When Ford announced their eletricified vehicles in January, I was amazed at the fuel economy numbers—but, what can a real, live person actually get on the road?

Last week, I had the chance to find out! I hit the Ford Test Track in Dearborn Michigan, in their new Fusion EV.

I was on a stop & go course, similar to what I would find on my daily travels—a bit of highway, a few stops and even some traffic, as there was a no passing rule & other conference attendees along the road.

I got 60.8 miles per gallon!

Clearly, the future of fuel economy is going to be in electrified vehicles, but what about those of us who are stuck in our gas-guzzlers for awhile?

I was excited to find, at the Ford Trends conference, a few tips to help everyone improve their vehicle’s gas mileage.

I used Ford’s fuel efficiency tips, to get 36.7 mpg on the gas Fiesta (which, by the way, is a super cute car!).

• Stay under 55mph—this is a tough one for me. I’m known as a bit of a speed demon, but I have toned it down in recent years, mostly to conserve fuel.
• Accelerate & brake smoothly—another challenge for this lead foot. I have a tendency to floor it in acceleration so it was good to practice easing my speed up & down. Plus, they let me drag race an F150, so I had my shot at pedal to the metal.
• Keep tires properly inflated—I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this. Yet, I continue to ignore my tires until there’s a problem. They were adjust just last week when we had the oil changed, and I plan to keep a better eye on the tire pressure.
• Roll up the windows, when traveling above 40mph—open windows create drag on the vehicle at highway speeds. I’m glad it’s okay to leave the windows down at lower speeds, since it’s the fastest way to cool my car on the way out of our neighborhood. Now, I just have to remember to switch to air when I get out on the road.
• STOP idling!—this one seems like a no-brainer, but I know there are a lot of people who still believe it’s better to leave the car running than to stop & start. Not true! Plus, today’s cars do not need to be “warmed up” so there is no need to idle before you get into the car.

So far, the only thing I seem to have mastered is that last one—I never, ever leave the car running unless we’re moving. That means no idling in the carpool line at school or drive-thrus. That part really made a difference in our budget. Not so much for the amount of gas we saved, but who wants to park the car and walk 3 kids inside for fast food? The end result was no more fast food—good for the budget and the body!

I’m all over the Kroger fuel discounts, but it’s time to step up my game on other ways to lower our gas budget. You know, like improving fuel economy so I won’t need to fill up quite as often. What can you do to boost your gas mileage?

I was invited to participate in the conference by Ford and Ogilvy PR. Ford Motor Company paid for my travel and accommodations at the 2-day Forward with Ford conference. I was not compensated in any other manner for my time.

All opinions are, as always, 100% mine!