Close Encounters With the Cinti/NKY Hypermilers

Executive Director Brent Quebman recently had the chance to roll with the local Cincinnati/NKY Hybrid/Hypermiler Club to try and find out how, exactly, its members are able to achieve MPG stats that are out of this world. Would you believe 70 MPG? 80? Keep reading.

Hypermilers treat the listed MPG of any car as suggestion, not fact. They make a game out of milking the most possible miles from a gallon of fuel. So, what did our energy evaluator learn from these fuel misers? Plenty.

It’s all in the foot.

Or so says Jud Engels of engelsmaps.com in Northern Kentucky. The foot… yeah, that’s the ticket! Tricking the Prius’ computer to power down the combustion engine and coast on no fuel at all. Jud demonstrated the poetry of pulse and glide (the other P&G). Jud is a local hypermiler with expert skill at conserving energy. He can push MPG to nosebleed heights. While showing the ins and outs to Aaron Carito – a local high school teacher who came to the meet-up sporting a brand new 2008 Prius – we toured FT. Thomas, KY. Our average MPG in the neighborhood was a jaw-dropping 93! Jud proved he was a maestro behind the wheel. Brent and vehicle owner Aaron were equally floored.

Cut waste from the equation.

With a car, just as with your home or business space, there are many ways energy is spent with no net benefit: idling while stationary; turning mechanical energy into thermal energy in the form of brake heat. Only hybrid vehicles capture energy through regenerative braking. Even so, hypermilers read the road to try to brake as sparingly as possible. These photos show the heat difference between Brent’s conventional VW and the Toyota Prius. Here, energyQue's LeakFinder technology demonstrates the degree to which motion was transformed into heat. But in homes and buildings, thermal imaging gives us a means of troubleshooting gaps and weak points in the thermal envelope.

Know your numbers.

Real time MPG data is essential to club members. The Prius does an exceptional job displaying energy usage in a way the driver can use to his advantage. Wayne Mitchell, visiting from the Chicagopriusgroup.com, is an engineer and expert on all things Prius. Wayne explained the inner-under-the-hood-beauty of the Prius, and had a display battery we could touch and feel. There were roughly 14 members present at the event that transformed into a hands on demonstration of using the Prius’ instrument display and unique characteristic of shutting down the combustion engine to take MPG to the next level.

Have fun.

Hypermilers achieve new records by enjoying the game. Part of the fun is the thrill of the hunt: how to skillfully get more miles gratis. It was fitting that the meet-up came on the 4th of July weekend, because the whole point of their club is to assert a greater degree of independence from oil — one coasted mile at a time. Brent came away inspired, recognizing that if a factory stock car can shatter conventional wisdom, why not a house, restaurant, or office space.

Que TIPS

Whether you roll a hybrid or a hoopdie, you can make changes to your vehicle and driving habits today to boost MPG. Keep these Que Tips in mind:

1. Drive less.

2. Keep your tires properly inflated.

3. Remove roof racks and excess weight.

4. Hold to the speed limit.

5. Drive with your windows up.

6. Drive without braking (DWB), meaning preserve your momentum as much as possible without compromising safety.

Find more hypermiler driving techniques or to find the local members, you can meet up with them at cleanMPG.com.