There is an English term that refers to the set of driving techniques aimed at improving the fuel efficiency of your car, thanks to the reduction of the effort required from the engine: hypermiling. It is possible to improve fuel efficiency by 37% by changing your driving style, so you will understand why, in light of the rising price of gasoline, this topic is gaining more and more interest. Since some hypermiling methods are controversial and potentially dangerous, this article will only focus on the safer techniques that can still allow you to save money and gasoline.
Hypermiling strategies differ depending on the engine of your car, whether fossil fuel, hybrid, series hybrid to a conventional engine or purely electric engine. Some of the tips below may not apply to the car you are driving.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Prepare Your Car
Step 1. Take care of your car to maximize fuel efficiency
Cars that are not well maintained or not optimized are a significant source of pollution. These driving techniques will not work if the car is not in perfect condition, which you should take care of regardless of fuel economy.
- Check the car. Cars not overhauled or with engine problems are less efficient and produce more pollution. A regular car maintenance schedule is the first step in preparing your car for hypermiling.
- Use high performance candles. Spark plugs such as iridium-tipped spark plugs create a larger spark, which contributes to a more complete and efficient burst in the combustion chamber. This offers a slight increase in power, better fuel economy and lower emissions.
- Use the lowest viscosity oil recommended by the manufacturer. Using one that is less viscous than recommended can cause safety problems. If the car does not "take oil" - because it burns or loses it - it switches to synthetic oil, because this type of oil greatly reduces the internal friction of the engine, improving longevity and consumption. At the same time, you can delay the oil change, compensating for the higher cost of the material.
- Consider using very light 0W-20 motor oils. Lightweight oils reduce the load on the engine because they are easier to pump. Using 0W-20 engine oil can help improve engine consumption, but potentially shorten engine life.
Step 2. Care for tire and wheel maintenance
Proper tire maintenance is very important to save fuel - they are the only link between the car and the asphalt, and incorrect maintenance can greatly worsen fuel consumption.
- Care for convergence and balance of the wheels. Car wheels in some cases wear unevenly or have a slightly non-symmetrical weight and alignment, reducing efficiency.
- Have your tire pressure checked regularly. If the tires are not inflated correctly, there will be an excess of friction, or a reduction in the contact surface with the ground. These factors lead to a significant deterioration in fuel efficiency.
- Do not inflate the tires too much to increase the distance that can be traveled with the engine stopped. This can lead to increased wear and loss of traction. In extreme cases the tire could explode causing catastrophic accidents.
- Make sure you have clean and working headlights. For many hypermiling techniques you will need to vary the distance at which to follow the cars in front of you. Seeing the car in front of you clearly is essential for safety and efficiency.
Step 3. Remove the cargo from the car
Get rid of the junk in the trunk - the more weight you carry, the harder the engine will have to work. Decreasing the weight of the car improves its efficiency.
Don't remove things you might need. A 1% reduction in fuel consumption is not worth a trip to the mechanic because you have removed the spare tire
Part 2 of 4: Drive Safely and Efficiently
Step 1. Minimize the motor load
It is generally better to maintain a constant speed to improve fuel economy; that is why it is important to use the speed control system and drive below the limits. Don't forget also to vary your speed in relation to the terrain you are on.
Step 2. Drive as if you have no brakes - keep the engine off as much as possible
When driving, choose a route that does not require braking followed by sudden starts. Proceeding carefully with the engine stopped can reduce fuel consumption to the point of not even noticing the jolts due to acceleration in average consumption.
- On most modern cars, when the car is in gear and you take your foot off the accelerator, the injector shuts off completely, essentially allowing you to go for free - your car drives, but you are using no fuel other than what is required. from the engine brake, or from the resistance of the engine to your movement.
- Do not proceed by operating the clutch or putting the car in neutral. This would cause the engine to go up to idle, making you consume more fuel than if you were just driving by letting the car go into gear without accelerating.
Step 3. Be careful to coast safely
Coasting can be frustrating and difficult if other drivers keep cutting your way. Use basic safety techniques and common sense to be safe.
- Keep your foot on the brake. If you have to stop suddenly, you will have to react quickly. Since you will use the throttle as little as possible, braking becomes the primary means of speed control.
- Respecting the traffic laws is more important than saving fuel. This is also true from a cost / benefit perspective, as well as common sense. After all, if you had to pay a fine of hundreds of euros for not respecting a stop and a few thousand euros more on the insurance for causing an accident, you will have lost all the savings obtained thanks to the fuel economy.
Step 4. Be gentle on the accelerator
The throttle gets its name because it pushes more fuel into the engine, making it spin faster - reducing fuel efficiency and increasing pollutant emissions. Use the accelerator gently and you will notice savings in fuel costs.
- Push the pedal slowly, and lift your foot as soon as you realize you need to stop (because you see a red light, a stop sign, or the brake lights of the car in front of you), so that you can coast for the rest of the journey.
