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Speed-Demon Mom Learns Hypermiling
Aug 03 2009 by Lori Hindman
I like to drive fast, but my lead foot doesn’t help my car’s fuel efficiency. To help me get better gas mileage, I recently got a crash course in hypermiling — a style of driving that maximizes mileage — while test-driving a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid during a Ford press event in Los Angeles.
Jumping off the line when a light turns green is about the worst thing a driver can do in terms of efficiency, but most of us — myself included — do just that. I race from one red light to another, and I accelerate right up until I need to slam on the brakes. It’s almost as if I’m afraid someone will get ahead of me in line.
During my crash course, I learned to start driving slowly and smoothly and to look ahead for stoplights that would turn red soon or for cars that might be turning onto the road. When I started approaching a stop sign, instead of keeping my foot on the gas pedal until it was time to brake, I let the car coast. When I saw a hill ahead of me, I’d try to build up some momentum — just like when I ride a bike — to carry my car up the hill.
These are great tips to help you get the most mileage from a gallon of gas, but there’s a hitch here in Los Angeles: L.A. drivers are fast; I know, because I’m one of them. The speed limit is more of a loose guideline, and the only thing that limits speed is the traffic in front of you. So you can imagine how different hypermiling is from the general public’s driving practices. I took my time driving up Laurel Canyon Boulevard, a long, twisty, two-lane road that runs through the Hollywood Hills, and I was nobody’s friend. There were some fairly unkind-looking faces in my rearview mirror. Once or twice, I thought I might be saving the planet at the expense of my life. I was never so happy to drive downhill.
In a city that cries “Go Green!” to the skies, few people actually take the message to the road. I managed to average 43.4 mpg in the Fusion Hybrid while hypermiling, but I’m not planning to go back to Laurel Canyon anytime soon. I think I saw my face on a wanted poster.
