FE Team Challenge Rules - Version 2.0

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GasSavers.org ?FE Team Challenge? Official Rules and Charter, Version 2.0

Please read these rules before the competition, but above all ? have fun!

This is a Working Document and May Change Depending on Unanticipated Events. Consider this a ?Constitution? with Amendment Ability.

Overview of Official Rules
1. Participants must have at least one Gaslog entry every 42 days.
2. Minimum fill must be 3.00 U.S. gallons.
3. All fills must be recorded in the Gaslog, using the ?Honor System?.
4. There will be a 5% penalty to the team EPA for fills of less than 3 gallons or no fills within 42 days. This is cumulative for each team member (i.e. 10% Team Penalty for 2 members penalized).
5. Winners are determined by the improvement of a team?s ?Average Percentage of EPA from Baseline? as described in the Calculations Section.
6. Players may drop or be added at any time (see Teams and Vehicles).
7. Only actual fill data will be used for the officially cacluated data. Other estimates may be used on a ?Weekly Update? status.
8. At least two cars must be above the Mason-Dixon Line; at least one car must each have an automatic transmission and one with 4-doors (one vehicle can satisfy both requirements)
9. Repeated, missing Gaslog entries, or the failure of maintaining a minimum fill-up in a cycle will be grounds for disqualification.
10. Appeals can be made to the Commissioner (role and processs described further in the document).

Calculations

A team?s final score is calculated using the following:

1. A 90-Day Average FE is calculated either via the Gaslog, or by the Commissioner, using the start date of the cycle as the 91st Day.
2. The vehicle?s original configuration is cross-referenced with the EPA?s newly tested FE data (despite any modifications). Ensure the Garage lists the proper EPA ?Combined? FE value by visiting HERE.
3. If a Member joins mid-cycle, a calculation of the member?s 90-Day average from the start of the cycle will reflect a baseline figure.
4. All 90-Day averages are re-calculated at the beginning of a cycle.
5. The ?Baseline Percentage over EPA? is calculated using the 90-Day average and the EPA FE-Combined.
6. The ?Final Percentage over EPA? is figured by the cumulative, Gaslog-sourced MPG values vs. the vehicle?s EPA FE-Combined (?Cycle-End Cumulative Percentage Over EPA?)
7. A member?s final calculation is the difference between the Baseline and Cycle-End Cumulative? or ?Improvement? (negative numbers reflect a decrease in efficiency).
8. Final: A team?s final calculation is the average of the ?Improvement? from fill data, minus any penalties.

Teams and Vehicles

• A team consists of 5 members (one distinct vehicle each), with at least 2 geographically operating, or based primarily above, the Mason-Dixon Line.
• If a team loses a member and cannot find a suitable replacement by the end of the cycle, the team will incur a 10% Penalty. Teams of 3 will be disqualified.
• Vehicle requirements: Each team must have one vehicle with an automatic transmission and one with 4-doors (one vehicle may satisfy both requirements)
• Team members cannot change teams mid-cycle, and must wait one cycle (42-days from the drop date) before joining another team.
• Any GS member with a vehicle listed in the Garage, with an active Gaslog, can join a team as decided by the Team Captain, at any time, providing the vehicle and member?s location satisfies all requirements listed. (New Teams may form similarly, with one member assigned ?Team Captain? (role defined further).
• If a newly-acquired vehicle replaces and existing one, the driver must fill after 3.00 gallons and before 5.00 gallons to establish a base. During this time, the driving techniques used must be those for the best FE. This also is an honor system. Driving inefficiently for the purpose of establishing a low baseline is considered unethical.
• If a team member drops and a replacement member is found, the old member?s % EPA and the new driver?s % EPA will be averaged to obtain that positions score. The new driver must meet all requirements, as if beginning a new cycle (and meet team requirements). A 90-Day average of the new driver?s FE will be calculated as from the beginning of the cycle.