- When trying to save fuel, you should never push the pedal more than 2-3 cm. Some modern cars actually have pedals that "push back" when you accelerate too aggressively.
Step 5. If you need to accelerate, do it quickly
Vehicles that do not consume much fuel allow you to improve efficiency by accelerating "fast". Slow acceleration worsens consumption in highly efficient cars. Any kind of acceleration causes an increase in consumption, however, so stop quickly so that you can go by inertia (excellent consumption!).
Step 6. Avoid standing still with the engine idling
Most people waste significant amounts of fuel by simply standing in traffic or at a stop. Stopping the engine when you have to stop for more than a minute can improve efficiency by 19%.
If the climate is harsh, leaving the car at idle to warm up the engine causes an increase in consumption and polluting emissions; you just need to drive at a slow pace for 5-10 minutes. If you are following the previous two steps, you will drive at a slow pace all the way
Step 7. Use the pulse and glide technique on hybrid cars to save fuel
This technique can greatly reduce consumption, but it is better to use it on low-traffic streets.
- Pulse: Accelerate to the maximum speed appropriate to hold. Reach the speed that represents the minimum consumption for your car. For a Toyota Prius these speeds are around 24 and 40 km / h, and correspond to the speeds at which the combustion engine propels the car and charges the batteries.
- Glide between periods of acceleration, but use the throttle to use the electric motor. To perform this technique correctly you will need to know how much to press the accelerator and when to do it. Use the on-board computer consumption indicator to see if you are operating correctly. Get used to the maximum level of electric assistance you can use and you will cover more distance between accelerations, further improving fuel consumption.
Step 8. Use the bumps to your advantage
To do this you will have to slow down on the climb and accelerate on the descent. Slowing down uphill helps to save unnecessary fuel to cross the slope. Accelerating downhill allows you to increase speed using less fuel and to use gravity instead of driving force. If you combine these two techniques in one ride with small bumps, you will notice a noticeable improvement in consumption.
- As you go downhill, you can accelerate using less fuel. For this, do not take your foot off the pedal completely: use the accelerator if you are not already proceeding at the maximum permitted speed.
- Use all the slopes to your advantage. For example, if you are on a slope that ends with a red light, try to stop well before the light so that you can use the remaining descent to your advantage when you leave.
- Avoid stopping uphill. Starting uphill is the worst situation for fuel consumption: the engine will have to push the weight of the car in addition to counteracting gravitational acceleration. Stop at the top of the climb or earlier.
Step 9. If possible, consider taking advantage of the slipstream of larger vehicles
Cars create a trail of low-density noisy air behind them as they drive. Taking advantage of the wake means driving in this zone of disturbed air - it will allow you to greatly improve the aerodynamic efficiency of your car compared to proceeding directly exposed to the air. This is a controversial practice, and you should think carefully before adopting it.
- Be extremely careful when using the slipstream. You may be focusing too much on the car in front of you and neglecting the road. Keep a safe distance when taking advantage of the wake and don't lose sight of the surrounding traffic.
- Taking advantage of the trail of trailers is not efficient. It is usually not worth staying in the wake of a trailer or truck to save fuel. At best, staying 2 seconds behind the truck (60 meters at 100 km / h) saves less than 10% of fuel.
- Taking advantage of the trail of a trailer can be very dangerous. The distance required to make bigger savings is too dangerous for your safety. Trucks are extremely heavy, and have consequent handling problems - the safest place to be on the road is away from them. The rear of a truck is also quite high in most cases, so a small car can collide with it too high for the body to absorb the impact safely, and a tire explosion can cause it to crash. collision with the skeleton of the tire, which can break through the windshield and cause serious injuries and even the death of those in the passenger compartment of the car. Trailer and truck tires also often lift and throw rocks and other debris that can cause great damage to your car.
Part 3 of 4: Air Conditioning Control
Step 1. Limit the use of air conditioning to the highway
Air conditioning consumes a lot of energy to extract heat from the air, burning a few tenths of a liter every kilometer. However, opening the windows would increase the aerodynamic friction, breaking the air flows along the body of the car, reducing efficiency in this case as well. For this reason, the use of air conditioning makes sense, from an economic point of view, only when it is less expensive than opening the windows.
- Air conditioning becomes more efficient than windows at speeds of around 70km / h. Operating the car's fans, without using the air conditioning, uses negligible energy, but the system can blow engine heat into the cabin. For the ultimate - silence, cooling and airflow - adjust the window opening to direct the air from a small opening to an efficient clash of air.
- While there is some discussion about the use of air conditioning and windows, true fuel-saving enthusiasts simply bring ice into their car to stay cool without using air conditioning or windows.
- Air conditioning systems work most efficiently when set to the coldest temperature with the lowest fan speed.
