Hypermilers alter their driving habits so that they can maximise
their fuel economy. Clearly this will save you money and it is not all
about just driving like 90 year old Reggy Flat-Cap.
Hypermilers
- are they all anoraks ? GOD NO.
As we said, it is not about driving slow, more about maintaining the momentum of your
car. Where you would normally brake - you don't brake - you coast around
that corner trying to keep the car at the same speed - going further for
less fuel (and less money).
It is using alot of techniques (most are very simple and basic) that when bought together, make a
big difference to the fuel economy of your car and ultimately how much cash
is left in your wallet after that trip to the petrol station.
Some of the techniques include ;
1) Reducing the weight of the vehicle, de-junking, emptying the boot, removing usused seats
(usually in MPV's),
2) cruising at efficient speeds with minimum throttle, and minimising stop-start driving,
3) regarding to maintenance - higher tyre pressures to reduce road resistance, good upkeep
of engine sensors and regular oil changes (noramally with low viscosity
oils),
4) reducing acceleration and braking. Less aggressive throttle usage will improve
fuel efficiency, and looking ahead to anticipate what is happening or going
to happen ahead so as to minimise braking.
5) Coasting or gliding, taking the car out of gear whilst moving, letting the engine fall
to idle uses less fuel. Controversially, coasting and switching the
engine off (not recommended) is a technique used by some.
As we said, these are just some of the basic techniques, there are more advanced ones too such
as 'pulse and glide', auto-stop and forced stop.
Hypermiling and nempimania are very similar, with similar techniques. The term
nempimania is of japanese origin and it refers to the obsession with
maximising the fuel economy of hybrid cars.
If you want to read more about hypermiling, either do a web search on 'hypermiling',
or do a search on 'Wayne Gerdes' who actually fathered the term hypermiling.
BUT BEFORE YOU GO, here are some great videos that explain some more about
hypermiling and the techniques used to save money and reduce your fuel
consumption ;
