New 2010 Prius

"AN IDLE MIND IS THE DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND"

That quote could not have been more true this past Saturday as I found myself with 4 hours to kill on a beautiful early summer weekend day. In addition to Civil War Reenacting, golfing and following every sport on the planet...one of my other passions is "hypermiling."

What is hypermiling you ask? Well, by definition it's "the act of driving using techniques that maximize fuel economy."

About 3 years ago...when gas prices started going through the roof at 3 and 4 bucks a gallon I started researching ways to save gas in my car (a 2005 Toyota 4Runner at the time which got around 17 miles per gallon). In the course of my research I stumbled upon a website called ecomodder.com and a new hobby of mine was born. The website provided simple, effective ways to increase mpg while driving...mostly just by changing the way you drive...no hocus pocus needed and something every driver can learn and do on their own!

The further I read through the site/message board and all the great information the more I got interested in improving my mpg and eventually I started to apply some of the techniques others were using while I was driving my own car. The site provides a great fuel log for each member (free membership by the way) and slowly I started seeing my mpg improve as my hypermiling driving skills improved (from 17 to 18 to 20...even as high as 28 mpg on some occasions)! I was fully invested (and convinced) with these driving techniques and my passion to raise the bar increased.

In March of 2009, I purchased a 2009 Prius (rated by the EPA at 46 mpg) and my entry into the world of insane mpg began! With the same driving techniques I pushed my mpg to levels I had never seen before as I regularly logged tanks of over 60 mpg (my real world tank of 66 mpg is my highest ever...and I recorded 78 mpg in a 104 mile efficiency driving competition with my 2009 Prius)!

So...back to the quote..."AN IDLE MIND IS THE DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND."

With time to kill on a Saturday afternoon I drove down to my local Toyota dealership (where I had also purchased my 2005 4Runner and 2009 Prius) to see what they had in stock...especially in the 2010 Prius category. A parking lot of more than 40 brand new 2010 Prius (rated at 50 mpg) were waiting for me and a couple hours later I found myself driving one home!

So now the second chapter of Prius ownership begins as I try to maximize my mpg in the world's most incredible car (in my opinion)! Driving the new Prius is an experience in itself trying to push the limits of this gas-sipping vehicle. The dashboard is like a pilot's cockpit with switches and guages all designed to help the driver get better gas mileage.

I've only driven about 50 miles in my new car so it will take some time to learn all the new tricks to maximize mpg but early results are positive as I'm already close to surpassing the numbers I posted in my 2009 Prius. In a few weeks I hope to see 65, 70...and perhaps 75 mpg!

See you on the road!