Environment | Devon Akmon

The Return to Hypermiling!

Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Environment

Back in the summer of 2008, when gas prices were hovering around $4.00/gallon, I began hypermiling to conserve gas and save money. Unfortunately, when the cost of gas dipped back down below $3.00/gallon, I returned to a much faster speed during my commutes to and from work. Lately, I have been thinking a lot about all of the things I would like to do in the coming year. Lessening my impact upon the environment is certainly on that list of things. Additionally, so are many new projects and classes I would like to take; all of which cost money. So, after reviewing our budget I have decided it’s time to return to the slower commute.

The first order of business will be to remove the Yakima roof rack from our car. Considering I no longer own a snowboard and have no real need for the rack in the winter, its removal seems like a smart decision. It will also add about 5 miles per gallon to my car’s fuel economy. Next, I will be driving at a sensible 55 miles per hour. Yes, I’ll be way over in the left lane with the semi-trailer trucks (so save the dirty glares and the unfriendly hand gestures)! The fun part of hypermiling is making a game out of your commute. Timing your speed for stop lights and “pulse and glide” are both fun strategies. In short, a commute can become more fun and less stressful through hypermiling!

If hypermiling piques your curiosity, head over to Ecomodder.com and check out some tips on increasing fuel economy. You can also create your own fuel log to track your mileage. The last time I tried hypermiling I averaged 38 miles per gallon over the course of a couple months, with a high of 43 miles per gallon on one tank of gas!