Pictures taken from a car never come out well, but you get the idea. This picture was taken two weeks ago at the height of the current fuel prices. At the beginning of this year, I was paying $3.539 for a gallon of diesel. That's an increase of 146%. Still, I'm not complaining.Remember back to the 1970's: Long gas lines, "Out of Gas" signs. I wasn't driving then, but I got the message: conserve. Back then, I remember slogans like "55 Saves Lives". Well, it turns out that it also saves fives too ($$$).
On May 28, 2008, the Wall Street Journal published a little column, Me & My Car, where columnist Jonathan Welsh answers readers' questions about automobiles:
Q: To obtain the best gas mileage, what is the optimum speed one should maintain on an open highway? I've heard all sorts of answers.
A: While each vehicle performs differently, a rule of thumb for maximizing fuel economy is to keep highway speed to 60 mph or less. According to the EPA, exceeding 60 mph severely hurts the fuel economy of most vehicles. The Agency says "each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.30 per gallon for gas." Several tips on saving fuels appear at fueleconomy.gov.
Speed limits, actually Speed MAXIMUMs, posted on San Diego freeways are 55 for trucks and trailers, 65 for all other vehicles. My commute to work is only three exits on the 8 freeway. I set the cruise control for 60 and keep to the right lane. Many people are speeding past me. It's also amusing to see commercial trucks passing me when their maximum speed should be 5 mph less.
I waited to write this post until I went a full tank with this experiment, testing my fuel economy when I kept my highway speed at a maximum of 60 mph. It improved from 40 mpg to 46 mpg. I got 15% better gas mileage. My diesel VW Beetle is rated 42/49 mpg.
My first car, a 1986 Subaru hatchback, got 35 mpg and there hasn't been much improvement in the two decades since. Americans have started to conserve which can help stabilize prices. They aren't doing all they can. It would be premature to start drilling in protected areas. Would that be the last frontier? And then what happens when those supplies are exhausted? Permanent "Out of Gas" signs with new technologies lagging behind once again.
