It’s car-show season - with the Philadelphia International Auto Show opening Saturday (through Feb. 10). But I’ve already seen and driven the coolest vehicles at a less likely event: the Consumer Electronics Show, held earlier this month in Las Vegas.

Automaker GM was highly visible there, jockeying for position as a future-minded, gizmo-loving, high-tech authority.

“If the automobile was being introduced today, it would be here at CES,” declared GM CEO Rick Waggoner in a keynote address. Rephrase that as “radically revamped,” and the breakthrough was happening right outside.

APPEARANCES ARE DECEIVING: Gazing at a Chevrolet Equinox in the parking lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center, only a couple of details suggested this was other than a stock CUV (crossover utility vehicle).

There was a special paint job, for starters, announcing this ride as a (drum roll, please) Fuel Cell Powered vehicle. Plus, there was the curious presence of two fuel-tank door flaps.

Once inside, I spotted an interesting display on the center console tracking the flow of electrical power through the vehicle.

Pop the hood and you find not an engine but a “stack” of fuel cells encased in plastic boxes. The cells don’t burn fuel, as a combustion engine would. Instead, the cells create wheel-driving electricity from the chemical reaction that occurs when liquid hydrogen fuel (stored under high pressure in explosion-proof tanks) is mixed with oxygen from the air.

Hiding under the vehicle seats is a second power source, a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. It builds up regenerative power whenever the driver hits the brakes. That supplemental power also increases fuel efficiency and boosts acceleration when needed.

CRUISE CONTROL: Driving down the Las Vegas strip in an Equinox, I was impressed by how quiet, smooth and eco-friendly this vehicle is. The power source barely hums, and the only thing that comes out of the tail pipe is a little mist of water.

That’s right: zero pollution!

The fuel-celled Equinox boasts one of those newfangled continuous gearing transmissions, so you never feel a shift. And thanks to that secondary power source, there’s plenty of torque for fast takeoffs from a stop.

But to push this vehicle from zero to 60 mph does take a leisurely 12 seconds. Acceleration has been clamped down in the 40- to 60-mph range, I’m guessing, for maximum fuel efficiency (and bragging rights).

SO WHERE DO YOU GET TANKED UP? GM is starting a program to loan 100 fuel-cell-powered vehicles to test families in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. - the only places where there are any hydrogen refueling stations.

As the vehicle only goes 150 miles on a full tank, taking a long trip will be problematic for a while. Plus, filling up is more complicated than with a conventional car, requiring the services of a trained attendant - just like the old days.

The hydrogen goes through a tightly coupled connector into the fuel line. And remember how I told you there was a second fuel flap on this Equinox? When filling up, you insert a separate sensor nozzle into that second spout. It measures the pressure and temperature building up inside the twin fuel tanks to determine when they’re filled.

GM does expect to have the refueling functions combined into a single nozzle “soon,” said Larry Burns, vice president of R&D and strategic planning.

We hear that archrival Honda - which plans to start leasing a new, fuel-cell-powered sedan called the FCX Clarity to Southern Californians around mid-year - already has solved that issue.

The really good news about hydrogen fuel is that it’s plentiful (extractable from water, natural gas and biomass) and cheap.

“Already, there’s enough hydrogen being produced to power 250 million vehicles,” said Burns.

And while liquid hydrogen is measured in liters, the cost/mileage equivalency is “like paying $1 or $1.50 for a gallon of gas.”

Oh, and can you guess who the major producers of hydrogen fuel are?

“Ironically, it’s the petroleum industry,” said Burns. “They’re now getting to the bottom of a lot of wells. The oil down there isn’t as pure and potent. So they use hydrogen to remove the sulfur and sweeten the gas.”

ANOTHER FUTURE FLASH: Also on the GM proving grounds at CES was a Chevrolet Tahoe truck that - amazingly - drives itself, using a combination of LIDAR (light detection and range sensing), radar, vision and mapping GPS systems to calculate road geometry, perceive traffic and avoid obstacles.

There was all manner of scary-looking gear cluttering up and spinning around on its roof, put there by the developing team (from Carnegie Mellon University, GM and other partner companies).

