Watch a Hypermiler Saving on Gas

Here is another hypermiler doing his thing. Hypermiling is the skill of driving in such a way as to minimize fuel use. You can see in the video that he is using the Scan Gauge II. The feedback generated by seeing your instantaneous fuel consumption rate really helps you learn to reduce it. The first tip given in the video is to coast in neutral with the engine on whenever you know you will not need to accelerate for the next while. His Scan Gauge clearly shows the benefit of coasting ... he gets 170 miles per gallon or uses only 0.59 GPHM (gallons per hundred miles). That is saving on gas!



The video gives the Hypermiler's Golden Rule: Maintain Momentum. Every time you slow down, you are dumping kinetic energy into heat and brake dust. When you speed up again, that energy has to be replaced and it comes from your gas tank. The video also shows a driver honking at the hypermiler as he slowly accelerates away from a light. You will likely encounter this kind of anti hypermiling peer pressure. It is a symptom of the almost total lack of hypermiling culture in the US. Maybe putting up a bumper sticker like in the image above could help!