Series Scoring

• The official stats will be posted every 42 days based on actual fill data. First place gains 3 points, 2nd = 2 pts., and 3rd = 1 point per cycle.
• A Warm-Weather Series Champion and Cold-Weather Series Champion will be announced at the end of each respective Series, based on points. Ties will be resolved by calculating series best percentages of the team, then by a player?s rank of improvement if the percentage is equal. Further ties are decided by the Commissioner. A ?World Series? is being considered by combining results from both series for a yearly winning team or group.
• Weekly estimate guidelines: Weekly updates are used to compare team progress. These will be posted once a week, on-or-before Monday, but the Commissioner. Submission process: individual team members forward information to the Team Captain, so that he may send the week?s summary to the Commissioner for calculation and posting. The weekly stats can be based on fills and/or FE instrumentation (SG or SuperMID) if available. If a member does not fill in a week, simply report the MPG for the tank from the device (or for non-SG/SmID members, an average will be taken of other members who have data reported). These numbers are just estimates to compare team progress, as the final fill data is taken from the Gaslog at the end of the cycle. If data is recorded in the thread, indicate if it is actual or ?SG? data.
• The preferred method of weekly updates: Member > Team Captain > Commissioner > Official Post
• It is planned to extract and pre-calculate results for the end of cycle, from the gaslogs, to eliminate the possibility of error. If this system fails at any point, manual calculations will be performed by the Commissioner, and Double-Checked by a Staff Designee.
• Official data is fill data ONLY (as opposed to SG data, estimates, etc.)

Competition Duration, Series, and Yearly Structure

• The competition will continue indefinitely.
• The ?Year? is composed of 2 Series: Warm Weather, and Cold Weather. The Series change in March and September.

Officials, Staff, Rationale, and Appeals

• Rationale: These guidelines were formed as new situations arose. Participants expressed concerns, unexpected instances came-up, and those have been addressed.
• Officials and Staff: Zpiloto and MetroMPG (the "Framers") laid the foundation of the contest and its original rules. In the beginning, the intent was a friendly competition between 2 teams in the spirit of FE improvement. After the popularity grew, the 2 have graciously allowed others to join-in. Since then, we have witnessed the fun, challenge, education, and complexity of hypermiling. To have an impartial voice of all participants, the Commissioner position was created.
• Role of the Commissioner: Since the 2 members are competitors and also the originators of the rules, the 2 members decided to employ an impartial, third-party to handle the added complexities of a multi-team competition. All proposed rules, disputes, calculations, penalties, and data are reviewed and approved/rejected by the Commissioner before any action is taken. Whether it be through polls, PMs, or open discussion in forums, collaboration between members, the Commissioner and the Framers are discussed (sometimes at length). The final decision lies with the Commissioner. The Framers are still very much involved in how the competition is directed; however, the Commissioner takes full responsibility for reviewing these intentions before they are finally enacted (and is in no way biased by these members). In other words, "blanket" control is given to no individual, and the interest of all participants is paramount. The Commissioner will make every effort to obtain the opinion of the majority before making an informed decision. If, for any reason, the Commissioner appears to be displaying bias, makes an error, or is not responding appropriately to concerns, members are encouraged to report the activity either openly in a thread, or privately to any Moderator, Framer, or the Site Administrator.
  
• The Commissioner is also employed to calculate and publish the results based on submitted data. Team Captains (TCs) report updates directly to the Commissioner upon which this data is entered into a spreadsheet. Consistent calculations are kept and final results are reviewed by another member for accuracy before a cycle announcement. The current spreadsheet and explanation of its calculations are available to any member upon request.
  
• The Commissioner position is not guaranteed to any member, and can be removed for irresponsible conduct or by voluntary retirement.
  
• Appeals and Disputes: It is preferred that any objection be publicly announced, but a private message to the Commissioner is also an option for privacy. Commissioner complaints can be directed as mentioned above.

-Any editing of the document will produce additional versions to track changes. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Thanks...GasSavers FETC Staff