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"Hypermiling" drives savings as fuel costs soar
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by JD Rucker | April 29, 2008 at 07:56 pm
292 views | 15 Recommendations | 2 comments
As gas goes up (and up, and up) many people are making life-changing decisions based upon the price of gas. Commutes are shortening as people move, public transportation is starting to boom again as it did in the 70s, people are buying smaller vehicles and hybrids -- all because it takes $50-$??? to fill up the old gas tank.
An alternative to rearranging one's life is to learn the art of "hypermiling". Old tactics such as drafting behind cars and accelerating gently are being mixed with newer tactics such as overfilling tires and using lower viscosity motor oil to bump up miles per gallon numbers to their highest level possible per vehicle.
The price of gasoline -- which hit a record of nearly $3.61 per gallon on Tuesday, according to travel club AAA -- 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 on Tuesday 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 U.S. Environmental Protection Administration's official ratings, which apply to each car model.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (2)
at 20:00 on April 29th, 2008
JD Rucker, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 20:03 on April 29th, 2008
JD Rucker, I like this story. Gas prices are a serious problem and it's only going to get worse, but there are silver linings as you outlined in your introduction. Which reminds me, I have to check the air in my tires....