My Ford Flex Test Drive: EcoDriving!

December 1, 2008 by La Mama Naturale'
Filed under CO2 emissions, Eco Test Driving, Ford Flex, LA Convention Center

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Almost 2 wks. ago, I attended the L.A. Auto Show during the press days. I was lucky enough to get asked by Scott Monty with Ford Motor Company. He informed me about the of EcoDriving USA, booth and filled me in about the green blogger’s forum. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the forum. However, I did get the opportunity to test drive a Ford Flex. I’ve been wanting to test drive this vehicle after seeing one on the streets. I’ve also heard the reviewers stating “flex your fuel”. Although, the vehicle is not a hybrid or electric, it is known for it’s flexing it’s fuel for a 7 passenger vehicle. As far as an eco car is concerned, it does have headlamps that are powered by LED lights and I believe the it recieved a good EPA rating for air pollution. Which are great steps in the right direction for Ford and their greenness.

According to Seena Faqiri, the Director of Communications and Public Affairs with the AutoAlliance, Ford Motor company has been working with the AutoAlliance on how they can become an eco-friendlier company. She further stated that Ford has been looking into going green for sometime now. From what it sounded like, (from the 5-10 minute conversation with her) it’s been Ford’s goal for awhile now to become an eco friendly auto maker.

Seena was who I checked in with at the EcoDriving USA booth. As I was standing there to check in, I noticed a guy and gal there with a camera and video camera- I really didn’t think much of it until Emily from Chop Shop Studios asked if I would mind being videotaped during the EcoDriving session. I don’t think I even hesitated in my response- “No, not at all”! Then I became a little bit nervous and even more nervous after they told us we’d be taking the car out on the freeway.

That’s when I started to think about all the horrible drivers there are in L.A., not to mention it was near downtown. The man who met us in the parking garage explained we’d be looping around Dodger Stadium. I was excited but nervous all at the same time. To tell you the truth, I pictured a roped off area on the convention grounds going in circles! With a camera crew in the vehicle, plus the EcoDriving trainer…I was starting to feel the pressure.

Anyway, the man told us that as soon as a car pulled up, it was our turn. It could’ve been the Audi A3 or a Mini Cooper- but to my surprise it was the Ford Flex. We all hopped in the vehicle and learned that our EcoDriving teacher was Stephanie Reaves!!! Stephanie Reaves is a professional drag racer and the first woman in history to earn a professional motorcycle drag racing license and the first woman ever to drive a factory race car for General Motors. Now, granted, I had no idea at the time how important she was but she did tell us she was a pro-drag racer. That in itself was AWESOME but learning these facts afterwards made meeting her even more special.

The first part of our drive, I was told to drive normally. I think I might have scared Stephanie, Emily and Austin a few times while on the freeway…but what can I say, I’m a California born driver!!! Plus, the traffic was horrible that day which meant I had to brake a lot. Austin was holding the camera steady as we drove around Dodger Stadium. Emily was gracious enough to capture a few clips with the Flip camera I received. As I was driving, Stephanie was giving us the low down on how EcoDriving works and a lot of facts and numbers on how it can help cut down on the carbon emissions.

Basically, how we can stop being polluter’s and save the planet and gas at the same time! My head was spinning from all the facts and at the same time I had to keep it level so I could concentrate on my LA driving. As we returned to our starting point, the vehicle reported that the Flex was getting 14.3 miles to the gallon- remember now, this vehicle is supposed to get 27 MPG. Zoinks!!!

Now, it was time to put the EcoDriving to the test and see how much gas/emissions we can save by being eco conscious and aware. We did the same exact route as the first time. The only difference was I was applying what I had learned from Stephanie about EcoDriving. As we were exciting the freeway, back to the convention center, it read 20 MPG. I was stoked…but then as we returned to the starting point the number lowered to 19.6! Darn those last few stop and go’s. I was still impressed and amazed.

Stephanie relayed that on average the standard savings is usually 10MPG after EcoDriving. I was happy that I could make a 5MPG difference. She also noted that with the freeway congestion it is rather difficult to get to that 10MPG savings mark. I felt a little better. I told her it was now going to be a goal of mine to start EcoDriving. I want to save gas, the planet and money all at the same time. Who wouldn’t? As Stephanie put it ”it’s all in driver behavior”!

EcoDriving reduces fuel use, saves money at the gas pump, and reduces CO2 emissions. If just half of drivers practed moderate leveld of EcoDriving , CO2 emissions could be reduced annually by about 100 million tons, or the equivalent of heating and powering 8.5 million households. Nationwide if only half of all drivers practiced EcoDriving, emissions could be reduced by almost 100 million tons.

In California alone, carbon emissions can be reduced by 22,989,000 tons!!!! C’mon California- we need to start EcoDriving now!!! We could have the greatest impact, since we have the most licensed drivers nationwide!!!

Here are a few tips on how to eco-drive:

Avoid Rapid Starts and Stops: Gentle acceleration and braking can save more than $1 per gallon. According to the U.S. EPA, smart driving can improve fuel economy by up to 33%.

Keep on Rolling in Traffic: Slow and go is always better than stop-and go and not just to reduce traffic congestion woes. Maintaining a constant speed in your commute increases fuel economy, because it takes more energy to move a stopped vehicle than to keep a vehicle moving.

Ride the “Green Wave”: Traffic lights are often synchronized so that a motorist driving at a specific speed will pass through a series of green lights without stopping. Driving more quickly means you arrive sooner at a light and need to stop.

Maintain an Optimum Highway Speed for Good Mileage: Highway driving at exceeds 60 miles per hour uses more fuel. According to U.S. EPA, every 5 miles over the 60mph level is equivalent to paying an extra 20 cents per gallon for gas. Use cruise control is that’s an option!!! Cruise control can provide a 7% average fuel savings compared to driving without the device operating.

Remove Excess Weight from Your Vehicle: Every pound of excess weight requires your automobile to work harder to move it, and that effort uses fuel.

Check Your Tire Pressure Monthly: The Department of Energy estimates that 1.2 billion gallons of fuel were wasted in 2005 as a result of driving on underinflated tires.

For Manuel Driving, Stay Below 2 RPM’s: Most people learn to shift at a certain RPM but this is not true.

For Automatice Driving, Use the Highest Gear Possible: It will generally keep your RPM’s down.