"If every vehicle in the US got 25km per litre, we would not import any oil"
I am certain that the former nuclear plant operator from Wadsworth, Illinois (Homer, is that you?) ... actually used the mileage figure "km per litre"
Posted on 05/02/2008 5:13:54 AM PDT by CarrotAndStick
PHILADEPHIA: As gasoline prices hit records on almost a daily basis, an increasing number of motorists in US are following a radical driving technique designed to eke out every last mile from a tank of fuel. Known as 'hypermiling,' the methods can double gas mileage, even in gas-guzzling vehicles.
Promoted on a growing number of websites, hypermiling includes pumping up tires to the maximum rating on their sidewalls, which may be higher than levels recommended in car manuals; using engine oil of a low viscosity, and the controversial practice of drafting behind other vehicles on the highway to reduce aerodynamic drag — a practice begun a few years ago by truck drivers.
The price of gasoline has rapidly emerged as the public's biggest economic concern. Gas prices are a "serious problem," ahead of jobs, and healthcare, according to a poll released by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The "advanced" techniques of hypermiling are in addition to well-known approaches including keeping speed down, accelerating gently, avoiding excessive idling and removing cargo racks to also cut down on aerodynamic drag.
Adherence to hypermiling and other disciplines are designed to boost mileage well in excess of the US Environmental Protection Administration's ratings, which apply to each car model.
Wayne Gerdes, a former nuclear plant operator from Wadsworth, Illinois, and the originator of hypermiling, said he gets 40-70-mpg (almost 20km a litre) out of his Ford Ranger pickup truck, about doubling its official fuel consumption.
Gerdes (47), estimates that hypermiling has saved him $15,000 in fuel since he began the technique after the attacks of September 11, events that convinced him that US national security was being undermined by its dependence on oil from the Middle East, and motivated him to reduce his own fuel consumption.
"If every vehicle in the US got 25km per litre, we would not import any oil," he said. Deron Lovaas, vehicles campaign director at environmental group the Natural Resources Defense Council, said most hypermiling techniques are "sensible recommendations" that could drive down demand and even prices if widely adopted.
"We should be looking under every rock for potential energy savings," he said.
He said he could not recommend drafting behind fast-moving trucks because it could potentially lead to highway accidents. Hypermiling can even make fuel-sipping gas-electric hybrid cars more efficient. Chuck Thomas (50), a computer programmer from Lewisville, Texas, said he has been getting 30km a litre from his Honda Insight, a hybrid whose EPA rating is 25km a litre, in the two years since he has been hypermiling.
Among Thomas' techniques is "pulse and glide" in which he accelerates and then coasts with the engine off until around 24 kph when he kicks the engine back on and accelerates again. "It's the automotive equivalent of skateboarding," he said.
“and the controversial practice of drafting behind other vehicles on the highway to reduce aerodynamic drag — a practice begun a few years ago by truck drivers.”
Wonderful...that’s what we need, more tailgaters.
Ping
lol - very true and good point
"If every vehicle in the US got 25km per litre, we would not import any oil"
I am certain that the former nuclear plant operator from Wadsworth, Illinois (Homer, is that you?) ... actually used the mileage figure "km per litre"
Since my drive involves mostly back roads and then congested urban streets, I am not driving that fast anyway.
I'll bet this writer tried driving with a foil beret too.
Between this and "drafting" behind semis, it must be a real pleasure to ride with, or drive near this genius.
The article is from Reuters, through an Indian newspaper.
I’d suspect they did the conversions for that market.
It could have been Grandpa Simpson ...
"My car gets forty rods to the hogshead, and that's the way I likes it!"
Bad idea. Hypermiling will just lead to hypertension.
You can get most of the effect of this without any closer than is common on our crowded highways.
Most people drive close enough to be drafting, just not behind trucks.
You need to be far enough back that if the truck slams his brakes on, you can do so before you hit him.
So Reuters, once again, is making up stuff. The article should have quoted the person saying "miles per gallon," if such a person actually existed, and then the author of the piece should have written the metric conversion outside of the quotation.
Yeah I think we should leave drafting to the NASCAR pros and not encourage it among American’s moron drivers.
I’ve been doing this since 1979, albeit not as strictly, but I have always been able to get more mileage out of a car than most. Part of it has been keeping the tires well inflated, also learning how to manage the throttle and brake so as not to waste gas and speed. Its just the way I usually drive. I dont do the more dangerous stuff, like drafting, though.
This is not such a “new” idea. We did many of these things back in the 70’s when the Arabs were getting uppity with the oil supplies. Hard as rocks tires will increase mileage, but you’ll pay for that error in worn out suspension parts AND tires! You might even pay with you life if you have a blowout at highway speeds. I used to “draft” big trucks when travelling on the interstate, it does decrease drag, but it INCREASES engine temperatures and wears out oil because the radiator doesn’t get the full air flow. You don’t get something for nothing.......
Then they shouldn’t put “” around the text. That signifies the exact words used.
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