Memorial Day weekend is synonymous with cookouts and barbecues, but unfortunately also with gasoline price hikes. If you drive an electric car, plug-in hybrid or simple hybrid, making that trip to see the family won’t be that painful.
Let’s face it, we love to barbecue and we love to drive, but we hate gasoline price peaks before holiday weekends. After all, we are not walking ATM automatons. So how do we take the pain away from the wallet? Simply by driving a fuel sipping car, or forcing your gas guzzler to be gentle on your wallet.
The Revolution Starts From Within. Mahatma Gandhi once famously answered an enthusiastic youth on where to start the “revolution”. The Mahatma simply smiled and touched his heart saying right here, meaning inside of us. We can march forever against price hikes, political corruptions and a singularly blind Wall Street but the only definitive action is to change the way we buy things and use energy.
Energi, Plug-in Hybrids and Pure Electric Cars. If you read our review of the 2014 Ford Fusion Energi, you might have caught our enthusiasm for this comfortable sedan that is easy at the pump. In fact, Ford says that after a 15-year evolution of its regenerative brake system, it has saved 100 million gallons of gasoline, which translates to about 2.5 billion miles to date. It claims to currently recoup up to 95% of loss of energy when braking, compared with 30 to 50 for most automakers.
2013 Ford Fusion Energi (Plug-In Hybrid)
What If You Don’t Have A Plug-In? Not everyone has a Ford Fusion or C-MAX plug-in hybrid, PHEV Energi. If you don’t, get one, you’ll like them. Some people even have Chevy Volts, and other fine plug-in hybrids. Regardless, you can hypermile any cars with a feather foot. The kinetic energy of a stopping vehicle is wasted with a regular gasoline car. This explains why pure electric car, EV and PHEV drivers coast to a red light. They are actually recharging their battery pack while others waste and burn fuel.
According to James Castellano, manager, regenerative braking at Ford: “More energy recaptured means reduced fuel consumption, engine load and wear on brake pads, along with a smoother braking process. But the bottom line is actually the bottom line – less out-of-pocket costs for the owner because of the improved fuel efficiency.”
So how do you save money this Memorial Day Weekend? Sarcastic comments will probably advise to stay home and cook out in your backyard, if you have one. Others might advise to ride your bike. Although carrying food and drinks on bicycles is not ideal, especially coming back after ingesting them.
Ideally, whatever you are driving, drive it slow, leave early, avoid traffic and unnecessary irritations on the road. Don’t speed up to slow down hoping no one will cut you off. If they cut you off, they probably have a bigger gasoline budget then you do and less control over their emotions. Let them feed foreign petroleum countries and be unpatriotic on this Memorial Day Weekend. If you have an electric car or a plug-in hybrid, try to find a charging station with a solar panel array. If you have solar panels at home, or other alternative and sustainable energy systems, then will you be able to truly honor this Memorial Day Weekend with home made fuel, ideally in a plug-in car Made in the US.
