The Ultimate Geek Car

So I got my new car on Tuesday, a 2005 Toyota Prius Hybrid. I am floored beyond description.

The Prius uses a "Hybrid Synergy Drive" which gives it a few advantages over its closest competitor, the Honda Civic Hybrid. In short, unlike the Honda a Prius can run air and heat while the electric motor is running (eliminating cold commutes in winter stop-and-go traffic). While the Civic requires the gas engine to start and drive, the Prius can run on the electric only up to 40mph.

The Prius drive also allows for some pretty amazing fuel economy. On August 7, 2005 five men took an unmodified Prius nearly 1400 miles on a single 12.87 gallon tank of gas. That’s 109 mpg! They did it by using a technique called “Pulse and Glide”. Normal consumption is much lower, I've been averaging about 50mpg on my commute, but I'll see if I can try the "Pulse and Glide" technique on some stretches.

There are a lot of tips out there on how to max your mileage on the Prius, but the biggest are:

• Drive slower - The aerodynamic drag on the car increases dramatically the faster you drive. For example, the drag force at 70 mph (113 kph) is about double that at 50 mph (81 kph). So, keeping your speed down can increase your mileage significantly.
• Maintain a constant speed - Each time you speed up the car you use energy, some of which is wasted when you slow the car down again. By maintaining a constant speed, you will make the most efficient use of your fuel.
• Avoid abrupt stops - When you stop your car, the electric motor in the hybrid acts like a generator and takes some of the energy out of the car while slowing it down. If you give the electric motor more time to slow the vehicle, it can recover more of the energy. If you stop quickly, the brakes on the car will do most of the work of slowing the car down, and that energy will be wasted.

So here's my new beauty, I think I'll call it Kit. You know, from Knight Rider. Oh come on, surely you've seen the reruns... I swear, kids these days...