The average person has probably never used the phrase hypermiling techniques in a regular conversation. Furthermore, most regular people have never thought of the idea of using hypermiling practices in order to improve their fuel usages. Their lack of knowledge in this area is understandable since the word hypermiling did not come about, even though the methods existed, until the drastic rise in oil prices. The best hypermiling methods will help an individual improve fuel economy. However, you must be able to differentiate between proper and improper techniques that could bring about undesired problems. You should avoid hypermiling techniques that are hazardous to yourself and others.

One of the most common and easy ways of hypermiling simply involves keeping track of the wind conditions. Experienced hypermilers know that favorable wind conditions greatly improve mileage and furthermore some even refuse to travel when wind conditions are not favorable unless it is necessary. Although this is an easy technique, it is not very practical. Another easy hypermiling method which is more practical and gives the user more control involves driving with the AC off while the windows are kept shut. This method is a tested way to improve mileage, but its downside becomes apparent on a hot day.

The next two methods do not only improve a ca’s hypermiling ability, but they also improve its performance and increase its longevity. The first process involves car keeping. Experienced hypermilers rarely leave the rack on their vehicle when it is not being used. In addition, they make sure that no extra junk which could reduce mileage efficiency is stored in their trunks. General car maintenance is a wise practice even for people who do not have hypermiling practices in mind. Small tasks such as following tune-ups and changing the oil regularly can greatly improve mileage economy and a vehicle’s overall performance.

So far the techniques mentioned have been relatively easy and safe. However, what happens when the desire to increase fuel economy gets in the way of good judgment? A few of these imprudent hypermiling methods are listed below.

The first technique involves inflating a vehicle’s tires past its recommended weight. The idea behind this practice is that the less the tires touch the road the more fuel they save. However, this practice is unsafe, since it can reduce a driver’s ability to control the vehicle. The second hypermiling practice which is even more dangerous requires drivers to place the car in neutral when going down a hill or when they have picked up enough speed in a clear area. Implementing this technique is even more risky because it completely affects a driver’s ability to control the vehicle. The final and probably most dangerous procedure involves drafting. Hypermilers will draft behind semi-trucks in the hope that the lack of wind resistance will help improve fuel economy. Although this method is proven truly effective, one slight error may end in serious injury or death, since oftentimes the vehicles are traveling in the truck’s blind spot and one bad turn or break can result in disaster.

When it comes to hypermiling practices you have the freedom to choose one that will yield the most fuel economy. However, you also have the right to act responsibly in order to make the road a safe place for everyone who travels on it.

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Author Info: Haliyma Barrow is a freelance journalist with a Master’s degree in Public Administration from New York University. Haliyma loves to learn new knowledge such as the latest development in energy technologies.

But, last night on Dateline they decided to profile Dennis Lee the manufacturer of the Hydrogen Assist Fuel Cell (HAFC) and declare all HHO generators everywhere are bogus, scams, fraudulent and not only worthless but criminal as well. Now, I don’t want to stick up for HAFC in particular since I have no first hand knowledge of if they work and if so, to what degree. And I don’t want to stick up for Dennis Lee since he has a decidedly checkered past.

But, the short story is that Dateline NBC decided to test one car fitted with an HAFC device and since this car, a Honda Accord, didn’t pass muster on testing, they declared the whole HHO industry a fake bunch of liars and frauds. To Dateline’s credit, thought, they did the right thing in testing this one particular car.

They took it to an EPA-approved testing center first and it was rated as 24 mpg city and 34 mpg highway. Then they took it to a small time mechanic who sold and installed an HAFC device. This mechanic declared the Honda now was getting 96 mpg with one passenger inside and 57.7 mpg with four passengers. Dateline then took the car back to the EPA testing center which declared the car was still only getting 24 mpg and 34 mpg as it had before the HAFC device was installed.

Now, even though the testing may have been sound (we’ll assume so) the conclusions based upon this testing are anything but sound. One person installing one device from one manufacturer in one car does not speak for the entire industry.

If the computer monitor I bought from someone on eBay does not work as advertised, I do not condemn all manufacturers everywhere of fraud. This is a ridiculous conclusion. What is needed is large scale testing of many different HHO generators from many different manufacturers in many different cars and from many different EPA approved testing centers. Once this testing is completed we’ll be able to make sound conclusions about the industry of HHO generators.

The Ronn Motors Scorpion is both a supercar and an eco-car that is able to accelerate to over 200 mph and achieve 40 mpg using run your car on water hydrogen technology. Critics have been calling this car the greatest hoax of all time, while advocates say this is the greatest game changer in regard to gas saving technology that the consumer has ever seen.

Governor Schwarzenegger took a test drive of the Scorpion with founder and CEO Ronn Maxwell in the passenger seat. The Governor approached Mr. Maxwell after reading a article in the Men’s Journal, a high profile publication that declared the Scorpion, “God’s Own Supercar.”

To say that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is a fan of hydrogen is an understatement. The governor developed the Hydrogen Highway system in California that currently has 26 H2 refueling stations and is adding more each year.

