Hypermiler

The Pulse and Glide. A common term in most hypermilers' personal dictionary, has actually been around for quite some time. The pulse and glide manuver is well known for a 2005 stunt in Pittsburg, PA. 5 men took a Prius with a full tank of gas and drove it around an Interstate loop using the pulse and glide technique the whole time. The 5 men managed to get an amazing 1397 miles from 1 tank of gas, or about 110 miles per gallon.

This hypermiling technique was developed specifically for the Prius. The idea behind it is simple - accelerate until the car reaches 40 mpg, then slowly ease off the gas until the Prius engine shuts off and the electric motor is disengaged and allow the car to coast. Once you slow back down to 25 - 30 mph, repeat the process. By doing this, it means your engine only needs to use fuel for acceleration, and nothing else, so you no longer burn excess gas by driving along at the same speed.

This is a trick that is generally most effective for hybrid cars, as their engines are perfect for just this sort of thing. By practicing this technique, you can consistantly get amazing gas mileage, and the danger level is low. The repeated acceleration may eventually wear on your engine, but if properly cared for, the reward will likely outweigh the risk.

Tags: hypermiler, hypermiling, hypermiling prius, pulse and glide, pulse and glide prius

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.