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Good Morning America |
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Hypermilers: Drivers Go to Extremes for Gas Mileage
ABC News: Good Morning America
7/23/2007
Two years ago Americans were growing increasingly upset
about rising prices when they reached $2 a gallon. Today the
numbers are much higher.
The national average for a gallon of gas is $3.05, but
Minnesota residents shell out more money. At $3.20 a gallon,
they pay the highest price in the country, likely because of
refinery problems in the Midwest.
Massachusetts residents have it a bit easier at $2.91.
They are purchasing gas at the lowest price in the country.
With oil companies expected to release stellar
second-quarter profit reports later this week, some drivers
said they are looking to save money not by changing to
hybrids, but by changing themselves.
Slow and Steady Saves Gas
Lately Joshua Zumbrun has averaged about 72 miles per
gallon in the hybrid he bought for his long commute as a
Washington Post reporter. The mileage is high, even for a
hybrid.
"That's like driving from D.C. to Philly and a little bit
more on just over 2 gallons of gas," he said.
Zumbrun has several tips to bring in big savings. The
first is to slow down and drive steadily without
accelerating and braking so often.
"There's no point in racing up to a red light every
time," he said.
Zumbrun said gravity is a driver's friend and drivers
should coast when they can. He also said that sitting at a
long red light while the car's engine is idling could be
hard on a car, but that drivers should shut off their
engines.
Alone, each step may not save much, but together they
could add up to huge savings.
Hypermilers Go the Distance
Some competitors in last weekend's Hybridfest "Miles Per
Gallon" Challenge in Madison, Wis., put their gas saving
skills to the test. The contestants, known as "hypermilers"
for their skill at squeezing every mile they can out of
every drop of gas, drove 30 miles with the goal of
conserving as much gas as possible. The winner was the
driver with the best gas mileage.
Hypermiler Wayne Gerdes said he constantly times traffic
lights and anticipates helpful hills, and many competitors
went as far as ditching their shoes in order to reduce the
weight their cars carried.
When the race began, the contestants, driving slowly to
conserve fuel, held up regular traffic. At the finish line,
Gerdes came in second in his division with nearly 146 miles
per gallon. Winner Bill Kinney eked out an amazing 168 miles
per gallon.
Hypermilers achieve these fuel-saving goals in a variety
of ways. The extreme ones draft behind big rig trucks and
turn off their engines on freeways.
Hypermilers said drivers also can tweak their cars for
better fuel economy. They suggest using the thinnest oil
recommended for your vehicle and the maximum recommended
tire pressure.
But some safety advocates disapprove of the tactics,
noting that overinflated tires and close drafting behind big
trucks on freeways can be dangerous.
"Those are frankly dangerous practices that no one should
be doing no matter how much they want to save on the price
of gasoline," said AAA public relations director Geoff
Sundstrom.
Copyright © 2007 ABC News Internet Ventures
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