Pulse and glide driving - MPG benefits

If just 1/3 of the cars on the American road systems got 10 more miles per gallon, we could end dependence on foreign oil, and the price of a gallon of gas could go down.

I say could, because by now, most of us (in the US) are trained to pay $3 per gallon of gas. The oil companies will continue to create record earning prices (in the billions of dollars per quarter) no matter what we do to control costs. (There are a few other choices to bring down prices, but we're not there yet. Basically it involves a market glut and released technologies)

What is pulse and glide? It's this great new dance move sweeping the nation like a pop and lock- oh wait, you mean a different pulse and glide. Okay, with cars?

Sure, it's where you speed up to something like 40 miles per hour, then kill the engine, and glide down to 30 mph, where you crank the engine again, and slowly pulse back up to 40, then glide down to 30. The principal behind it is that while you will burn fuel to travel the distance up to reaching the speed, you will burn 0 fuel while gliding, thus jamming your mpg's into the stratosphere.

There were several instances of this happening with results in the 109 miles per gallon range on a Prius. Other's averaged 50 mpgs, in different conditions.

But the conditions have to be perfect. Much like the pulse and glide dance move, it's got to have a good beat dick, and I can really move to it.

Driving conditions means a straight level road with almost no traffic. Plus, you really have to pay attention to your speed, and drive with one hand on the ignition.

Have you driven lately? Look around at who happens to be paying attention while driving? People are checking the radio, talking on cell phones, READNG the paper!?, and one idiot working on a laptop. While driving. It reminds me of the first time I drove in LA. I was going down a mile long hill doing 75 mph when a lady in a giant SUV flew past me doing 90. She was putting on make up, talking on her cell phone, while switching lanes and yelling at her kids.

I don't think people will pay attention enough to their driving to make pulse and glide a viable option. It takes 21 days to build a habit, and in the 21 days it takes folks to figure out how to pulse, our accident rates will skyrocket. That affects insurance, and now, trying to save money and the environment with gas savings has just shifted the focus of our pocketbook to another area.

Plus, have you seen any patient people on the road lately? Most people do the pulse and forget the glide. They jam the gas pedal to the floor to race up to maximum speed in the shortest amount of time possible, and then slam on the brakes because they didn't catch the light. As soon as it turns green, everyone indulges their drag race fantasies, and somehow think if they can just get in front of one more car, they'll win the race. But just like there was always a faster gunslinger in the west, there is always another car in front of you. You can never beat them.

Pulse and glide can't work in real world conditions because of traffic. 99% of all drivers sit in traffic to the tune of like 4 days per year. Why do you think books on tape sell so well? Want to get in a great business? Start releasing a master's degree program that people can hear lectures in their car. An average semester takes 48 hours of class time, so most folks would get 2 classes per year sitting in traffic.

And who lives on a straight, level road that maintains a 40 mph. When you glide down to 30, the roadrunners will race past you so they can stop at the red light, or weave in and out to slow one another down, and you get caught in a ripple effect.

The best thing would be for car makers to install an automatic pulse and glide feature on engines. But that would require new training for generations of drivers, who right now, if their engine cut out while they were driving, would slam on the brakes and cause a 50 car pile up.

We should probably keep pulsing and gliding on the dance floor right next to bump and grinding. A better plan for increasing mpg's would be for everyone to slow down to 55mph (just like they did in the late 70's, gasp, when American encountered this same problem). We could also make lighter vehicles, I mean, how many soccer mom SUV's really need to weigh 3 tons? Just put the body on for show! And if you're really serious about it, there' s mechanic in Nebraska who's reconfigured a diesel engine to get twice the mpg with a very simple modification. Write someone in power and demand a change.

Then lead by example.