Calculate your true Miles Per Gallon

Obviously a slow news week at the Business desk of the Washington Post. This Sunday saw them devote two thirds of the business section front page, and a further half page on page 2 to “Adventures in Hypermiling“. The article was another example of a non-story where a journalist was shown a scan gauge that calculated a real time, and short term average miles per gallon figure and drove their car around seeing how they performed against a “hypermiler” (the answer was, about the same). The scan gadget used in the article had the same functionality as found on most modern cars with trip computers, and isn’t new or exciting nor does it give you a truly accurate figure. So in the interest of spreading knowledge may I present…

Calculating you miles per gallon figure

1. Start with a full tank of gas, so begin next time you’ve filled up at the gas station.
2. Before starting your engine at the gas station reset the odometer in your car to zero. On older cars you just need to push the button next to the lower display of miles, on newer cars you might need to figure out how to reset the digital trip odometer.
3. Drive you car. Drive normally, just don’t mess with the odometer!
4. Next time you go to fill up with gas, get a receipt. The newer pumps give you a great receipt which tells you not just what you paid, but also how much gas was pumped in gallons.
5. Now, before resetting the odometer, take a note of the miles covered. Divide the miles covered by the amount of gas you just pumped into your car (this is the amount of gas consumed since the last fill up, and therefore the amount of gas used to drive the distance covered).
6. The figure you get when you divide “Odometer Miles Traveled” by “Gallons of gas to refill tank” is your true, Combined Miles Per Gallon.
7. Return to step #1 and do it all again, try using the AC less, or not accelerating as hard, and see how it really impacts your MPG. It is different for everyone and now you have the data that relates to you, you can decide what you want to do to improve your mileage.

Note, the figure calculated is your “real” miles per gallon, and not the “city” or “highway” average that are posted in car dealerships. These figures are used in advertising because they look good, but they are only a guideline since you never drive at exactly 50mph anywhere. You have to slow down or speed up sometime, even if it is just when you start and finish the journey!

There, so now you can calculate your MPG figure, without any fancy gadgets or taking your shoes off. Not only do you know your MPG, but if you track it regularly you’ll be able to spot fluctuations that affect the economy of your vehicle, and can help you spot maintenance issues before they become serious problems.

Oh, and wear sensible shoes when driving. The Washington Post article noted that the hypermiler drove without shoes on because it:

allows him to better feel how much pressure he’s applying to the accelerator

Now when I was taught to drive, back in England in the ’90s, I was told to wear sensible shoes with a thin but firm sole. The reason was you need to feel the pedal, but you also need to be able to apply full pressure on the brake with your right foot, and an unprotected foot could flinch on a hard pedal and not apply full braking in an emergency situation. If you wear sensible shoes or sneakers you should be able to feel the throttle just fine (high heels and huge waffle soles do not cut it) and you’ll be safer in an emergency than if you drive in bare feet or socks.

Okay, so ends the first lesson.

Brown and Fuel – Turning a drama into a crisis

With Hoyer drivers threatening strike action tomorrow it was no surprise on Tuesday that the Prime Minister’s spokesperson said:

“We believe that this strike is unnecessary and we would want to ensure that nothing was done that inconvenienced the public. …But the most responsible thing the public can do is to continue to buy as normal.”

From this story on the BBC News Website

Ah, the good old reassurance of a “Don’t Panic” message from Gordon Brown. Much like the “Don’t panic the economy is actually doing fine” and “Don’t panic the 10p tax rate wasn’t that important and nobody will be at a disadvantage”.

So no surprise then that the reality is that there are already “Signs of panic petrol buying as queues build” and the petrol retailers can all state the blindingly obvious that Gordon’s warning not to panic was doomed to backfire, as reported here. When will the British government learn that the ‘New Labour Nanny State’ approach does not work, and that the only ones they have left to blame are themselves after this many years of mismanagement. We must be the only country that would encourage a failed chancellor to become the PM.

Meanwhile, with some forecourts already low on stock, we wait for the outcome of last minute negotiations that are going on between Shell’s contractors (Hoyer UK and Suckling Transport) and Unite, the union representing the 641 workers demanding a 13% pay rise and a minimum wage of £36,000 a year.

Fuelling the Hypermiler Myth

I’ve just read this article on Easy Ways to Save Money on Gas on LifeHacker and towards the end of the article they suggest taking some tips from Hypermilers. The tips were as follows:

Use your cruise control. You’ll never be able to maintain a perfect cruising speed as well as the cruise control.

Drive the speed limit. Unless you’re driving across the entire country speeding won’t save you more than a few minutes, will cost you more in gas, and increase the chance of being involved in an accident.

Stop using your brakes to slow down. If you know your highway exit is a mile away, don’t drive 80 mph until the ramp and slam your brakes to slow down to the 30 mph that will get you safely off the expressway.

I already track my cars gas mileage regularly because it is an easy way to spot small problems with the engine before they become big problems and I know my average is about 28mpg which isn’t bad for a 17 year old sportscar being driven spiritedly. I’m also aware that we need to look after the environment and that we should try and save resources where possible. However, I took umbridge to the points listed above because they are the same bilge reported frequently these days and by dint of some simple research can be easily disproved.

Cruise control is more gas efficient by keeping a steady speed

Now this is almost true on a perfectly flat, perfectly straight road but any driver should be able to keep a steady speed on a perfectly flat, perfectly straight road if they know how to drive. The thing is it doesn’t really save you any gas, because gas consumption is controlled by engine speed, not vehicle speed and therefore to be most economical the car should maintain a constant engine speed and load. On a hilly road the cruise control will frequently increase and decrease the engine speed to maintain that constant vehicle speed using more gas than a driver who keeps their foot balanced and allows the revs to stay constant (balanced with load) and allows for the speed to deviate slightly on the inclines.

