Wanna Hypermile? Lose a Lead Foot, Gain Better Fuel Mileage

During their tour of Texas, Dan Bryant and Michael Garfield brought new meaning to the old adage, “The journey is more important than the destination.” Their road trip snaked through Houston, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and back. Their goal: to complete the 844-mile trip on a single 12.3 gallon tank. Their car of choice was the Toyota Prius.

Bryant is a hyper-miler, someone who uses various techniques to achieve an average daily mileage higher than the EPA’s estimated fuel economy rating for his car’s model. And by all counts, Bryant is an expert in the field—his claim to fame is getting 106 miles-per-gallon in his hybrid car.

According to EPA estimates, a driver should expect about 566 miles on one tank of gas in a Prius.

“I wanted to raise awareness that fuel economy is in control of the driver” and not the other way around, Bryant said.

Garfield, who accompanied Bryant, is known as “The High Tech Texan,” a media personality who advises the public on what is new and notable in the tech world.

“There have been a lot of buzzwords in the green area lately,” he said. “Five years ago, the questions coming to me were ‘What type of HDTV do I buy?’ Now they are ‘How do I make my home more energy efficient?’ Should I install solar panels?’ ‘I’m retrofitting my house, how do I do it to make it green?’” Garfield explained

In an area known for big trucks and big oil, this duo’s hypermiling endeavor is representative of a new, more sustainable Houston.

An auto-dependent transportation system combined with emissions from nine surrounding oil refineries plague Houston with poor air quality, placing it at the lower end of SustainLane’s air quality rankings. Harris County, where Houston is located, suffered 37 days of unhealthy air in 2007.

“Air pollution is one of my biggest motivations,” said Bryant. “I want to produce as little air pollution as possible.”

Hybrid cars are touted as a solution to air quality issues and a way to relieve some of the pressure at the pump.

“I think most people are going to require cars that get at least 40 mpg, and right now, most of those cars are hybrids,” said Garfield.

So how did Bryant achieve his epic mileage? To start with, he chose not to use his air conditioner. Next, he aimed at keeping a constant RPM, and drove less aggressively. “About 30 percent of gas is wasted gunning it,” said Bryant.

Bryant’s hypermiling techniques increased his gas mileage a whopping 49 percent from EPA estimates of 46 mpg for a Prius. His fuel costs were 35 dollars less than Garfield’s, who followed the exact same path but drove conventionally.

All of which raises the question—can the average person…perhaps someone without a hybrid…increase mileage and save money? The answer is an unequivocal yes. Anyone in any car can do it. Simple techniques like slower acceleration, adopting a long view of the road, monitoring the car’s tire pressure (flatter tires use gas more quickly), and performing regular maintenance, are all it takes.

“I like to tell people to drive their cars like they would ride a bike,” said Bryant. “If a cyclist sees a red light at the end of a block, they immediately stop peddling. The best advice I can give people is to for them to get to know their cars better. Know what works to keep the mileage down, know how it accelerates. For one car, 50 mph might be the most efficient; for another it might be 65mph.”

One might think that Houston, a city with deep roots in the petroleum industry, would object to the notion of using less gasoline. But Garfield says there hasn’t been much resistance to the idea.

“Even the current mayor drives a Prius,” he said. “Waiting lists to buy them are 6- to 8- months long.”

Related Links:

1) http://www.106mpg.com/106/

2) http://hybridtechtexan.blogspot.com/

3) http://www.hypermiling.com/