30% better fuel efficiency with any car?

Some cars show the miles-per-galon (MPG) right on their dashboard, in real time, as You drive. The little indicator goes up and down, changing in response to road conditions and the way You drive.

Especially the way You drive.

I had a chance to drive two cars that have such a real-time MPG display (thanks, Hal!), and they totally changed the way I drive. I noticed that, with just a few simple changes, I could get much, much higher fuel efficiency. This means having to buy less gas, and polluting less. And it's SIMPLE!

The main thing is to accelerate more slowly. It's that simple. Apparently, just accelerating mildly when leaving traffic lights and stop signs can improve your fuel efficiency by a third . A third!

Other small things include:

• Using the brakes less (which means taking the foot off of the gas pedal early and slowing down before arriving at the stop sign, rather than slamming on the brakes after a 100-yard dash between stop signs).
• Using the cruise control when going on highways.
• Driving no faster than about 65 mp/h (~100 km/h) on highways.

More ideas and tips at http://www.hypermiling.com/.

Happy driving. :-) Please, please use your seatbelt, and drive safely.