Driving the speed limit, or sticking to 55mph saves you gas

The speed limit of 55mph was established across much of the United States during the fuel crisis of the 1970s. At that time this was calculated by the government to be the statistically most economical speed for a statistically average car of that period. Now you may not have noticed but car design and technology has changed a great deal since 1970, and even then there were many different sizes and shapes of car. The most fuel efficient speed for each vehicle is unique and takes into account a wide range of factors like; aerodynamic properties of the vehicle, weight of the vehicle, size of the engine, size of the wheels, ambient air temperature… the list is actually amazingly long. So 55mph was a 1970s average, and the government haven’t recalculated since then. So look at it this way DRIVE THE SPEED LIMIT BECAUSE IT IS THE LAW not for any other fictional reasons. My car has a small turbo charged engine and great aerodynamics, it gives brilliant gas mileage at about 70mph, but I can’t legally drive that fast so I don’t… common sense!

While we’re talking about speed. Speed doesn’t kill, speed does not overly increase the risk of having an accident. The UK Government stated in a report released in September 2006 that;

the proportion of injury crashes involving any speeding vehicle nationally was only 5%

So all those speed cameras, and Speed Kills messages address only 5% of injury causing crashes. Being distracted causes far more accidents, distractions like mobile phones. In the U.S. it is estimated that cell phone distracted drivers are four times more likely to be in a car crash, a Harvard University study states that cell phones cause over 200 deaths and half a million injuries each year on the roads in the U.S., and this number is climbing!

Stop Using Your Brakes to Slow Down

It is true that rapid acceleration has an impact on fuel consumption, and therefore stopping and starting is bad for fuel efficiency. However, your brakes are designed to slow your car down!!! Using the engine and gears to slow the car puts extra load on the engine causing it to burn more fuel. Not only that but slowly letting your speed drift down for the mile or so before your exit off the highway means that the cars behind you have to change their speed and reduce their efficiency for the mile or so you are being smug. It isn’t just your efficiency you should consider, but that of your fellow drivers, so don’t cause additional congestion by crawling down to 30mph just to make your exit without using your brakes. Additionally, if you are exiting from a 55mph road onto a 30mph road, using your brakes and sensible usage of engine and gears to bring the car down to 30mph as you exit doesn’t use any extra fuel since you won’t be accelerating as you merge onto the new road, it also won’t infuriate the drivers around you on the highway or put you at risk of being rammed by somebody doing the speed limit but distracted on their mobile phone!

I know I shouldn’t get so wound up, but hypermilers idiotic suggestions and erratic driving tips just rub me up the wrong way. We need more quality driver education, and the encouragement of better courteous driving skills on our roads. Not dangerous “tips” lacking credible research and evidence.

Petrol supply and wage equality

Strike action by tanker drivers in the UK could leave 1000 forecourts dry within days so begins an article in the Telegraph today.

The drivers, who supply the vast majority of Shell forecourts, are calling for a pay rise of 13 per cent. The company, Hoyer UK, has offered 6 per cent.

…

Hoyer says its 6 per cent offer would see the average driver’s £36,000 salary rise to £38,500. The union is calling for a minimum wage for all drivers of £36,000.

Wow, with the current exchange rate that is more than I earn as a business analyst in the U.S.A. with more than 15years experience!!! Now lets make a couple of comparisons with other jobs in the UK;

According to Workgateways newly registered nurses in the UK can expect to start on a salary of around £17,000 which can increase to up to £30,000 at the most senior level I. With up to £4000 extra for ‘cost of living’ in London.

According to the British Army a soldier taking basic training starts out on £13,012.80 rising to a low end salary of £28,622.64 if they make sergeant. This report in the Independent talks of how some soldiers have had to take out loans to pay for food.

In 2007 a newly qualified teacher started on an average of £19,161 rising to a final salary of up to £28,005.

Makes you wonder why we don’t all go and get our HGV licenses and start delivering the fuel ourselves!

Countryside Alliance on the fuel crisis

The following is copied from the Countryside Alliance website.  (Click here for the original article)

Fuelling inequality

In the autumn of 2000 when fuel protestors brought the country to a standstill the price of petrol was 76.9p a litre and diesel was 81.6p. Prices currently stand at 112.5p and 122.9p with no sign of prices having peaked.

Most of the reasons for fuel prices having risen to such levels are beyond the control of the Government. Gordon Brown cannot be entirely blamed for the market manipulation of OPEC states, the geological reality of production having peaked in many oilfields, or the rapidly rising demand for oil from China and India.

When oil prices rise, however, it is those Governments that have milked the motorist and other oil users through taxation that become the most vulnerable. The main complaint of the hauliers protesting in London and Cardiff this week was not that fuel prices are high, but that they are significantly higher than they are on the continent. This differential is a result of taxation, not the cost of oil, and it is justified to place the blame for this at the Government’s door.

For many years the Government has relied on fuel duty to pay for the expansion in public sector services and balance the budget. There may have been talk of a ‘green agenda’, but the truth has always been that the motorist is an easy target for taxation made even easier by concerns over carbon emissions and global warming.

In all this the rural population has been largely ignored. Higher fuel prices cannot encourage public transport use in remote rural areas where there is no public transport, and the centralisation of basic services has meant that many people in the countryside have to drive more not less. Add in the increase in road tax for cars with large engines which might be ‘Chelsea Tractors’ in SW3, but are vital work vehicles in rural areas and you understand why many people in the countryside are increasingly angry.

Scrapping the planned 2p increase in fuel duty would be a start. If the Government wants to be taken seriously on fuel use and transport policy in the longer term, however, it needs to introduce policies that target people who have a choice and do not discriminate against those who just have to pay.