Partnering with my Prius

I’m so amazed by the engineering of this car. So efficient! It makes such good use of all the energy available to it. I pulsed and glided nearly all the way home tonight (mostly highway driving, then city). I’m really enjoying learning to be one of the factors in the efficient operation of this car. Granted, it doesn’t need me to be efficient – any driver who knows nothing about pulsing, gliding, or stealth driving, will still be more efficient than he or she would be in other cars because of the Prius’s technical design and engineering. However, knowing that I can contribute to making the car as efficient as it can be makes me such an inspired student!

My housing development is almost free now, in the context of gas and energy use. I can stealth drive nearly the whole mile through my housing development, right up to my driveway now (usually just one pump halfway through…). Such a thrill! On the highway, I can pump to get to just a little above my desired median speed and set my foot on the accelerator with just a little bit of pressure on it, enough to make for the longest possible glide with the least amount of deceleration. I'm learning to find that place (Prius nirvana, perhaps???). This is a skill that I am developing and, as I develop it, I also make the best use of the energy available to me. The aerodynamic design of the Prius conserves energy by decreasing wind resistance, allowing for a longer glide. I'm getting to where I can feel it and don't even need to focus on the monitor as much. The car is also becoming more efficient the more I drive it.

I have a great deal of respect and appreciation for the innovation, engineering, creativity, research, technology, resourcefulness, and just great thinking that went into this car. It’s a stunning tribute to the craft of automotive design and to human ingenuity. I think this is the best thing I ever bought.

I look forward to driving it tomorrow. Do you think that I will go to hell for loving a thing?
:flame: