What is hypermiling?
'Hypermiling' means using energy efficient driving techniques to get the maximum miles per gallon out of a tank of petrol in your car.
You can hypermile in any car. It's a good way to reduce both fuel costs and wear and tear of the vehicle, and it can also help you drive more safely.
How to hypermile
Ensure the car tyres are at the correct pressure.
Declutter the car to remove unnecessary weight.
Keep the car in good condition and serviced regularly.
Remove roof racks etc and keep windows closed to reduce drag.
Turn off air conditioning to reduce fuel consumption by up to 10%.
Anticipate changes to reduce use of the brakes.
Plan the route to drive more smoothly without stopping and starting.
Turn off the engine in queuing traffic.
Drive more slowly - a car doing 50 mph uses 30% less fuel than a car doing 70 mph.
Use thinner engine oil.
Drive in soft shoes or socks to develop more sensitive use of the throttle pedal.
zed4me gives a practical demonstration in this tutorial video - How To: Hypermile a Car.
Of course, the biggest savings are made by leaving the car at home. Over one third of car journeys are less than two miles - cycling or walking sometimes on shorter trips might even turn out to be more enjoyable than a car ride and good exercise too.
If you are planning to give it a go - be warned - it's addictive! Nempimania is the term used to describe an obsession with getting the best fuel economy possible!
You can find more information on 'How to Save Money on Gas' at wikiHow.
See also the Green Car Guide
See also our posts:
No-cost energy-saving ideas for ways to cut energy use in the home.
Climate Change - what can you do? - how to reduce your climate footprint.
Photo by Vivek Sharma on Unsplash