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Adventures in Hypermiling
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When the light turned green, I wasn't ready for it. It took me too long to get the key back into the ignition and restart the car. The car behind me honked. I accelerated.
Despite my best efforts, I did a little bit worse the second time. Miles per gallon: 23.6.
Now it was Johnson's turn.
Before climbing into the driver's seat, he did something really bizarre. He took off his shoe. Mary giggled. I gave him a puzzled look. Driving in a sock allows him to better feel how much pressure he's applying to the accelerator, he explained.
We proceeded as the light turned yellow. "There's probably no way I can slow down long enough or far enough to make it through this light," he said.
We stopped. When the light turned green, he pulled away. Our miles per gallon dropped to 24. Then we went downhill. He took his foot off the gas pedal. Our miles per gallon went up to 75.
Next we got to the long light where I had fumbled as I tried to shut off the car. Johnson was eager to show me how it's done. But his cellphone rang. He had to answer it. As he talked, we sat there with the car idling. By the time he was done, the light was about to change. He lost his chance.
"Another reason for not talking on the phone when you're driving," he said. "Yeah, that probably cost me."
It did. We returned to the parking lot to read the ScanGauge. Mary handed him the calculator. "I did 4, almost 5 percent better," he said. "That's not the best."
Still, he proved that some of his techniques work. Do I plan to use everything he taught me? Probably not. I'm simply not comfortable with turning off my engine at a stop light. Am I going to stop using my air conditioner when it's hot out? No way. Townsend of AAA Mid-Atlantic gave what I think is good advice on hypermiling: "You need to study it. You need to school yourself. And you need to determine which tools work for you."
