Hypermiling, a term coined by efficiency expert Wayne Gerdes, means improving a car’s gas mileage using simple methods. A person who practices hypermiling on a regular basis can achieve a 50 percent or better improvement in a vehicle’s official fuel economy estimate.
Improving fuel economy through hypermiling can work for any vehicle. The driver of a 2005 Honda Accord, for example, went from 24 mpg to 35 mpg after adopting hypermiling techniques for one year. Gerdes himself set a world record in 2009 after driving a Ford Fusion Hybrid for 1,445 miles on a single tank of gas. He was able to achieve a fuel economy of 81 mpg, which is more than double the EPA estimate for fuel economy in a Fusion.
Most hypermiling techniques are easy to implement. Driving at lower speeds leads to less fuel consumption. Be sure to drive the posted speed limit—or even slower—to save money. Slowing down also benefits drivers by preventing excessive braking, which reduces gas mileage by as much as 33 percent. Idling the engine for longer than a few minutes can also be costly at the gas pump. Simply by making a few common sense changes, hypermilers can save money and protect the environment.
5
Select the correct answer.
The author mentions the driver of a 2005 Honda Accord in the second paragraph in order to
A.
provide a real-life example of the benefits of hypermiling.
B.
introduce the idea that hypermiling only works on new cars.
C.
suggest that hypermiling is a propaganda tool to sell hybrid vehicles.
D.
show that hypermiling provides only limited benefits to drivers.