Hypermiling

Key takeaways

Hypermiling belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Hypermiling to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Hypermiling from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Hypermiling is driving or flying a vehicle with techniques that maximize fuel efficiency. Those who use these techniques are called "hypermilers". In the case of cars, this is an extreme form of energy-efficient driving, where hypermilers can achieve up to 100 mpg‑US (2.4 L/100 km; 120 mpg‑imp) in hybrid cars that have EPA ratings of 30 to 45 mpg (48 to 72 km/gallon, 11 to 16 km/L, 6.2 to 9.3 L/100 km). Hypermiling can be practiced in any vehicle regardless of fuel consumption. It gained popularity with the rise in gasoline prices in the 2000s. Some hypermiling techniques are illegal in some countries because they are dangerous. In 2008, the New Oxford American Dictionary voted "hypermiling" the best new word of the year.

Hypermiling techniques with gasoline-powered cars There are various techniques used by gas-powered car driving hypermilers that help increase their gas mileage. Researchers studying economical driving (or eco-driving) from the University of Belgrade advise on techniques that can be used to minimize fuel consumption while driving, and they include:

Avoiding unnecessary braking and acceleration Maintain a lower, steady speed in the highest gear at a low RPM Shift up gears as early as possible Avoid idling when you want to drive out with some break instead, idle when you want to coast as long as possible Utilizing cruise control Use air conditioning and electric equipment sparingly Keep windows closed to reduce drag Choosing parking locations based on the weather (i.e., parking in the sun in cold weather to keep the car warm, or parking in the shade in warm weather to keep the car cool, so the air conditioner is not needed) Parking "face out" to drive forwards immediately after parking Parking on a downwards slope to coast forward Anticipate driving maneuvers rather than reacting to what happens directly ahead of the car Practice the Driving Without Brakes (DWB) mantra, where you try and drive for as long as possible without touching the brakes Moreover, the same researchers also advise on techniques that can be used to minimize fuel consumption before driving, which include:

Planning to avoid traffic congestion Monitoring energy efficient tires and inflation using a tire-pressure monitoring system Adjusting aerodynamic devices Avoid overfilling the fuel tank Keep up on proper and timely car maintenance Choose to drive a fuel-saving hybrid car, like a Toyota Prius Choose to walk or cycle instead of driving for shorter distances Plan a route needing the least acceleration and braking Carrying the least weight possible will also aid in less fuel consumed. Moreover, authors from the hypermiling advice website Hypermiler.co.uk suggest wearing thin-soled shoes can aid in reducing fuel consumption; thinner soles can result in increased sensitivity to the gas pedal. Hypermiling can also be practiced using relatively lower fuel efficiency vehicles like SUVs. An Edmunds experiment reports that hypermiling could add 35.4% more miles per gallon from a Land Rover LR3, which usually gets 12 mpg‑US (20 L/100 km; 14 mpg‑imp) in the city and 17 mpg‑US (14 L/100 km; 20 mpg‑imp) on the highway. Drafting as a technique for hypermiling has been a subject to controversy. This involves driving close to or slipstreaming behind the car in front, potentially saving 40% of fuel. Drafting can save energy by using the car ahead to push air out of the way. This technique is subject to controversy due to the reduction in visibility and the risk of not being able to brake fast enough if the car in front stops.

Non-traditional hypermiling

With electric cars

The range of electric cars is limited. To get the most out of the battery, drivers sometimes use hypermiling techniques. Some aim to set a record for most mileage from a single charge. For example, a Tesla Model 3 ran more than 1,000 km (620 mi) with one battery charge. The average speed was 38 km/h (24 mph) and the whole drive took around 30 hours. The tester used the autopilot of Tesla Model 3, running the car unmanned. The test car did not drive on a public road.

With aircraft

There have been several aircraft hypermiling competitions held throughout the years, such the FuelVenture and CAFE challenges. Klaus Savier won the 2009 Fuelventure 400 in a VariEze aircraft which got 45 mpg‑US (5.2 L/100 km; 54 mpg‑imp) at 207 mph (333 km/h) with a modified Continental O-200 engine upgraded with a computerized fuel injection and ignition system by Light Speed Engineering. By slowing to extend range, mileage approaches 100 mpg‑US (2.4 L/100 km; 120 mpg‑imp). In World War II the famed pilot Charles Lindbergh consulted with pilots of the Army Air Corps and the Marine Corps and introduced engine-leaning techniques which greatly improved fuel consumption at cruise speeds and enabled aircraft to fly longer-range missions.

With racing cars In June 2008 at the Michigan International Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Lifelock 400 and shared information about coasting (a hypermiling technique) behind the pace car during the caution flag.

Records In August 2017, the official Tesla club in Italy, Tesla Owners Club Italia, had five people drive 29 hours in Southern Italty to drive a Tesla Model S 100D a total of 1,078 km (670 mi) on a single charge. In May 2018, two Colorado residents drove 32 consecutive hours to drive their Tesla Model 3 606.2 miles (975.6 km) on a single charge. It beat a previous record of 560 miles (900 km) from a Tesla Model S P100D, but it fell slightly short of a 670-mile run in a Model S by an Italian team last August. In 2018, Frenchman Pierre Desjardins set a record covering 351 miles (565 km) of the Périphérique ring road in Paris on a single charge in a 40kWh Renault Zoe, which had an official WLTP range of just 186 miles (299 km), and ended up with a fuel efficiency of 7.9 miles (12.7 km) per kilowatt hour, which equals 7.9 kWh/100km. In 2022, a team from the armed-forces charity Mission Motorsport drove two stock 52kWh Renault Zoe cars, with an official range of 245 miles (394 km), at Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire to break the previous Renault Zoe EV hypermiling record. They maintained a speed of 19–23 mph (31–37 km/h), and followed racing lines that offered the path of least resistance. The first car finished at 424.7 miles (683.5 km), while the second car finished at 475.4 miles (765.1 km), which was 230.4 miles (370.8 km) more than the Zoe's WLTP range and ended up at 9.14 miles (14.71 km) per kilowatt hour.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hypermiling

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hypermiling claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hypermiling before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hypermiling ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hypermiling

In research: Hypermiling appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hypermiling in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hypermiling is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2000s neologisms, Driving techniques, Energy conservation, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hypermiling outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Hypermiling in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Hypermiling means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Hypermiling out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hypermiling in simple terms?

Hypermiling is driving or flying a vehicle with techniques that maximize fuel efficiency. Those who use these techniques are called "hypermilers".

Why does Hypermiling matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hypermiling?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hypermiling.