Low Impact

I was doing some idle websurfing over the weekend, and came across this article on hypermiling – the practise of doing whatever it takes to get better petrol consumption for your vehicle.

Wow.

The kind of mileage these guys are getting in standard, non-hybrid vehicles is incredible. And the lengths to which they’ll go to are just as amazing. Now I should say right here that I can’t in good faith endorse all the techniques these guys use – some seem to cross that boundary where safety is compromised (drafting behind large trucks, anyone?). But there are many tips that are within reach of all of us, which can help make that tank of petrol last a little bit longer.

AutoBlogGreen have a great post on the topic that covers the main tricks, as well as provide a good introduction to the whole “hypermiling” movement – its well worth a read. Likewise, CleanMPG.com is worth a look, being a community site for the Hypermiling set that seems to have a wealth of information – try checking out the “Articles” link.

But to get you on your way to saving petrol, some of the basic techniques that everyone seems to be aware of (yet strangely forgets day-to-day) are:

• Keep your tires pumped up to the correct pressure. Flat tires “squish” more than pumped up tires which increases resistance, and increases fuel consumption. Hypermilers go the next step and get tires optimised for fuel consumption – slim, non-sticky tires that are rated to high pressures.

• Don’t carry extra weight. When you’re driving, you’re burning petrol to carry around an 80kg human….and a 1.5 tonne vehicle! Why make it worse by leaving 50kg of cargo in the back that has been there for months, waiting for you to “drop it off”? Again, Hypermilers have been known to go the next step, and remove unused passenger seats and the like!

• Avoid “jack rabbit” driving – screeching away from the traffic lights, only to slam on the breaks at the next set! Gentle acceleration, coasting, and gentle de-acceleration uses a lot less fuel (and may help you time the lights that bit better). On hybrids, you get the added benefit of charging the batteries whenever you coast. Hypermilers raise this to an artform, with one describing it as a chess game…but with moving pieces!

Obviously, safety first – make sure whatever techniques you do use don’t put you, or other road users at risk. But even bearing that in mind, there are plenty of things the average driver can do to go that little bit further on a tank of petrol. And the less petrol used, the less CO2 emitted.

And of course, to really go for distance, walking or riding a bicycle uses even less petrol than even the most hardcore hypermiler!

Categories: efficiency, environment, green, hybrid, reduce

Tags: car, gas, hypermiling, petrol