The governor also converted his H2 Hummer into an H2 burning machine (the H2H Hummer) and drove it to the opening of the first hydrogen refueling station at Los Angeles International Airport. The Ronn Scorpion uses hydrogen-on-demand technology, which electrolyzes water and feeds the resulting HHO gas into the gasoline-burning vehicle’s intake system to supplement the fuel and act as a catalyst.

There has been much skepticism over the Ronn Scorpion since it was announced in the Spring of 2008 as to whether this $150,000 super eco car’s H2GO system would work as advertised. Having the nation’s first “Hydrogen Governor” on their side will only add to the credibility of this emerging technology that is sure to have a significant green impact going forward.

Next week, starting November 11, 2008 in Palmetto, Florida the HHO Games and Exposition will be legitimizing hydrogen on demand systems at the world’s largest gathering to date. The HHO Games & Exposition is being organized by Joe Shea and will include many notables inside the industry.

James Robey who started the Kentucky Water Fuel Museum and wrote the book “Water Car” documenting the inventions and industry to date will be there. Professor Cliff Ricketts from Middle Tennessee State University and a pioneer in alternative fuels will also be there.

The HHO Games event will be held at the 57,000 square-feet Mosaic Arena of the Manatee County Fairgrounds. Dozens of run your car on water inventors will be in attendance along with a supporting cast such as those who create EFIE devices, electrolytic fluid and even a patent attorney for those wanting to protect their inventions.

A few of the vendors who are selling their HHO generators will also offer installation and turning of the EFIE, MAF or MAP devices on the vehicles for one low price, so that buyers can simply drive away with their water car systems already installed.

HHO generator pioneer Bob Boyce is still questionable in regard to attending the event, but Ozzie Freedom of Water4Gas fame is said to be attending. Never before has such a large HHO event been held in the U. S. and the fact that so many people will be attending, along with several vendors and their testing equipment, should give the critics a moment of pause.

Researchers at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA have developed a small device powered by the vehicle’s battery that will also reduce fuel consumption by as much as 20-percent. The device is a tube that is electrically charged and is attached near the internal combustion engine’s fuel injectors.

The electricity helps break down the droplets of gasoline, diesel, ethanol, kerosene or other liquid fuel into smaller droplets, which are then injected into the cylinders causing a cleaner, more full and efficient burn (sound a bit like the run your car on water gas saver? Yes, a little).

Anyway, after six months of road testing on the electric gas saver, the mileage increase was confirmed on a diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz. As one can guess, the Temple professors are pretty excited over the development as they have already licensed the device to Save The World Air, Incorporated for commercialization and mass marketing.

Now, over the past several months a mountain-load of gas saver devices have flooded the market. Most of them either don’t work or increase mileage a measly percent or two. But, with the power, prestige and reputation of Temple University behind this electrical gas saver, one tends to give merit to such a claim.

With gasoline and diesel prices what they are today, an extra 20-percent in mileage may just be the charge we all need to drop our gas credit card bill back to respectable levels.

That’s correct, the Ford Bobcat is a direct ethanol injection system that is being paired with the Ford Ecoboost system to give a combined mileage increase of 30-percent over the standard gasoline-powered engines.

Ford introduced the Ecoboost system in January 2008 that uses turbocharging and direct injection to increase fuel economy 20 percent and decrease CO2 emissions by 15-percent. Now, add on top of this the Ford Bobcat, which directly injects ethanol, at a higher compression ratio, cooling the air / fuel mixture to increase mileage and torque and the Detroit automaker has ventured into the field of supplementing gasoline engines with add-on technology.

The Bobcat is being geared as a replacement for some diesel engines in Ford trucks where fuel economy is one of the top concerns along with power and torque. One drawback of the Ford Bobcat, however, will be that the ethanol will require a separate tank from the gasoline tank that will also need to be filled.

According to Ford, however, the ethanol tank will only need to be filled every couple of months as the ethanol will merely supplement the gasoline that is being used as the main fuel. One has to wonder, though, that if Ford is going to the trouble to supplement a gasoline engine with ethanol, why not just use an HHO generator that runs on water instead? Of course, this would open up a whole new debate that I don’t have space to cover here.

But, the positive that is coming out of this is that one of the major six automakers has finally decided to develop supplementary technology for its gasoline engines. This many not be a giant leap for mankind, but it is one small step in the right direction.

Yes, the DOT report, which is about the safe handling of hydrogen, states that “hydrogen injection” as they call it does reduce emissions and increase gas mileage. The DOT document named “GUIDELINES FOR USE OF HYDROGEN FUEL IN COMMERCIAL VEHICLES Final Report” is 94-pages beginning to end and primarily covers safety issues when handling hydrogen.

The report talks mostly about fuel cell cars or vehicles with internal combustion engines that run on compressed hydrogen gas or liquid hydrogen. It does, however, also give some room to cover hydrogen injection systems (focused on diesel engines) including the electrolysis of water.