Step 2. Use air conditioning at intervals to improve efficiency
If you live in a hot region and need to use the air conditioning, try turning it on at intervals instead of leaving it on all the time. Once the air conditioning is turned off, the fan, if left on, will continue to blow cold air for several minutes. When the air starts to get warm, turn the air conditioning back on for a few minutes to cool the room again.
- The effectiveness of using the air conditioning at intervals depends on the car model. In some cars, the air conditioning can be adjusted to various intensities and can be used at lower power with the right combination of fans and air.
- Be careful to constantly adjust the climate system, especially if the controls are electronic or thermostat and are not just knobs. Servos inside the car can fail and require laborious maintenance.
- Traditional fuel car engines produce a lot of "waste" heat, so use the heater as much as you like.
Step 3. If you drive a convertible, keep the top closed, especially on the highway
While driving with the roof open is the only reason to buy a convertible, lowering the roof greatly reduces fuel efficiency. The large open cavity in the car creates a significant amount of aerodynamic friction, which forces the engine to work harder.
Part 4 of 4: Planning and Strategy
Step 1. Choose the route that allows you to save fuel
If you can choose between multiple routes, choose the one that requires fewer stops - stopping and starting again causes a large increase in consumption.
- If you have multiple stops on a journey, plan your route to reach the furthest destination first and make the rest of the stops on the way back. By taking the longer commute initially, you will give the car enough time to warm up for the rest of the journey. Since engines do not run efficiently until they are warm, taking the longer distance first will improve fuel efficiency.
- Country roads are useful, because you won't have to stop and start often and you won't have to accelerate and brake on ramps like on the motorway. Steep climbs and descents also have an impact on fuel economy.
- If you are driving on an up and down stretch, it is useful to think in advance about where you will stop, because you will understand how much to accelerate.
Step 2. Park so you can leave easily
Instead of looking for the perfect spot near an entrance (which means accelerating and braking, especially if there are pedestrians and other drivers getting in and out of their seats), park your car somewhere that is more away from the entrance.
Look for the highest spot and park with the front of the car facing the exit so you can use gravity in your favor when the engine is cold (and has the least efficiency)
Advice
- Consider purchasing an electronic consumption calculation tool. You can mount it anywhere in the car and you can read data such as kilometers with a liter updated per second, cost per kilometer, liters consumed per hour, remaining travel time and kilometers of range left. This tool will help you focus on achieving optimal consumption.
- Consider purchasing a driving habits modifier. This is a device that connects to the car's diagnostic system (for cars manufactured after 1996) and shows the consumption on cars that are not equipped with an on-board computer. Visually checking your consumption can help you drive more efficiently.
- Try not to irritate the passengers with your fuel-saving techniques. Make passengers travel comfortably. Starting and slowing down gradually will be useful for this purpose; exploiting the wake can scare passengers and the lack of air conditioning and constant acceleration and then coasting will likely be annoying. Remember that your friends are worth more than a few dollars worth of gasoline.
- Keep an efficiency diary to track your improvements.
- If you find yourself in traffic, first worry about not contributing to a traffic jam and only later to save fuel.
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To save more money, natural resources and pollute less, adopt the practice of carpooling. Most of the weight of the car is made up of the car itself, so even if more passengers slightly increase fuel consumption, they drastically decrease fuel consumption per person. The most efficient vehicles are often buses, simply because the fuel consumption per person is very low.
As the vehicle size increases, fuel consumption increases proportionally to the front section and weight, but given the cubic increase in volume, larger vehicles prove more efficient as long as they are occupied by more people
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Consider driving with half a tank: 5 liters of gasoline weighs around 3 kg, and proceeding with a full tank means loading a fair weight into the car.
Remember that driving with the tank nearly empty can increase wear on the fuel pump. Electric fuel pumps in modern cars use the fuel in the tank to dissipate heat. Driving with the reservoir at less than a quarter can greatly reduce the life of the pump. The cost of replacing the pump is often hundreds of euros, and you should consider whether the fuel economy achieved compensates for this loss
- Pay attention to the climate. If possible, avoid driving in strong wind conditions, especially if you have to drive long stretches on the motorway. If it rains or snows, you won't be able to optimize fuel consumption (and you shouldn't - remember, safety first!).
Warnings
- Driving like this can cause other drivers to drive anger. See this article for more information on this.
- The debate on the exploitation of contrails is very heated. Consider after careful consideration whether to implement this risky practice.
- Avoid putting yourself or others in danger.
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Avoid extreme fuel economy techniques. They are too risky, not only for your safety, but also for that of other drivers.
- Do not go over the stops and do not take corners at high speed to avoid braking.
- Do not turn off the engine when going downhill. Turning off the engine disables the power steering and power brakes - your car will become difficult to steer and the brakes will be much less effective. In hybrid cars this problem is solved by power steering and power brakes powered by electric batteries.
- Driving under the speed limit in busy traffic conditions, where other vehicles cannot safely overtake you, is extremely dangerous.
