Why is fuel efficiency important and what is hypermiling?
Be more fuel efficient and keep your petrol tank fuller for longer. Image by exfordy via Flickr.
One thing that unites most drivers is their frustration at the high cost of petrol. It’s all the more frustrating because there’s not much you can do about it, except shopping around to try and find the best deal at the pumps.
Fuel efficiency can give you a little more control over how much your spend on petrol; by making some changes to how you drive you can maximise the number of miles you get out of a tank of petrol.
Hypermiling means simply using driving techniques that boost your fuel economy.
Here are our top hypermiling tips:
Our top 12 hypermiling tips to save petrol
- Don’t drive. Yes, our top tip for fuel efficiency is not to drive. The best way to save petrol is only to use your car when you really need to.
- Plan your route. Try to find a route with the shortest distance and fewest stops possible.
- Check your tyres. Make sure your tyres are inflated to the recommended level – but don’t over-inflate them as this can be extremely dangerous
- Wear the right shoes. Don’t drive in big or heavy shoes, as they reduce the sensitivity required to operate the accelerator.
- Reduce excess weight. Cut down on excess weight in your car by removing any unnecessary items; it’s amazing the extra items people keep in the boot of their car ‘just in case’. Take off roof racks and bike racks when you don’t need them too.
- Keep your car running smoothly. Take care of your car – make sure it is well-maintained and get it serviced regularly to make sure the engine is running as efficiently as possible.
- Drive steadily. Avoiding rapid braking and rapid accelerating is one of the best ways to save petrol.
- Drive slowly. The faster you drive, the more drag on your car, and the more drag, the more petrol you’ll use.
- Pay attention. Minimise distractions so you can focus on the road and anticipate what’s coming next. If you’re paying close attention the road ahead you’ll be able to avoid unnecessary braking and accelerating which push up your fuel consumption.
- Close the windows. Having the windows open makes your car less aerodynamic, so you’ll use more petrol.
- Turn off the air-con. Air-conditioning will reduce your fuel economy, so only use it when you really need it.
- Don’t leave the engine running. If you can, turn your engine off when you’re stopped or parked.
Take a look at hypermiling forums like hypermiler.co.uk for more tips, but remember that safety must come first. Don’t engage in dangerous techniques to help you save fuel; the safety of you, your passengers and other road users should be your top priority.
How to work out if hypermiling is working
If you want to measure how successful your new driving style has been, then simply work out the number of miles per gallon your car is achieving. You can then compare your figure to the recommended miles per gallon stated for your vehicle by the manufacturer.
How to work out your fuel consumption in miles per gallon
To work out your miles per gallon, follow these steps:
- Make sure your fuel tank is full.
- Set your odometer (otherwise known as a milometer) to 0.
- Drive your vehicle until it is time to fill up your tank again.
- Make a note of the number of miles driven.
- Fill your tank back up to the top and note how many litres of fuel you used.
- Divide the number of miles you travelled by the litres of fuel used.
- To find out your miles per gallon, multiply the result by 4.5461.
Example:
Mr A filled his tank and drove 250 miles.
He then refuelled his car requiring 30 litres of fuel.
Mr A worked out that 250 miles divided by 30 litres equals 8.33 miles to the litre.
To convert this to miles per gallon he multiplied 8.33 miles to the litre by 4.5461 to equal 37.88 miles per gallon.
Sum: 250 (miles) / 30 (litres) = 8.33 (miles per litre)
8.33 (miles per litre) * 4.5461 (conversion) = 37.88 (miles per gallon).