Hypermiling

Yesterday I read this article about individuals motivated to maximize their mileage per gallon. Obviously waste is bad, and often the negligible difference in arrival time is not worth the added consumption of fuel (the cost, both direct and indirect, of fossil fuels have been rising in the last few years). Obviously, taking things to the extreme (not slowing for turns, killing the engine while drafting a tractor-trailer, and puttering along in the slow lane) may lower the probability of a successful arrival.

This morning I achieved 23.8 MPG on my ~25 mile commute -- a "score" that I am not that happy about. I was hoping to have a higher score because I was able to leverage a double-trailer UPS truck for the majority of the ride. Regardless, there have been days where I rushed in at 10 MPG, and therefore this is a move in the right direction. Reading the article did shift my focus from minimizing travel time to minimizing fuel consumption while still conforming to basic commuter standards.