Nervous me had no intention of risking that ride.

But I did watch this special Tahoe (nicknamed “Boss”) swing neatly around some cones. I was told it traveled a 60-mile urban stretch without getting into trouble.

GM hopes to have robotic driving technology installed more discreetly in vehicles within 10 years.

Waggoner fantasized out loud about riders responding to e-mail, watching TV and eating breakfast while being chauffeured to work.

“And just imagine its potential as a virtual valet,” added Larry Burns. “When you get to your destination, you can get out of the car and instruct it to go find a parking spot.” *

Send e-mail to takiffj@phillynews.com.

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Mattel created the Hot Wheels brand back in 1968, and the lives of several Autoblog writers (and readers as well) were changed forever. We’re now halfway through the toy line’s 40th birthday year, and, coincidentally, halfway through its Hot Wheels 40th Anniversary Road Trip.

Fans can see life-size editions of some of the most famous Hot Wheels cars, get autographs from Hot Wheels designers and, while supplies last, get a free 40th Anniversary Edition Custom Otto. You’ll also be able to see that bejeweled monstrosity we told you about a few months ago that Mattel says is the most expensive Hot Wheels car ever made.

Earlier this month, the tour made stops in El Segundo, California; Wendover, Utah (pictured above); and Speed, Kansas. But there are still three chances for fans to catch the rolling birthday party. This Saturday, the Hall of Fame Museum at Indy will play host. Next Monday, the celebration is at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan and on Sept. 5, the trip ends at the Grand Prix Festival of Watkins Glen.

[Source: Hemmings Auto Blogs]

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It’s car-show season - with the Philadelphia International Auto Show opening Saturday (through Feb. 10). But I’ve already seen and driven the coolest vehicles at a less likely event: the Consumer Electronics Show, held earlier this month in Las Vegas.

Automaker GM was highly visible there, jockeying for position as a future-minded, gizmo-loving, high-tech authority.

“If the automobile was being introduced today, it would be here at CES,” declared GM CEO Rick Waggoner in a keynote address. Rephrase that as “radically revamped,” and the breakthrough was happening right outside.

APPEARANCES ARE DECEIVING: Gazing at a Chevrolet Equinox in the parking lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center, only a couple of details suggested this was other than a stock CUV (crossover utility vehicle).

There was a special paint job, for starters, announcing this ride as a (drum roll, please) Fuel Cell Powered vehicle. Plus, there was the curious presence of two fuel-tank door flaps.

Once inside, I spotted an interesting display on the center console tracking the flow of electrical power through the vehicle.

Pop the hood and you find not an engine but a “stack” of fuel cells encased in plastic boxes. The cells don’t burn fuel, as a combustion engine would. Instead, the cells create wheel-driving electricity from the chemical reaction that occurs when liquid hydrogen fuel (stored under high pressure in explosion-proof tanks) is mixed with oxygen from the air.

Hiding under the vehicle seats is a second power source, a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. It builds up regenerative power whenever the driver hits the brakes. That supplemental power also increases fuel efficiency and boosts acceleration when needed.

CRUISE CONTROL: Driving down the Las Vegas strip in an Equinox, I was impressed by how quiet, smooth and eco-friendly this vehicle is. The power source barely hums, and the only thing that comes out of the tail pipe is a little mist of water.

That’s right: zero pollution!

The fuel-celled Equinox boasts one of those newfangled continuous gearing transmissions, so you never feel a shift. And thanks to that secondary power source, there’s plenty of torque for fast takeoffs from a stop.

But to push this vehicle from zero to 60 mph does take a leisurely 12 seconds. Acceleration has been clamped down in the 40- to 60-mph range, I’m guessing, for maximum fuel efficiency (and bragging rights).

SO WHERE DO YOU GET TANKED UP? GM is starting a program to loan 100 fuel-cell-powered vehicles to test families in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. - the only places where there are any hydrogen refueling stations.

As the vehicle only goes 150 miles on a full tank, taking a long trip will be problematic for a while. Plus, filling up is more complicated than with a conventional car, requiring the services of a trained attendant - just like the old days.

