Hypermilers and Nickels Out the Window

Back in January, I wrote a post at Treehugger about the then-current issue of Mother Jones, which included a feature story on "hypermiler" Wayne Gerdes. When I opened the paper yesterday, I discovered that "hypermiling," or using techniques while driving to increase fuel efficiency, is catching on in the St. Louis area. According to Post-Dispatch writer Elisa Crouch,

He once cared more about getting places fast, but Dan Callahan now is obsessed with squeezing as many miles as he can out of a gallon of gasoline.

Callahan, 43, a marketing executive in Clayton, drives his 2003 Civic Hybrid slowly — as in never over the speed limit. For city driving, he keeps the air conditioner off until he can't stand it. He takes his foot off the gas midblock if there's a red light ahead. He's always looking for the most downhill route.

"It's almost like a video game," Callahan said, driving recently on Natural Bridge Road, his dashboard display showing he was averaging 48.8 miles for his tank of gas. "You get to know all the hills. You know when you can take your foot off the gas and coast. If only I could drive downhill both ways."

Callahan is just one of several drivers in the area featured, and all have adopted a range of practices that allow them to consistently get gas mileage higher than US EPA estimates. While a number of the techniques used by the most extreme hypermilers like Gerdes are illegal (I remember reading about his "spin-out" turns on interstate off-ramps), the more moderate practices described in this article are well-publicized and encouraged. The EPA and Department of Energy's FuelEconomy.gov site has tips for driving and auto maintenance that will help you maximize your fuel efficiency.

Interestingly enough, the auto industry is really pushing such practices, too: when I interviewed GM's Larry Burns in February, and participated in a blogger meeting with him in Detroit in March, he mentioned both times the role of better driving practices in lessening the demand for gas. The argument: there are already millions of cars on the road, and we need to leverage them for fuel savings, as well as producing more efficient cars. Of course, the more cynical among you might suggest that GM is doing this to shift the responsibility onto drivers... but, of course, we all bear some responsibility here.

Any hypermilers out there? What do you do in your own driving to get better gas mileage? I know I've slowed down quite a bit, and paid attention to my starting and stopping. I often roll to stops now. Other ideas?


Image: Hypermiler Dan Callahan. Credit: Dawn Majors/Post-Dispatch

Categories: hypermilers, fuelefficiency, driving, stlouis, conservation, gasprices

Can Your Windshield Affect Your Fuel Efficiency?

If you're non-mechanical like I am, you can probably name two parts of a car that directly impact fuel efficiency: the accelerator pedal, and the tires. Those of you who understand an automobile's inner workings can probably rattle off a few more. But few from either group would probably include the windshield. Yet Pittsburgh-based chemical, coatings and glass company PPG claims that it's Sungate windshield technology does just that:

Recent PPG testing showed use of Sungate windshields, which reflect about 50 percent of the sun's IR energy to help keep vehicles cooler, could reduce air conditioning use up to approximately 20 percent. The windshield reduces transmission of ultraviolet and IR solar energy, which helps reduce interior heat buildup, shorten cool-down time and reduce heat gain while driving.

"The Sungate IR-reflective windshield reduces the initial workload on a vehicle's air conditioning system, which represents the biggest use of power for climate control in a vehicle," said Mukesh Rustagi, global product market manager, PPG automotive OEM glass. "Because the air conditioner doesn't have to work as hard, fuel efficiency increases and emissions are reduced, and consumers experience a cooler vehicle upon entry."

Rustagi said the recent volatility in gasoline prices has made consumers more aware of vehicles' fuel efficiency, as reflected in the sales shift from larger SUVs to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. "A Sungate windshield helps vehicles' fuel efficiency, which is great for the environment, for consumers' pocketbooks and for automakers trying to satisfy consumers' preferences," he said.

According to PPG's website, they've delivered over a million of these windshields to equipment manufacturers around the world (including GM), and that the Sungate performs 400 times better than conventional tinted windows. I had difficulty finding much else besides the company's press release, but a paper at NREL's website notes its work with PPG and other companies to develop just this kind of technology.

A four percent increase in efficiency certainly helps, and I find it interesting to see how engineers are looking beyond the engine and its performance for efficiency gains. Additionally, it's easy to believe PPG's claim that this is a technology that adds little extra cost to a vehicle while delivering improved mileage. So, I suppose my only question left: do they make these for hybrids...?

Thanks to good buddy and resident skeptic Bobby B. for the news. Full disclosure: Bob's a PPG employee... Via Motor Age Online

Categories: car, automobile, winshield, efficiency, ppg, us