It's a matter of inertia, takes energy to accelerate mass, we get that energy from gas. The more mass you accelerate, and the faster you accelerate it, the more fuel you use. Once at speed it becomes a matter of how efficient the engine is at making the hp to maintain your current speed.
When you brake, you throw the energy used to accelerate away as heat.
I saw that Top Gear, another good show...
But speaking of all of this, you see there's going to be a car-czar? I've heard Henry Waxman's name mentioned about wanting such a role. Whoever he is, We're going to have a single green bureaucratic idiot telling the car companies what products they're suppose to be investing in. I predict major fail.
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