Hypermiling for Fun and Profit
I achieved average fuel efficiency of 22.6 miles per gallon on my commute today.* That's a 12% improvement over my previous best of 20.2 mpg and a whopping 35% improvement over my "bad old days" average of 16.7 mpg. Inspired by an NPR segment on hypermiling, I used the following procedures for today's result:
- Drive 5 mph slower than the speed limit
- Accelerate slowly, never exceeding 2000 RPM
- Coast down hills in neutral
- Monitor traffic patterns far ahead and coast to unavoidable stops in neutral
- Coast onto off ramps in neutral and avoid braking while turning to preserve energy
- Turn on the AC only occasionally and usually while going downhill.
Back in April when I made my first attempt at hypermiling (which included only step 1 above) I was concerned that driving slow would annoy other drivers. So I stayed in the right lane and hoped for the best. It was lonely over there - sometimes I was the only car in the lane. But I was pleasantly surprised to recieve no offensive hand gestures.
Now that gasoline is over $4 a gallon, I think it is really biting into the lifestyle of many people, particularly those on the lower portions of the income distribution curve. While I don't have quantitative data to back it up, I've noticed two interesting things in the last week.
- There seem to be fewer drivers on the road overall. Traffic leaving downtown Boston yesterday at 5:30pm was extremely light. I sailed through the Allston tolls, which never happens. It could be seasonality now that the college students are gone, but wow, the roads were empty.
- There are many more drivers in the right lane going slower than the speed limit. Unlike my experience in April, there are many cars in the right lane going slower than the speed limit. Many were older cars driven by working class people of various ages. The BMWs and Range Rovers continue to roar by at 80 mph in the left lane.
While it is uncertain whether today's high fuel prices will continue, it certainly is increasing awareness about our dependence on hydrocarbons. With that awareness will come a wave of conservation and innovation both on the personal and organizational levels. Overall, I hope we're better off for these changes in the long run.
* As a reminder. I drive a 2003 GMC Sierra Extended Cab pickup truck. If I care about the environment, why do I drive a gas guzzling truck, you ask? I am a Boy Scout leader and use the truck to haul gear. I keep a valid Terrapass to keep it carbon neutral. I wish it used less gas, but the ROI on buying a more efficient vehicle isn't there at this point in the life cycle of my truck and you can't haul 20 backpacks in a Prius.
Let me do some math:
google says:
1 U.S. dollar = 0.646454199 Euros
1 US gallon = 3.78541178 liters
$4/gal. -> 0,683 €/l
that's dam cheap.
Ok, the dollar is very weak right now, but even if I set $1 = €1, that's still about 1€ per liter.
We pay about 1,50 Euro per liter right now here in Germany. (That's $8,78 per gallon.)
Trend: rising prices. :-/
We measure the efficiency in liters per 100km.
Your car would be 22,6mpg -> 9,54km/l
That makes: 10,48l per 100km. That's very good I think. How much cylinder capacity does your gmc have? My car (Ford Focus) has a 1,6liter-machine, resulting in about 8l/100km.
@BMWs: If they sell the same machines in USA as in Germany, they are at about 9.5l/100km (for a BMW 335i) or 6,5l/100km (BMW 320i)
Your pickup can be compared to a BMW 740i which consumes about 11l/100km.
(numbers from bmw.de)
PS: when do you start using international units? Look at tha NASA, it works :P
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_System_of_Units
$4 is cheap compared to here, too! I saw regular gas going for $4.90 today in Los Angeles.
Thanks for not advocating two other hypermiling techniques: turning off the engine when coasting and drafting behind 18-wheelers. Each is dangerous enough (and the two together are practically suicidal) and I hope that you're around for a long time.
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