fuel efficiency posts

It was hard to do, but in the same week I started researching this hypermiling thing, gas prices spiked to almost $1.30 a litre. It was also the week I got my first real speeding ticket. I took all of it as a sign from the Fates that I should probably slow down a little.

I'm not a speed demon by any stretch, but I do tend to go most places while travelling about 10km over the limit. I am sensitive about using my brakes unnecessarily (to save gas yes, but more to save my brakes), and I've always known that better driving can = better fuel economy. Still, this particular experiment astonished me. In one round trip, by following a few really simple rules, I managed to save almost $30 in gas.

"Hyper-what?"

It was a Tuesday morning and I'd just read that gas prices were going up again this spring. My stomach was curled up in a tight little ball, and I'd just written to a friend that I wasn't sure what we were going to do about the fairly regular road trips we take across the province and back, each month.

I had to Google hypermiling to find out what she was talking about. It turns out there are whole clubs full of people across the continent who play games with themselves, their vehicles, and sometimes each other, in order to wring the very best fuel economy they can out of their cars.

Now, I've always known that smarter driving can mean better bang for your buck in the fuel economy department, but I had absolutely NO idea just how much could be saved by following a few simple rules. I was skeptical, but I tried them, and I was floored: On my very first tank of gas trying this, I think I saved almost $30.

Canadians are still buying cars - and the popular names at the top of the heap are very familiar - Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Chevrolet, Ford and Volkswagen.

But the design and popularity of the Korean car manufacturer Hyundai have been making its mark and the Elantra has hit the number two spot in car sales according to data from DesRosiers Automotive Consultants as reported in a recent article on CBC.ca.

With sales of cars up 1.5 per cent over last year in September, Hyundai has much to cheer about with double-digit increases and sales of Elantra over 37 per cent this year.

High fuel prices are driving up demand for green vehicles. But Canadian consumers will have to wait a while for a good deal and more product choice, says a leading auto industry analyst.

Alan Baum says strong demand is outweighing the limited supply of hybrids and vehicles that run on electricity alone.

"These vehicles are becoming more expensive as we speak, particularly because of the availability issue," says Baum. "That's making it more difficult for consumers."

Baum, who is based in Michigan, advises Canadians to wait until fall before getting rid of their gas-guzzlers.

"The pricing of these vehicles is going to be quite high for a couple of obvious reasons," says Baum. "One, the demand is hot because of the fuel prices. So availability is short because a number of those products come from Japan and, of course, the earthquake, has affected these shipments."