The hydrogen goes through a tightly coupled connector into the fuel line. And remember how I told you there was a second fuel flap on this Equinox? When filling up, you insert a separate sensor nozzle into that second spout. It measures the pressure and temperature building up inside the twin fuel tanks to determine when they’re filled.

GM does expect to have the refueling functions combined into a single nozzle “soon,” said Larry Burns, vice president of R&D and strategic planning.

We hear that archrival Honda - which plans to start leasing a new, fuel-cell-powered sedan called the FCX Clarity to Southern Californians around mid-year - already has solved that issue.

The really good news about hydrogen fuel is that it’s plentiful (extractable from water, natural gas and biomass) and cheap.

“Already, there’s enough hydrogen being produced to power 250 million vehicles,” said Burns.

And while liquid hydrogen is measured in liters, the cost/mileage equivalency is “like paying $1 or $1.50 for a gallon of gas.”

Oh, and can you guess who the major producers of hydrogen fuel are?

“Ironically, it’s the petroleum industry,” said Burns. “They’re now getting to the bottom of a lot of wells. The oil down there isn’t as pure and potent. So they use hydrogen to remove the sulfur and sweeten the gas.”

ANOTHER FUTURE FLASH: Also on the GM proving grounds at CES was a Chevrolet Tahoe truck that - amazingly - drives itself, using a combination of LIDAR (light detection and range sensing), radar, vision and mapping GPS systems to calculate road geometry, perceive traffic and avoid obstacles.

There was all manner of scary-looking gear cluttering up and spinning around on its roof, put there by the developing team (from Carnegie Mellon University, GM and other partner companies).

Nervous me had no intention of risking that ride.

But I did watch this special Tahoe (nicknamed “Boss”) swing neatly around some cones. I was told it traveled a 60-mile urban stretch without getting into trouble.

GM hopes to have robotic driving technology installed more discreetly in vehicles within 10 years.

Waggoner fantasized out loud about riders responding to e-mail, watching TV and eating breakfast while being chauffeured to work.

“And just imagine its potential as a virtual valet,” added Larry Burns. “When you get to your destination, you can get out of the car and instruct it to go find a parking spot.” *

Send e-mail to takiffj@phillynews.com.

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We’re not terribly surprised that the Dodge Viper ACR has apparently made it around the famed German racing circuit faster than pretty much anything else you’ll find on a dealer’s lot. After all, the ACR is a race car, as evidenced by the video that Motor Trend has posted. The most venomous Viper has done the deed in 7:22, fast enough to make grown men cry. To this blogger, the Viper is dead gorgeous, even with that yucky-but-functional rear wing on the ACR, and it definitely carries the spirit of hairy-chested cars of yore. The shifter wobbles around horrendously when the driver kisses the rev limiter a few times, and there even appears to be a flubbed shift near the end, so the ACR may have faster laps left in it. We’re waiting on confirmation on whether or not this is an official lap, but it’s certainly creating a stir, and the Viper wants to know, V-Spec who? Thanks for the tip, Rob.

[Source: Viper Alley]

Thanks for the tip, Rob!

video of run at MotorTrend

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It’s car-show season - with the Philadelphia International Auto Show opening Saturday (through Feb. 10). But I’ve already seen and driven the coolest vehicles at a less likely event: the Consumer Electronics Show, held earlier this month in Las Vegas.

Automaker GM was highly visible there, jockeying for position as a future-minded, gizmo-loving, high-tech authority.

“If the automobile was being introduced today, it would be here at CES,” declared GM CEO Rick Waggoner in a keynote address. Rephrase that as “radically revamped,” and the breakthrough was happening right outside.

APPEARANCES ARE DECEIVING: Gazing at a Chevrolet Equinox in the parking lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center, only a couple of details suggested this was other than a stock CUV (crossover utility vehicle).

There was a special paint job, for starters, announcing this ride as a (drum roll, please) Fuel Cell Powered vehicle. Plus, there was the curious presence of two fuel-tank door flaps.

