Hypermiling: boost your MPG and get gas less often!

So I have been reading a lot about hypermiling and fuel stretching and applying as many theories as I can when I drive—mostly learned from my dad and common sense (i.e. accelerating to a red light is WASTEFUL). Because we can’t all drive lovecrafts like Austin, these concepts may be the best options to maximize a gallon of gas.

According to Wikipedia, “Hypermilers are drivers who exceed the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated fuel efficiency on their vehicles by modifying their driving habits.” This guy named Wayne Gerdes is like the best hypermiler on the block and he spouts all kinds of stats on improving your mileage even in a regular old Civic or Escort on his own Web site. At www.fueleconomy.gov, you can find other U.S. stats that suggest “aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas” and can reduce your gas mileage by “33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town.” Gas mileage also decreases depending on your load—carrying an extra 100 lbs on your ride can cut your miles per gallon by about 2 percent (though it depends on your vehicle’s weight).

Consumer Reports did all kinds of research on the topic, too. They note, for instance:

When we increased the Camry’s highway cruising speed from 55 mph to 65, the car’s fuel economy dropped from 40 mpg to 35. Speeding up to 75 mph cost the car another 5 mpg. One reason is that aerodynamic drag increases exponentially the faster you drive; it simply takes more fuel to power the car through the air.

Sooo, on top of ensuring your car is properly maintained (air filters, tire pressure, etc), you can boost your MPG by maintaining the same speed and the speed limits, which generally help ensure you hit green lights (when not in traffic—personally tried and true in Irvine this week). According to the experts, you should also try to limit reversing (as in out of parking spaces) and anticipate what’s in front of you so you never have to accelerate then slam on your breaks. Specifically, it’s what I referred to before—coast to a red light so that it turns green before you ever need to hit the break; it takes less gas to accelerate while coasting above 0 mph than to accelerate from a dead stop. This is crucial in freeway traffic, where I would venture to say that removing your foot from the gas is usually all you need to do when cars are breaking ahead of you. The act of accelerating and then almost instantly hitting the break is exactly what makes that irritating stop-and-go feeling and wastes tons of gas. In the city, though, supposedly I have to take into account other drivers (like that a-hole I already complained about), if I care about the total gas expended and not just that from my tank. I saved gas by coasting to the red light but I apparently forced him to waste gas to angrily speed around me. Nope, still dont care. Other people can get over it—I want MY gas to last longer, not for the planet but for my wallet …

If you are interested in other cool hypermiling techniques (some of which are controversial or illegal), check out these sites:

The Consumer Reports article

An MSN article featuring Gerdes

EcoTrekker (has a ton of links to other resources)

Hypermilage.com — the fuel stretching section