Read this article by Egan Sanders, a “HyperMiler”....
Save Gas to Help the Economy and Your Finances by Hypermiling
I’m sending out this email to offer some effective tips for people to save money on gas. If you find that they work for you, please share them with as many people you can. Saving gas saves us money and is good for our economy and the environment.
I’ve been experimenting with these “hypermiling” techniques for the last few months. My 1997 Toyota is only supposed to get about 23 miles per gallon. By hypermiling I get on average 35-38 miles per gallon – over a 50% increase! Most of my driving is in the city which usually wastes more gas. If you have a newer car that already gets higher gas mileage then this will likely boost it even further.
Even though the price of gas has come down recently that doesn’t mean that it’s going to stay there. At this time I see no logic in the stock market and in the trading of commodities like gas. Also, the more gas we use, the more of that money goes overseas - often to countries that don’t like the U.S.; like Venezuela, Russia, and Iran.
Lessening our dependence on foreign oil is also a matter of national security. We are funding countries that are not truly democratic with our oil money. Saving gas is patriotic and these techniques are life-long habits that will pay dividends for many years to come.
Our national debt is also out of control and saving gas is one way we can ease it. By reducing our use we can help our own economy and be an example to other countries.
Until electric vehicles are widely available, we also have to realize that burning fuel harms the environment. Global Warming is a reality. Do we really want our children and grandchildren to inherit a more polluted and harsher environment? While I’m hoping our new president will put new programs into place, we all have to our part. We are all part of the solution and we can act now.
Okay, enough with the commentary…here are the basic techniques. More information can be found on the site for the man who invented hypermiling, www.cleanmpg.com
1. If you can avoid driving – do so; walk, bike, carpool and/or take public transportation. I live close enough to my bank that I can walk to it. If you commute to work see if you can carpool with a coworker at least once a week.
2. Reduce your car’s weight. The heavier your car is, the more gas you use. Clean out your car and remove unnecessary objects. All that stuff in your trunk is wasting gas. Also, don’t fill up your gas tank all the way – a full tank adds more weight to your vehicle.
3. Properly inflate your car tires. Familiarize yourself with your car’s proper tire pressure and montor it regularly.
4. Search for the cheapest gas prices online by visiting www.gasbuddy.com. I was surprised about the wide difference in prices even within a few miles of where I live. The larger chains generally charge more than other independent stations.
5. Drive five miles under the speed limit. Right away you reduce your gas use by 10%! If you try this you’ll find that you get to places on time. At the most you may lose a few minutes, but I found myself often meeting up with the same people at the next stop light who had sped past me. Driving slower is relaxing, too. If no one is on the road drive ten miles under the speed limit. You will get to where you are going in about the same time at a slower speed. Less traffic means fewer red lights because most stop lights are automated. When traffic is low they stay green or change quickly.
6. Avoid wasteful idling. When you turn you car engine on – go; when you get where you are going, turn off the engine immediately. Most cars nowadays are fuel-injected and don’t need to be warmed up. Shut off your engine if you’re stopped for more than 10 seconds to save even further on gas. So, if you stop at a drive thru ATM, turn off your engine. Some stoplights are over a minute or two. Why burn gas while you wait?
7. Combine errands. Before you head out to drive ask yourself, “Is there anything else I need to do while I’m out?” Instead of driving to do just one thing, combine errands and plan your route in advance. You can grab a coffee at Starbucks, go to the post office and then stop at the supermarket all in one trip. This kind of driving saves gas and also creates less wear on your car. It only takes a moment to plan your route. To drive fewer miles UPS has their drivers plan their routes to avoid left turns, and instead make as many right turns as possible.
8. Pay attention to how you accelerate and decelerate – braking. Have an anticipatory focus and be a smart-braker! Flow with the traffic and try to brake as little as possible. Every time you rapidly accelerate, or break hard to slow down, you waste gas. Try to keep a consistent speed and stay in one lane. Rather than braking, gently ease up on the gas pedal when coming to a red light and avoid a full stop - if you can. If you time it right the light may turn green and then you can slowly re-accelerate without having to do so from a complete stop.
9. Avoid additional gas wasters like running the air conditioning/heat and driving with the windows down. If you need to run the a/c or heat, turn it off a few minutes before you arrive at your destination. You can also use the vent or fan to intake and circulate air inside your car.
I know this initially takes effort, but if many people started to do this it could make a huge impact. I found with a little practice it becomes easy and automatic to do.
Thanks for hypermiling.
Egan Sanders
Comments are closed for this post.