Once inside, I spotted an interesting display on the center console tracking the flow of electrical power through the vehicle.

Pop the hood and you find not an engine but a “stack” of fuel cells encased in plastic boxes. The cells don’t burn fuel, as a combustion engine would. Instead, the cells create wheel-driving electricity from the chemical reaction that occurs when liquid hydrogen fuel (stored under high pressure in explosion-proof tanks) is mixed with oxygen from the air.

Hiding under the vehicle seats is a second power source, a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. It builds up regenerative power whenever the driver hits the brakes. That supplemental power also increases fuel efficiency and boosts acceleration when needed.

CRUISE CONTROL: Driving down the Las Vegas strip in an Equinox, I was impressed by how quiet, smooth and eco-friendly this vehicle is. The power source barely hums, and the only thing that comes out of the tail pipe is a little mist of water.

That’s right: zero pollution!

The fuel-celled Equinox boasts one of those newfangled continuous gearing transmissions, so you never feel a shift. And thanks to that secondary power source, there’s plenty of torque for fast takeoffs from a stop.

But to push this vehicle from zero to 60 mph does take a leisurely 12 seconds. Acceleration has been clamped down in the 40- to 60-mph range, I’m guessing, for maximum fuel efficiency (and bragging rights).

SO WHERE DO YOU GET TANKED UP? GM is starting a program to loan 100 fuel-cell-powered vehicles to test families in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. - the only places where there are any hydrogen refueling stations.

As the vehicle only goes 150 miles on a full tank, taking a long trip will be problematic for a while. Plus, filling up is more complicated than with a conventional car, requiring the services of a trained attendant - just like the old days.

The hydrogen goes through a tightly coupled connector into the fuel line. And remember how I told you there was a second fuel flap on this Equinox? When filling up, you insert a separate sensor nozzle into that second spout. It measures the pressure and temperature building up inside the twin fuel tanks to determine when they’re filled.

GM does expect to have the refueling functions combined into a single nozzle “soon,” said Larry Burns, vice president of R&D and strategic planning.

We hear that archrival Honda - which plans to start leasing a new, fuel-cell-powered sedan called the FCX Clarity to Southern Californians around mid-year - already has solved that issue.

The really good news about hydrogen fuel is that it’s plentiful (extractable from water, natural gas and biomass) and cheap.

“Already, there’s enough hydrogen being produced to power 250 million vehicles,” said Burns.

And while liquid hydrogen is measured in liters, the cost/mileage equivalency is “like paying $1 or $1.50 for a gallon of gas.”

Oh, and can you guess who the major producers of hydrogen fuel are?

“Ironically, it’s the petroleum industry,” said Burns. “They’re now getting to the bottom of a lot of wells. The oil down there isn’t as pure and potent. So they use hydrogen to remove the sulfur and sweeten the gas.”

ANOTHER FUTURE FLASH: Also on the GM proving grounds at CES was a Chevrolet Tahoe truck that - amazingly - drives itself, using a combination of LIDAR (light detection and range sensing), radar, vision and mapping GPS systems to calculate road geometry, perceive traffic and avoid obstacles.

There was all manner of scary-looking gear cluttering up and spinning around on its roof, put there by the developing team (from Carnegie Mellon University, GM and other partner companies).

Nervous me had no intention of risking that ride.

But I did watch this special Tahoe (nicknamed “Boss”) swing neatly around some cones. I was told it traveled a 60-mile urban stretch without getting into trouble.

GM hopes to have robotic driving technology installed more discreetly in vehicles within 10 years.

Waggoner fantasized out loud about riders responding to e-mail, watching TV and eating breakfast while being chauffeured to work.

“And just imagine its potential as a virtual valet,” added Larry Burns. “When you get to your destination, you can get out of the car and instruct it to go find a parking spot.” *

Send e-mail to takiffj@phillynews.com.

