Does Hypermiling Work?

Hypermiling is the practice of altering your driving habits in order to maximize fuel efficiency. I’m already carpooling which obviously saves a ton, but on my days to drive I’ve been trying out some simple hypermiling techniques. After a month (yes, it’s been literally over a month since my last fill-up) I finally had used up a full tank of gas and can report my findings.

First off, here are some specifics:

Car: I drive a 2003 Pontiac Vibe. It’s nothing fancy, just a base-model standard transmission.

Commute: I drive my car mainly for commuting, although when I go out without my family I use this car as well. My commute is about 15 miles each way and usually takes me around 25 mins. I do carpool, however, which means I’m only driving to work 1/2 the time.

Before Hypermiling: I don’t believe I used to drive too crazy - I imagine rather typical. I do know that I considered many other drivers pretty nuts especially with their acceleration and braking habits. All in all I’d average 27-28 MPG each tank.

I anxiously calculated my mileage before leaving the gas station yesterday, hoping I’d hit 33 miles a gallon (completely arbitrary number I came up with for a goal). As it were, I got 34.14 MPG! I was very happy and I think I can easily do even better. My next goal is to break 35 MPG. Pretty easy, right?

So what techniques did I employ? I haven’t gone for the dangerous drafting techniques or anything like that. I simply tried to pay much closer attention to modest take-offs and make sure I’m not running my accelerator into a stop sign/light. I found that by being slightly more patient, I had more than enough inertia/momentum to get many places. I really started to realize how impatient we, as a culture, are.

Tomorrow starts my week to drive for our commute, and I have a fresh tank of gas. Wish me luck as I employ my hypermiling skills and see how far I can make it. If all goes well, it will take me even longer before I’m able to post my next update on this! You know, for all the complaining about high gas prices, I’ve been amazed at how easy it has been to reduce my gas expenditures to an all-time low …

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