Hypermiling to save fuel.
Discussion
Anyone in to 'Hypermiling' to save fuel? I started a few months ago and it's really fun, pitting yourself against yourself to get the maximum mpg out of your car. Every time you brake (except in the most modern cars) you've wasted fuel, so less braking means smoother decelleration by anticipation and thereby smoother driving. Obviously hard accelleration wastes fuel and the best hypermiling is done allowing the car to coast down hills, the longer the better. I've discovered that some roads I thought were flat have actually got an incline that keeps me going (in the right direction) for considerable distances.
When driving your engine wastes fuel and energy whether you like it or not but with a little thought it's possible to mitigate this to a degree. To cut down on this wasted energy produced by your alternator you can cut down the energy drain (allowing it to all go straight to the battery) by not using anything electrical unnecessarily. So less braking also saves enery by not using the brake lights. When changing direction I now no longer use my indicators (a blatant waste of electrical energy). What has surprised me is the number of other drivers who have noticed this energy saving on my part and in appreciation many sound their horns or flash their lights, wave excitedly, or even a combination of all three. Being a polite driver I always respond with my own wave of appreciation in response, but of course a friendly flashing of appreciation from my own lights would defeat the object of the exercise.
Another good tip in wet weather is to always turn off your windscreen wipers when driving under a bridge.
Happy hypermiling!
When driving your engine wastes fuel and energy whether you like it or not but with a little thought it's possible to mitigate this to a degree. To cut down on this wasted energy produced by your alternator you can cut down the energy drain (allowing it to all go straight to the battery) by not using anything electrical unnecessarily. So less braking also saves enery by not using the brake lights. When changing direction I now no longer use my indicators (a blatant waste of electrical energy). What has surprised me is the number of other drivers who have noticed this energy saving on my part and in appreciation many sound their horns or flash their lights, wave excitedly, or even a combination of all three. Being a polite driver I always respond with my own wave of appreciation in response, but of course a friendly flashing of appreciation from my own lights would defeat the object of the exercise.
Another good tip in wet weather is to always turn off your windscreen wipers when driving under a bridge.
Happy hypermiling!
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