Are You "Hypermiling"? Or Do You Even Want To?

Hypermiling is relatively new for many people (but not for me). Hypermiling involves using various driving techniques to increase your gas mileage. Just the other day someone told me how some drivers will begin to slow down for a stop sign long before they are even upon it. They just creep along. After their stop, they take off but accelerating at an extremely low rate of speed. Heck, 18 wheelers have been doing this for ages!

This technique is used by hypermilers to maximize their fuel economy.

Now I said above that hypermiling was not new to me. Years ago, I had heard that out on the highways and byeways you should be a "loner". And to this day, if I'm stuck in a congested group of vehicles, I will either speed up or slow down depending upon my actual speed relative to the speed limit and the speed of the other drivers.

I want to be a loner far away from anyone in front of me or behind me.

When you get stuck in congestion, there is a tendency to whip around and accelerate and decelerate rapidly all to the benefit of ensuring poor gas mileage.

Again, when I was a kid, I remember this long, long grade outside of Frazier, Colorado. At that time I wondered if a person could just shut their motor off and coast all the way down. (Don't try it just because I mention it. Unless you find it works) :)

Corn and soybean prices have at least tripled, I think, due to the demand to convert them into biofuel. But now they are finding out that the cost of converting these outweighs the benefits. Now they are looking at other alternatives like biodiesel from algae and cellulosic ethanol from plants.

So, what's on YOUR plate? Are you going to start hypermiling or looking for cellulosic ethanol at your local Walmart?

One thing for sure -  there are things the American public can do to cut back on their driving. They don't have to STOP driving - just eliminate unnecessary trips. The general public can say, "Well I really don't need to drive to the store right now." But the truckers - they've GOT to move their cargo.

If we all make a few small driving sacrifices, we just might allow another truck to move his cargo that much cheaper (and cheaper for the general public too). Oil right now is down due to lowered expectations on demand.

It's all supply and demand.

Right now I'm wondering about corn and soybean futures? Is there a bust coming in these markets when investors finally realize that these two commodities may not be what we really need to save our fuel economy?

I don't know. I'm not an expert on this. Just giving my opinion. Do YOU have an opinion? Let's hear it.