The Hypermiler is a new breed of athlete who has turned saving money at the pump into a sport.
Add the ability to keep score and almost anything can become a sport – even saving money on gas. Using a dash mounted miles per gallon score board, hypermilers compete to squeeze every mile possible out of each gallon of gas. Some of the more extreme techniques employed range from eccentric to illegal.
As with most sports, some enthusiasts lay out heavy cash for special equipment while others use only what they have at hand. Some hypermilers – especially those concerned about the environment get help from hybrid cars. Most however, simply drive the traditional gas only vehicles the majority of the population is puttering around in.
Regardless of type of car, a hypermiler's vehicle must be well tuned. With out good basic auto care, the extreme tweaks used to get that last mile per gallon are worthless. Hypermilers make sure to get their oil changed on a regular basis and keep the tires properly inflated and balanced. Unbalanced tires and dirty oil can strain the engine and significantly reduce fuel efficiency.
Another common preparation for a gas saving ride is to get all the junk out of the trunk. Carrying around extra weight reduces gas millage. Those golf clubs you tossed in the trunk “just in case you get the chance” may be costing more than the green fee.
Once the car care requirements have been met, hypermilers turn to their driving habits for the real tweaks. Key among these habits is a strict adherence to the speed limit. Higher speeds require more gas to maintain. Many Hypermilers will use cruise control to keep their speed level over long distances. Some take things a step further. Patrick Madden, reporting for NPR, interviewed an extreme hypermiler who drives with one shoe off. This dedicated gas saver believes that the added awareness of the gas pedal will give him that crucial extra bit of millage.
A true hypermiler will also scout the terrain and monitor traffic patterns. This means checking out alternative routes to work and planning around rush hour. The constant acceleration and breaking of stop and go traffic that has become a tradition on the interstate will quickly wind the gas saving athlete.
Heavy traffic is not the only time a hypermiler avoids breaking. By paying careful attention to road signals and the car in front of them, hypermilers can begin slowing down early and avoid sudden stops. This helps eliminate time spent at red lights and stop signs, where you are left idling and getting “zero miles per gallon”.
Given the focus on good car maintaince, safe speed, and a Zen like awareness of traffic lights, Hypermilers might seem like the safest drivers on the road. Many of them probably are. Some however, have taken the quest for better millage to unsafe and illegal extremes.
The logic is that if stopping slowly saves a little gas, not stopping at all should save more. Some hypermiler practitioners will glide through stop signs at a low speed. These same fanatics will often ride dangerously close to large trucks in order take advantage of the lower wind resistance. Risking fines and endangering other motorists seems high a price to pay for more miles per gallon.
With extremists willing to break law and push the boundaries of good sense to get that extra mile, there is something to be learned from what they will not do as well. Even the most zealous Hypermilers avoid fuel additives and gadgets that promise better millage. Their stance adds weight findings by the EPA – who tested over 100 such devices and found none of them effective. Some even reduced millage or caused car damage.
Most of us probably don't want to drive with one shoe off or spend our free time finding new ways to go to work. Checking the tire and keeping the trunk clear on the other hand, are simple steps even for the time pressed. As gas prices continue to rise, it might be worth becoming a hypermiler spectator to see what other pump pointers they can offer.
