An Experiment in Hypermiling

So I decided to observe my own driving habits today. Like I mentioned a while back, hypermiling is the technique anyone can use to improve your fuel economy above the normal values, by changing how you drive.

It turns out it's quite difficult, actually. Perhaps the worst part is braking and acceleration as slow as possible. Sometimes, traffic is just too darn unpredictable to really have it be practical. It requires a level of concentration that I personally, have trouble keeping. I drove today from Fort Worth to College Station, enduring one interstate freeway and a state highway.

On the highway, it takes some effort on my part because my car does not have cruise control, for good or bad. So it means it is all up to my foot to decide how consistent my speed is. That is the toughest thing because you tend to gauge your speed on how fast the surrounding cars are going on long trips. It's interesting to see what happens when you ignore your speedometer for a bit and take traffic's speed.

The hardest thing however, is getting off and on the highway. When you get off, you have to find a way to lower your speed, and quickly. It requires discipline and careful timing to get away with minimal braking, especially if there are other drivers around you. And then, all your efforts could just be wasted by some jerk of a driver that decides to cut you off when you have the right of way.



Hard braking is bad, as you can imagine. So I personally think that hypermiling is more practical to some people than others - people who have cruise control, live in a stable traffic areas, and have a mild mannered driving style will get the best results. Otherwise, your efforts to save some gas may come up short.