Read more

2008 has been a historically woeful year for the auto market, but Ford dealers have been in the crosshairs of a sales decline for over a decade. That brutal reality, along with financial incentives of up to $700,000 or more from the Blue Oval, has lead to the closure of over 500 dealers since mid-2006, and over 150 so far in 2008. To close still more dealers while giving remaining stores a heads-up of future happenings, Ford is embarking on a series of meetings with Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers. Among the topics of discussion will be future products, product volume and market conditions.

Though Ford isn’t stating publicly how many dealerships it wishes to close, the Blue Oval is hoping to have enough departures to make the remaining dealerships healthy. Ford would like to see Ford brand dealers with 1,500 sales per month and Lincoln Mercury dealers with 600 sales per month, which is far higher than what Ford’s 3,900 stores are averaging now. To help entice dealers to hang up their plaid sport coats, Ford will be offering cash incentives, but Ford Market Representation Director David Kelleher is hinting that those deals won’t last long.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req’d, Photo by Scott Olson/Getty]

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It’s car-show season - with the Philadelphia International Auto Show opening Saturday (through Feb. 10). But I’ve already seen and driven the coolest vehicles at a less likely event: the Consumer Electronics Show, held earlier this month in Las Vegas.

Automaker GM was highly visible there, jockeying for position as a future-minded, gizmo-loving, high-tech authority.

“If the automobile was being introduced today, it would be here at CES,” declared GM CEO Rick Waggoner in a keynote address. Rephrase that as “radically revamped,” and the breakthrough was happening right outside.

APPEARANCES ARE DECEIVING: Gazing at a Chevrolet Equinox in the parking lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center, only a couple of details suggested this was other than a stock CUV (crossover utility vehicle).

There was a special paint job, for starters, announcing this ride as a (drum roll, please) Fuel Cell Powered vehicle. Plus, there was the curious presence of two fuel-tank door flaps.

Once inside, I spotted an interesting display on the center console tracking the flow of electrical power through the vehicle.

Pop the hood and you find not an engine but a “stack” of fuel cells encased in plastic boxes. The cells don’t burn fuel, as a combustion engine would. Instead, the cells create wheel-driving electricity from the chemical reaction that occurs when liquid hydrogen fuel (stored under high pressure in explosion-proof tanks) is mixed with oxygen from the air.

Hiding under the vehicle seats is a second power source, a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. It builds up regenerative power whenever the driver hits the brakes. That supplemental power also increases fuel efficiency and boosts acceleration when needed.

CRUISE CONTROL: Driving down the Las Vegas strip in an Equinox, I was impressed by how quiet, smooth and eco-friendly this vehicle is. The power source barely hums, and the only thing that comes out of the tail pipe is a little mist of water.

That’s right: zero pollution!

The fuel-celled Equinox boasts one of those newfangled continuous gearing transmissions, so you never feel a shift. And thanks to that secondary power source, there’s plenty of torque for fast takeoffs from a stop.

But to push this vehicle from zero to 60 mph does take a leisurely 12 seconds. Acceleration has been clamped down in the 40- to 60-mph range, I’m guessing, for maximum fuel efficiency (and bragging rights).

SO WHERE DO YOU GET TANKED UP? GM is starting a program to loan 100 fuel-cell-powered vehicles to test families in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. - the only places where there are any hydrogen refueling stations.

As the vehicle only goes 150 miles on a full tank, taking a long trip will be problematic for a while. Plus, filling up is more complicated than with a conventional car, requiring the services of a trained attendant - just like the old days.

The hydrogen goes through a tightly coupled connector into the fuel line. And remember how I told you there was a second fuel flap on this Equinox? When filling up, you insert a separate sensor nozzle into that second spout. It measures the pressure and temperature building up inside the twin fuel tanks to determine when they’re filled.

GM does expect to have the refueling functions combined into a single nozzle “soon,” said Larry Burns, vice president of R&D and strategic planning.

We hear that archrival Honda - which plans to start leasing a new, fuel-cell-powered sedan called the FCX Clarity to Southern Californians around mid-year - already has solved that issue.

The really good news about hydrogen fuel is that it’s plentiful (extractable from water, natural gas and biomass) and cheap.

“Already, there’s enough hydrogen being produced to power 250 million vehicles,” said Burns.

