloody, scary, or traumatic, to grab those ratings.

For something that has so much potential for a positive effect it seems like there was a presumption of failure on the part of those who had control over the presentation, with a lot of sensationalism added in to make it even less appealing.

regards
gary

Yep. The media works in two modes, either Fear Mode or Appeal To The Masses Mode. Neither mode is conducive to presenting unbiased objective reporting. If you're in Fear Mode you make everything sound like it is an impending Armageddon. If you're in Appeal To The Masses Mode you make everything different than what Joe Average would do seem fringe.

Any hopes I had for the media being any kind of "watchdog" or act as any kind of general information depot died when I was only a teenager and realized how crappy the media outlets were and how they worked.

Sunday night I went to dinner with my parents and told them a little bit about mild hypermiling strategies. They were impressed with my results but my dad was having difficulty understanding the science behind some of it.

My mom saw the CNN bit on Monday or yesterday and called me asking about it. She wanted to know if it was ok to put lower viscosity synthetic oil in her car (a late model Lexus SUV, I think). She wasn't turned off by CNN's report, and she is deathly afraid to do ANYTHING to change her driving habits or the way she interfaces with the vehicle. I'm talking scared to death to click "power" or "economy" buttons on an automatic's shifter. Still, gas prices have managed to pry her mind open.

At dinner, my sister was there and when I suggested using the manumatic mode she was freaking out that my mom would let it go to redline and break stuff...yeah, mom's not well connected with her vehicle, but I think she can handle sequentially shifting an automatic.

So, as a result, I'm going to put together my own intro to hypermiling for them and post it in the Articles sub-forum here too.