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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2009
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7

Forget Hybrids: Just Drive Like Your Grandma

Americans can save gas just by driving differently: Ball

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(Newser) – Driving like a grandma can save more gas than fancy hybrid technology, Jeffrey Ball writes in the Wall Street Journal. Accelerating slowly, shifting gears early, and coasting to avoid stop-and-go driving can bump gas efficiency of even the largest gas guzzlers. The catch? "I've been honked at. I've been flipped off. I've been yelled at: 'Grandma,'" says one so-called eco-driver.

Americans "love the open throttle as much as the open road," Ball writes. But with the rising fuel costs, eco-driving is gaining ground. Training schools and driving gauges are emerging. Nissan plans to introduce an eco-pedal in the US market that pushes back against aggressive drivers. But "not every driver likes to be an eco-driver," says a company rep, so the feature will be optional.

Fuel-efficient rides won't produce expected gas savings unless they are driven right, Ball says.
Fuel-efficient rides won't produce expected gas savings unless they are driven right, Ball says.   (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
Eco-drivings
Eco-drivings "combines a racecar driver's skill with the proverbial grandmother's pace," Ball writes.   (AP Photo/Greg Baker)
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If you own a Prius and you drive it like a Corvette, you're not going to get the results they talk about. - Drew DeGrassi, president of
an eco-driving school

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7 comments
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Fondue
Apr 17, 09 9:35 AM CDT
Note to Jeffrey Ball: lets move forward and get our country off of fossil fuels. Reply
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Newser001
Apr 17, 09 3:39 PM CDT
In the meantime, my '05 Prius avgs 58-63 mpg... And yes, I drive like Grandma Moses (but only from dead stops, while my maximum freeway speed, 58 mph). I drove a '03 Jeep Liberty and was lucky to avg 19 mpg.
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prowlerzee
Apr 17, 09 10:02 AM CDT
Note to Fondue....we'd have been well on our way had it not been for the Naderites in 2000. Reply
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DavoMax
Apr 17, 09 10:44 AM CDT
I've been driving like granny for years. And with my 92 Toyota, $13 a week in gas is sweeeeet. Reply
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spdavid
Apr 17, 09 11:00 AM CDT
When gas went to 4 bucks people started doing really stupid and dangerous things to save 5 cents of gas.Now we're being encouraged to do it.The death toll won't justify the savings.The true key is technology that allows reasonable driving with fuel economy.Where is the stimulus for that? Reply
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