Wayne Gerdes is the Lance Armstrong of gas mileage.
In 2006, at the Honda Insight Marathon in Tonkawa, Okla., using driving tactics both mundane and exotic, Gerdes and his teammates went 2,254 miles on a single 13.7-gallon tank of gas. That's an average of 165 miles per gallon for a vehicle with an EPA rating of 60 city/66 highway. During one of Gerdes' runs on the 40-mile course, mpg peaked at 200.
The Chicago resident is the acknowledged king of the hypermilers.
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Hypermiling, if you don't know, is the art of wringing every last ounce of fuel efficiency out of a car. It had its genesis in some Internet chat rooms and bulletin boards frequented by owners of hybrid vehicles. Soon, boys being boys -- and generally it's men who are involved -- competitions were held, gauntlets were thrown and some astounding figures were being posted. (You can get a taste for the hypermiling life at GasSavers.org or Gerdes' own Web site, CleanMPG.com.)
Going the extra mile
Regulars on the sites report mileage of 60 mpg, 70 mpg, even 80 mpg over extended periods. Of course, the average commuter can't even begin to approach these levels of fuel economy.Most of us wouldn't want to try. Many of the techniques embraced by hypermilers are uncomfortable, illegal or downright dangerous.
Some block off their car's grille to improve aerodynamics; some shut their engines off while coasting. They'll remove side mirrors to reduce drag, remove a power steering pump or buy a new set of tires in hopes of improved coasting.
Hypermilers report daily mileage -- even in bone-stock cars such as a Honda Civic, Ford Escort or Toyota Yaris -- well into the 40s.
Little things mean a lot
In fact, Gerdes says, following just the basics, like parking so that you can pull forward rather than wasting gas backing up, will improve own your mileage 25%.This might even be a bit of an understatement. At its fueleconomy.gov Web site, the U.S. Department of Energy says that by following the speed limit and swearing off aggressive driving (rapid acceleration and deceleration), drivers can improve mpg by anywhere from 12% to 55%. An additional 19% improvement can be achieved, it is claimed, merely by keeping a car properly maintained.
Editors at Edmunds.com achieved similar results when they put to the test some widely accepted driving tips. On average, fuel efficiency improved 12% when speed limits were followed, 31% when aggressive driving tactics were avoided and an additional 7% when cruise control was used. Limiting the time spent idling also led to improvements of up to 19%.
Not only is significantly improved fuel efficiency achievable, it's easily achievable. Hypermiling builds on these relatively simple concepts.
Gerdes proved this recently when he put a visitor behind the wheel and talked him through a 30-mile trip to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. The driver, previously untutored in the ways of hypermiling, averaged 51.2 mpg in Gerdes' 2005 Honda Accord, exceeding the EPA's highway rating for the vehicle by more than 50%.