According to the U. S. Department of Transportation, “A hydrogen injection system for a diesel engine produces small amounts of hydrogen and oxygen on demand by electrolyzing water carried onboard the vehicle. The electricity required is supplied by the engine’s alternator or 12/24-volt electrical system (see Section 1.5 for a description of electrolysis). The hydrogen and oxygen are injected into the engine’s air intake manifold, where they mix with the intake air.”

Of course there are more lengthy passages, way too long to publish here. The DOT document focuses on run your car on water technology for diesel engines since this has been more widely developed and publicly acknowledged for use with long haul trucks.

But, the same technology is now also being used in cars. Many people are buying water car eBooks that explain how to build your own hydrogen generator for their own personal cars and some have even developed the building of hydrogen injection units into thriving businesses.

The point is that government acknowledgement of this emerging run your car on water technology is a good first step. No longer can there be a valid argument on whether or not this technology works. The only real question is “How well can I get it to work?”

That’s why I thought I would present here the top 5 support forums for those either wanting to build or having built HHO generators.

1. OUPower is one of the most technical groups regarding HHO generators. Many have started with an HHO eBook and proceeded to built a better mousetrap and talk about it here.
2. Fuel Saver offers a section of its forum for Brown’s Gas Systems where users share their triumphs and failures regarding building and optimizing their HHO gas generators.
3. Yahoo Water Car Group is one of the oldest if not the oldest group, which started as a place to talk about Daniel Dingel’s work. This group, however has evolved into a DIY group where people share what has worked for them in regard to HHO technology and what has not.
4. HHO Info is a relatively new group but is already very active and is dedicated to those who build HHO generators. This site has the look and feel of one of the Web’s main HHO destinations in the very near future.
5. Water Fueling is a relatively new message board that looks to be less technically oriented than the other forums. One section that some will find particularly useful, however is the Find a Local Installer category for those who want to pay a qualified mechanic to do the dirty work.

When one is reading an HHO eBook and then decides to build their first prototype, its good to know that support is just a mouse click away. These are the most helpful HHO communities that I have been able to find online and they have help many garage inventors get over the hump and improve their hydrogen gas savers immensely.

For years, the HHO generator has been associated with schemes, scams, shams and charlatans selling snake oil and perpetual motion machines on the Internet. But, just like science fiction that years later turns out to be science fact (remember the old stories about putting a man on the moon) it also turns out that HHO generators are real, viable gas saving technology.

A radio talk show host and columnist, named James Morris in Panama City, Florida already knows this. In fact, Mr. Morris owns an auto repair business in this same city and shares his expertise to local listeners and readers. I found an article by Mr. Morris where someone had brought up the same old inaccurate piece of information that critics often use about the HHO generator being “thermodynamically impossible”.

Mr. Morris sets the reader straight with his own hands-on test results of a GMC Envoy going from 15 mpg to 22 mpg city and 22 mpg to 38 mpg highway after installing an HHO generator purchased off the Internet.

Now, while some so-called automotive columnists will give their negative opinions of HHO generators without a single test being run, it’s good to see that at least one enlightened voice in the media is around to correct the critics.

This is not to say that all run your car on water systems have merit or that they work equally well. This is to say, however, that as an emerging industry the HHO generator is a gas saving device and industry that will not be oppressed or pushed away by the unenlightened, misinformed or those with ulterior motives.

What the critics fail to understand time and again is that HHO generators supplement the fuel used in gasoline and diesel-powered engines. The critics continue to confuse 100-percent water-powered cars (the myth) with the reality that a car, truck or other vehicle can use a small amount of water, electrolyze it and inject this HHO gas into the intake system to increase gas mileage.

But, the critics are not as irresponsible as the scammers. The critics may be confused but the scammers are misrepresenting the technology. Time and again I’ve been to those run your car on water scammer sites that intentionally or through gross ignorance confuse HHO generators with hydrogen fuel cells or 100-percent hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines.

HHO generators supplement the fuel in a gasoline or diesel-powered engine. Hydrogen cars (in general) have nothing to do with gasoline or diesel fuel. There are a few exceptions of course such as bi-fuel vehicles that may run either hydrogen or gasoline separately (not mixed), such as those by BMW or Mazda but this is not the same technology as supplemental systems.

Now, the early adopters are those who are familiar with Yull Brown and Brown’s gas (HHO gas) and have some working knowledge of this supplemental technology. Early adopters may have invented their own HHO devices, created one using an eBook or created a replica device based on someone else’s design.

Early adopters know the different between HHO gas as supplementary fuel and the primary fuel most vehicles use for power. The early adopters are leading the charge to get HHO generators into every mechanic’s garage, car dealership, auto parts store and ultimately every vehicle nationwide.

Among all the junk sites on the Internet there is one run your car on water place that is trying to separate the fact from the fiction about HHO hydrogen on demand devices that is worth checking out. Even though right now the critics and scammers are a powerful force of misinformation, I am confident that the early adopters through practical application and education will eventually win this battle and in the end, drivers everywhere will benefit.