And while liquid hydrogen is measured in liters, the cost/mileage equivalency is “like paying $1 or $1.50 for a gallon of gas.”

Oh, and can you guess who the major producers of hydrogen fuel are?

“Ironically, it’s the petroleum industry,” said Burns. “They’re now getting to the bottom of a lot of wells. The oil down there isn’t as pure and potent. So they use hydrogen to remove the sulfur and sweeten the gas.”

ANOTHER FUTURE FLASH: Also on the GM proving grounds at CES was a Chevrolet Tahoe truck that - amazingly - drives itself, using a combination of LIDAR (light detection and range sensing), radar, vision and mapping GPS systems to calculate road geometry, perceive traffic and avoid obstacles.

There was all manner of scary-looking gear cluttering up and spinning around on its roof, put there by the developing team (from Carnegie Mellon University, GM and other partner companies).

Nervous me had no intention of risking that ride.

But I did watch this special Tahoe (nicknamed “Boss”) swing neatly around some cones. I was told it traveled a 60-mile urban stretch without getting into trouble.

GM hopes to have robotic driving technology installed more discreetly in vehicles within 10 years.

Waggoner fantasized out loud about riders responding to e-mail, watching TV and eating breakfast while being chauffeured to work.

“And just imagine its potential as a virtual valet,” added Larry Burns. “When you get to your destination, you can get out of the car and instruct it to go find a parking spot.” *

Send e-mail to takiffj@phillynews.com.

Read more

Hurst is no stranger to offering up special edition Mopars. The 1970 Chrysler 300 Hurst packed a 440ci “TNT” V8 with 375 horsepower, as well as a fiberglass hood and trunk, Satin Tan leather interior, and a Spinnaker-White paint scheme with gold trim. Ok, that was nearly 40 years ago, but Hurst is still going strong and planning to renew its Mopar connection with a limited edition Dodge Challenger that will make its debut at SEMA this year. The Hurst Challenger will be available in four trim levels and include features like a supercharger system good for 500 horsepower, 5-spoke Hurst alloy wheels, and a “Pistol-Grip” Hurst shifter. Pricing will start at a $10,000 premium over the stock Challenger and could go as high as $20,000 for the top level model. Follow the jump for the press release from Hurst.

[Source: Hurst via Edmunds.com]

PRESS RELEASE:

Chatsworth, California - HURST is one of the most recognized and revered names in the history of performance automobiles. The HURST brand has long been synonymous with speed, performance and quality, with an impressive track-record of pioneering performance products for all forms of motorsports and hot-rodding. HURST was one of the first to partner with the OEMs and bring enthusiasts limited edition performance vehicles like the legendary HURST/Olds 442.

HURST is at it again! The newest creation to be rolled out to continue the tradition is the 2009 HURST/HEMI® Challenger. Starting with the HEMI® powered Dodge Challenger SRT8, HURST takes it to the next level as a 500+ HP supercharged limited edition built and tuned by the best in the business.

Nate Shelton, Chairman of HURST, is committed to delivering the value that HURST is known for; “The new HURST/HEMI® Challenger is more than just another muscle car. It epitomizes the performance industries tradition of taking the best Detroit has to offer and adding 21st century performance parts to make your ride faster and cooler than the other guys. HURST has a long history of doing just that with guys like Don Garlits, Warren Johnson, Dick Landy and even celebrity racers Steve McQueen and Jim Garner. The new HURST/HEMI® Challenger is the first of many HURST Performance Vehicles to come. We are ready to make some more history.”

HURST has partnered with some of the best companies in the industry to create a collectible limited edition muscle car with the looks, attitude and credentials to back it up. The HURST/HEMI® Challenger will be available in four Stages of performance trim through participating Dodge dealerships. The details are iconic and impressive; the huge polished five-spoke HURST alloy wheels and the “Pistol-Grip” HURST shifter are inspired by the originals that helped make HURST the legendary brand that it is today.

HURST Performance Vehicles Program Director Ron Flint adds “The legacy of the HURST brand gives us a huge advantage and it sets the bar very high for our team. Our goal is simple; create serious driveway-envy in your neighborhood.”

