Hypermiling. It seems to be being talked about a lot recently.
(More information can be found at Hypermiling Techniques
Hypermiling consists of a system of methods and techniques which one can use to reduce fuel consumption and get better gas mileage, thus spending less money on gas and emitting less toxic pollution into the environment. Due to soaring gas prices, many people have begun to study and practice the art, or the science, of hypermiling.
Recently there has been a lot of discussion on one question:
“Is hypermiling safe?”
Well, the answer to that really depends on how you apply hypermiling.
Anything can become dangerous when taken to extremes. It is usually not the subject that makes something dangerous, but how the subject is applied.
Even the most mundane every-day activities can be performed in dangerous ways.
For example, crossing the a street as a pedestrian. This can be done in a safe way, and can be done in a dangerous way. Crossing the street against a red with cars are bearing down on one, could be considered to be dangerous. But, unfortunately, some people still seem to do this (as witnessed by the statistics).
Does this make it unsafe to walk across the street unsafe? No, of course not. Well, the same applies to hypermiling.
Factually, proper hypermiling techniques include safe driving habits.
Lets take a look at some of the factors we are talking about here.
Correct hypermiling means that you stay within the speed limits on highways. This is because most cars get their best gas mileage at around 55-60 Mph. In fact, at the current gas prices ($4.00 per gallon and up), each additional 5 Mph above this rate adds up to 30 cents per gallon to your gas bill. Staying within posted speed limits, therefore, is fuel efficient. This is a safe and sensible hypermiling technique.
Another safe driving practice that hypermilers advocate, especially around urban areas, is avoiding rapid acceleration and breaking. These practices waste fuel. We have all experienced what it’s like to ride in a car with someone who accelerates and breaks rapidly around town. At times, these people can be a menace to the roads. In fact, they make it unsafe for our kids to play near the streets. Rapid acceleration and breaking in our suburbs is not a safe driving practice.
More points could be brought up, but I think the above examples serve to illustrate.
There are also the aspects of hypermiling which involve the maintenance of one’s vehicle.
Tire pressure is one example. When applying hypermiling, one frequently checks his tire pressure to ensure that the tires are inflated correctly, according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Not only does one get better gas mileage with correctly inflated tires, but having one’s tires inflated properly also increases control of the vehicle. Surely, this adds to safety on the road.
Another hypermiling practice is to remove unnecessary weight from one’s vehicle. Every 100 pounds of reduced weight reduces the gas bill by roughly two percent. In other words, don’t drive around with unnecessary stuff in your car. The reduced weight increases the braking capacity of your vehicle. So I am hard-put to figure out how this could be considered an “unsafe practice”.
Another important part of hypermiling is keeping one’s vehicle in good working-order. That means changing the filters when needed, getting the regular check-ups done, and a host of other specific actions which are all geared toward keeping one’s vehicle in optimum condition, in order to get the maximum mileage per gallon. Anyone can tell you that a badly-running vehicle is a danger on the road.
To sumarize, hypermiling itself is a common-sense and perfectly safe activity. It is only the individuals who driver dangerously, who are unsafe. Using unsafe hypermiling techniques is unethical and gives a bad name to an otherwise very useful and constructive activity.
It is only extremes that are unsafe. But I guess it’s the job of critics to look for extremes. After all, some critics will even claim that it’s unsafe to drink water (I have actually seen articles on this). And I am sure that if you drank five gallons of water in one shot you would not feel too well. But that doesn’t mean we all stop drinking water.
by Anna Stone
For more information you may also see Anna’s blog, Hypermiling or her Hypermiling
Tags: Auto News