Hypermiling AKA Saving Your Wallet

While watching the news this last week, I heard a great deal about "hypermiling". Hypermiling is a new driving technique that saves on gas mileage and therefore saves you money, which,in turn helps the planet by proxy.

During the reports I have to admit i was really only listening to the key points. How many miles per gallon, the savings, you get the point. I totally missed HOW hypermiling is accomplished. Yep, leave it to me to miss the most important part.

So anyway, this morning I started looking for information. I admit this was mostly in response to paying 3.75 per gallon this morning when I took Daniel to school.

After all my reading, i've come to a conclusion. I already sort of hypermile, it's basically just common sense. Drive the speed limit, have your tires properly inflated and keep off the brake. So how do these people get 60+ MPG? I have no freaking clue except that it seems that the best results are achieved with Hybrid vehicles. Hypermilers however swear that all vehicles can apply this method and increase their mpg ratio.

Luckily for me, my morning commute is approximately 10 steps. 100-ish if i count going for coffee and letting the dogs out for potty-time. So hypermiling isn't going to dramatically change my life. I typically only drive to go into town or to go see my family. They live about an hour from me. I can see though that a little more attention to details could help me as far as the little I do drive though. Some of it, *I* personally see as a little dangerous. Like the part where they want you to turn the car off as you coast downhill. Uhhhhhh How about NO?? The rest though, not too bad an idea.

If you'd like to know more about it, The Washington Post did a great article about it.
Increase Your Gas Mileage.

Personally, considering gas prices and it being obvious that our government isn't going to help us, Hypermiling could be a very useful way to keep just a few of our hard earned dollars in our pocket.

Nessa