The HURST/HEMI® Challenger makes its debut at the trade-only SEMA Show in Las Vegas this November. Vehicle production is slated for early 2009.

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Right after the events of 9/11, Wayne Gerdes of Chicago went on his own mission of sorts, deciding to do his part to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil by saving fuel. He coined the term “hypermiling” to describe the quest to exceed (and in many cases, do so by a wide margin) a vehicle’s fuel economy rating, and for years, he’s been sharing techniques on his CleanMpg.com forum.

Gerdes set a world record in 2006 at the Insight Marathon in Tonkawa, Okla., achieving an amazing average of 164 mpg on a 2000-plus mile round trip. He routinely gets about double the EPA’s estimated rating in his Honda Accord. “It’s my passion,” says Gerdes. “If it wasn’t my passion, it wouldn’t be worth it.”

Gerdes may mean that more than ever these days. At a time when gas prices have spiraled past $4 a gallon and continue to rise, the hypermiling concept has hit the popular media with a vengeance. And the press has not always been kind. Since pushing fuel economy to the limits means more than just using cruise control and maintaining a steady speed, hypermilers across the country have stirred up their share of controversy.

One of the more-questionable techniques involved is “drafting” behind larger vehicles, which Gerdes argues hypermilers don’t practice but also describes on CleanMpg.com. (It’s the practice of riding close to the rear bumper of a vehicle in order to reduce the overall effect of aerodynamic drag and, in turn, reduce the energy required to maintain a set speed.) He points out that impatient tailgaters in busy cities like Chicago are following closer than those enjoying a draft for fuel savings. He’s got a point there.

“The media try to portray hypermiling as drafting, that we’re holding everybody up and that we’re doing dangerous things. It isn’t like that,” says Gerdes. AAA recently weighed in on the topic. In a press release, the organization’s vice president, Marshall L. Doney, said, “The goals of hypermiling are positive, such as eliminating aggressive driving and saving energy.” But the release goes on to list examples of dangerous hypermiling techniques, such as drafting and turning off the engine or shifting into neutral gear in order to coast on the highway. Gerdes says he provides a sort of menu of choices and people can choose what they use. Some techniques are more advanced than others – and more controversial.

“The most important thing for a hypermiler is to never to turn the key in the first place,” says Gerdes. “Any time you can walk, bicycle or take public transportation, you should do that rather than driving.” Of course, Gerdes recommends buying the most fuel-efficient model in which you can fit and that meets your needs.

Before hitting the road Gerdes promotes “anticipatory focus,” or planning ahead. He says thinking takes no energy (which is somewhat debatable). “Before you turn the key, place yourself three blocks ahead – how will you get from where you are to that point without getting impeded by traffic or stoplights, etc.?” Other techniques are similar to those touted in most articles about saving fuel, including accelerating gradually, minimizing idling, lowering overall speed, keeping the car tuned up, minimizing use of air conditioning and four-wheel drive and removing unnecessary weight or unused cargo racks that create wind resistance.

But hypermiling takes things further. Gerdes also avoids heavy braking. He says when you put your foot deeply into the pedal, you waste fuel as heat that’s generated by the brakes. A warmed-up car runs more efficiently than a cold one, but letting it warm up in the driveway wastes fuel. When running errands, he suggests motorists go to the furthest destination first before stopping, then work their way back.

In addition, Gerdes suggests all drivers can do three simple things to maximize their mileage. He urges keeping a vehicle’s tires inflated to maximum sidewall pressure to minimize their rolling resistance. (Though the AAA argues with that technique, saying it can prematurely wear the center of the tire or cause handling issues.) Second, Gerdes says use low-weight synthetic oil. Just be sure it’s a weight recommended for your vehicle; don’t go with the lowest weight on the market.

Finally, have a fuel-consumption display installed on your dashboard that lets you know in real time how much gas you’re using, or saving as the case may be. “Doing those three things alone can add 20 percent to a vehicle’s economy,” says Gerdes. If prices keep going up, that could be well worth the effort.

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