What Is Hypermiling?

‘Hypermiling’ was a term first initiated by Wayne Gerdes used to refer to the process by which a driver surpasses his or her vehicle’s EPA fuel saving rate. Persons who attempt to apply this concept when driving are most likely to maximize on their gas mileage, sometimes even exceeding one hundred (100) Mpg, and therefore they ultimately save a lot on the cost of fuel and aid in fuel conservation.

Low fuel economy is as a result of several aspects of driving which can be curtailed. This includes the underestimation of highway speeds. A majority if highway speeds are set at sixty five (65) miles per hour or more. Government research shows that driving at sixty five miles per hour to seventy miles per hour as opposed to fifty five miles per hour lowers fuel economy by approximately seventeen percent. Hence, encouraging drivers to cut down on speed by lowering the speed limit would help to save on fuel worldwide.

Time spent in traffic congestion also lowers the fuel economy in that it greatly increases the time one spends driving as well as the amount of acceleration and deceleration that must be done whilst in traffic. Excessive use of air conditioning also requires a lot of fuel.

Hypermiling techniques can be used by any licensed or authorized driver who desires to increase the fuel economy and effectiveness of his or her vehicle. There are several safe and simple techniques that help to improve your driving skills, and once you adjust to such techniques you can successfully master the system of fuel saving and increasing your gas mileage.

For example, you can simply avoid quick accelerations and heavy braking as this requires excess and unnecessary use of fuel. Also, driving at lower speeds, as aforementioned, allows you to conserve on the amount of fuel you use. In addition, take note of the weather when traveling. If you can avoid driving in cold weather, it is best to do this in that it takes additional fuel to warm up the engine in addition to driving. Also avoid towing or carrying excess weight which also requires more fuel that average. And finally, if possible, refrain from driving in hilly or mountainous areas or on unpaved roads as an efficient way of saving on gas is driving your vehicle on flat roads.