Drive like a Hypermiler
While everyone knows how to drive, most people on the road today have no idea how much fuel they are burning unnecessarily through their driving style and technique. Making a few simple driving style changes could yield significant fuel and dollar savings - the hallmark of the modern day Hypermiler.
1. Momentum is your vehicle's friend. It takes a lot of fuel to get your vehicle up to speed and excessive or unnecessary braking eats up the fuel and dollar savings of momentum. So here's the first lesson of Hypermiling. Let your vehicle's momentum guide your driving style. When you start from a complete stop, accelerate at a medium slow pace and try to avoid complete stops when possible. Fast starts from a standing start wastes fuel very excessively. Your vehicle's best fuel efficiency occurs in the highest gears available when driving. Lower gears use the most fuel, so when you accelerate from a stop, ease your acceleration up to the proper speed for the road you are traveling upon (thus utilizing the top gear available for the speed at which you are traveling). Also, as you drive, try to anticipate possible slow downs ahead and ease off the gas early instead of waiting and braking heavier later. Hypermiler's attempt to drive in such a way as to utilize their brakes as little as is safely possible. This driving style allows your vehicle to stay in higher gears longer as you drive and avoid wasting helpful momentum by excessive braking (including avoiding unneeded braking when going down hills, and when appropriate, letting the vehicle simply roll down hills).
2. Drive at peak efficiency speed. Most cars are engineered to be at their peak fuel efficiency between 45 and 65 miles per hour. Driving at the appropriate speed limit, up to speed limits of 65 miles an hour will yield the best efficiency. Speeds above 65 MPH begin to reduce fuel efficiency as your vehicle's drag will begin to reduce your fuel mileage at an exponential rate. It has been studied and found that every 5 MPH over 65MPH reduces fuel economy by about 5 percent. A 5 percent loss in fuel efficiency could result in a realized additional cost of 22 cents extra per gallon of fuel used via excessive speed. You will find that most Hypermilers look to drive right up to the speed limit, up to, but not over 65 MPH (even if the speed limit is above 65 MPH).
3. Use Cruise Control. If your vehicle is equipped with cruise control, learn to utilize it more frequently. Cruise control maintains speed for your vehicle and more optimally uses fuel as you drive. Cruise control limits acceleration and therefore reduces fuel consumption.
4. Reduce weight carried in your vehicle. If you have extra items in your vehicle that are just taking up space and adding weight, such as bags, golf clubs, etc., consider removing them to reduce the weight load on your vehicle's motor. Your vehicle's motor burns fuel to gain and maintain momentum. Weight works against your motor creating the need to use more fuel to gain and maintain your vehicle's momentum. 100 pounds of excessive weight could reduce your fuel efficiency by 2 to 5 percent (or 9 to 27 cents extra realized cost per gallon at $4.50 a gallon).
Click here for final thoughts to enjoying the fun of the Hypermiler lifestyle.
1. Momentum is your vehicle's friend. It takes a lot of fuel to get your vehicle up to speed and excessive or unnecessary braking eats up the fuel and dollar savings of momentum. So here's the first lesson of Hypermiling. Let your vehicle's momentum guide your driving style. When you start from a complete stop, accelerate at a medium slow pace and try to avoid complete stops when possible. Fast starts from a standing start wastes fuel very excessively. Your vehicle's best fuel efficiency occurs in the highest gears available when driving. Lower gears use the most fuel, so when you accelerate from a stop, ease your acceleration up to the proper speed for the road you are traveling upon (thus utilizing the top gear available for the speed at which you are traveling). Also, as you drive, try to anticipate possible slow downs ahead and ease off the gas early instead of waiting and braking heavier later. Hypermiler's attempt to drive in such a way as to utilize their brakes as little as is safely possible. This driving style allows your vehicle to stay in higher gears longer as you drive and avoid wasting helpful momentum by excessive braking (including avoiding unneeded braking when going down hills, and when appropriate, letting the vehicle simply roll down hills).
2. Drive at peak efficiency speed. Most cars are engineered to be at their peak fuel efficiency between 45 and 65 miles per hour. Driving at the appropriate speed limit, up to speed limits of 65 miles an hour will yield the best efficiency. Speeds above 65 MPH begin to reduce fuel efficiency as your vehicle's drag will begin to reduce your fuel mileage at an exponential rate. It has been studied and found that every 5 MPH over 65MPH reduces fuel economy by about 5 percent. A 5 percent loss in fuel efficiency could result in a realized additional cost of 22 cents extra per gallon of fuel used via excessive speed. You will find that most Hypermilers look to drive right up to the speed limit, up to, but not over 65 MPH (even if the speed limit is above 65 MPH).
3. Use Cruise Control. If your vehicle is equipped with cruise control, learn to utilize it more frequently. Cruise control maintains speed for your vehicle and more optimally uses fuel as you drive. Cruise control limits acceleration and therefore reduces fuel consumption.
4. Reduce weight carried in your vehicle. If you have extra items in your vehicle that are just taking up space and adding weight, such as bags, golf clubs, etc., consider removing them to reduce the weight load on your vehicle's motor. Your vehicle's motor burns fuel to gain and maintain momentum. Weight works against your motor creating the need to use more fuel to gain and maintain your vehicle's momentum. 100 pounds of excessive weight could reduce your fuel efficiency by 2 to 5 percent (or 9 to 27 cents extra realized cost per gallon at $4.50 a gallon).
Click here for final thoughts to enjoying the fun of the Hypermiler lifestyle.