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Real World Hypermiling | Hybrid Autos | Alternative Fuel Cars

Hypermiling In The Real World

Getting 180 miles per gallon in a hybrid vehicle has been reported by competition hypermilers, according to an article at Edmunds.com, but are the methods applicable to my commute into work in my conventional vehicle? Let's look at each method used:

Over Inflate Tires by 15-20 Pounds: Sorry, but excessively over inflating your tires is just plain dangerous! Keeping your tires properly inflated, however, is crucial to getting optimal gas mileage.
Watch Real Time Mileage Display: This is a great way to adjust your driving habits, if available. Just make sure to pay full attention to the road and avoid distracted driving.
Watch the Wind and Plan Accordingly: Great in theory, but when I call in at work stating the wind was not in the right direction to optimize my MPG, I don't think it would be well received!
Place Cardboard Over The Radiator: Good idea for the winter time, just remember to remove it when it warms up. According to the authors at Edmunds, the cardboard will only cause a problem with trips over 100 miles, even in warmer weather.
Plan your route to minimize stops: With a little thought and planning, routes to work, trips to visit friends, vacations, etc could be chosen to minimize the number of stops.
Drive Outside the Ruts: This is also know as Ride the Ridge. You drive outside the ruts normally traveled to reduce friction. This is actually a good idea when there is a wet road if you can safely position your tires outside the water filled ruts since you reduce the risk of hydroplaning. However, if you are driving right on or along the white line as suggested by some, this is a big safety risk.
Turn Off AC But Don't Open Windows: Use your vent on cool days with windows closed or nearly closed. Nice idea, except when the car is about 120 degrees inside. . . I don't want a case of heat stroke!
Minimize Complete Braking: This is a great practice that actually enhances safety if done wisely, particularly in non-hybrid vehicles where braking does not serve as an energy generation tool. You can coast to a stop ahead from a long distance. If one, however, ignores posted stops or fails to slow down when approaching another car or a corner, this practice can be deadly or earn you a traffic citation.
Keep Up Car Maintenance: Keep clean air and oil filters and oil in your vehicle. I have been told by an automotive specialist that a high-performance air filter like a K&N Air filter can improve MPG, and comments here also support the claim. Keeping your vehicle in top working order only makes sense.
Minimize Weight Carried in Trunk and Roof Drag: For a small car, this can have an effect on mileage, although generally we don't usually have much extra weight in a small car's small trunk. I know for a fact that my Kia Rio Cinco's mileage suffers when I have my canoe roof rack on - this rack places a lot of drag on the vehicle.
Park On a Hill Face Down: I guess this is a good idea if you can do it safely. It is touted as a big saver for hybrids, since the car may depart without engine running. I seriously doubt much is saved with a non-hybrid.
Pulse and Glide For Hybrids: In this method, one eases back on the accelerator at about 40 MPH until the energy monitor shows no energy used, and then "glide" until the car reaches 30 MPH. Then repeat. This would probably cause a bit of distress and potential safety hazard if cars are backed up behind you, so use with this method with discretion.
Pulse and Glide For Non-Hybrids: This involves turning the engine off and could lead to deadly situations!
Coaxing an "Auto-Stop" : This involves shutting off the engine while rolling to a stop or while going down hills. Vehicle control is compromised, leading to deadly situations!
Drafting: This involves tailgating a larger vehicle or 18 wheeler truck so that they carry you along via a draft, greatly eliminating wind resistance. This is perhaps one of the most insane of the techniques!

So...How Much Can I Improve My MPG With My Non-Hybrid Car?

When you eliminate all of the questionable or downright dangerous hypermiling techniques, you are left with simply keeping your tires properly inflated, properly maintaining your vehicle, lightening up your lead foot, minimizing the need for braking, planning your travel, and reducing air drag and weight. Most, if not all of these practices have been around for decades and are documented at this government site on fuel economy! So what can you save? According to the government site mentioned here, I would estimate that one could possible save as much as 34% based on the averages of what they post, and 13% if you use the minimums posted on this site. Probably the actual amount would lie somewhere between. And, I am guessing that since this site uses data from 1999 probably applying to non-hybrid cars, the savings for a hybrid vehicle might be much more.