YMMV: Hypermiling for Fun and Profit

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


The New York Times automotive section has a fascinating account from its regular contributor Bob Knoll about driving for the Chrysler team in the 1964 Mobil Economy Run. Last run in 1968, this was an annual coast-to-coast driving competition that determined the actual miles per gallon of new car models. All the leading automakers competed, and the race was such a big deal that spectators would line the streets of small towns to watch the cars go by. In Phoenix, Knoll writes, it “seemed like a holiday parade: flags were flying, bands were playing and crowds of people were waving.”

Four decades later, when the country is in the midst of debates about “oil security,” “blood for oil,” and “energy independence,” it is hard to believe that cars are not getting better miles per gallon than the mid-20s of that 1964 fuel efficiency competition. And despite the recent changes to the way the EPA calculates mpg, the issue of fuel efficiency is hardly getting Americans out on the streets waving flags.

So that’s why we love Wayne Gerdes, the world’s most fuel efficient driver, and the subject of this fun story in the January/February 2007 Mother Jones. Wayne gets 59 mpg in a non-hybrid Honda Civic and off-the-chart triple-digit mpgs in hybrids. He’s also ballsier than your average turn-off-the-engine-at-a-red-light type: Have you tried drafting an 18-wheeler downhill with the engine turned off? Read it and then send us your best hypermiling tips.

WE'LL BE BLUNT:

We need to start raising significantly more in donations from our online community of readers, especially from those who read Mother Jones regularly but have never decided to pitch in because you figured others always will. We also need long-time and new donors, everyone, to keep showing up for us.

In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

Please learn more about how Mother Jones works and our 47-year history of doing nonprofit journalism that you don't find elsewhere—and help us do it with a donation if you can. We've already cut expenses and hitting our online goal is critical right now.

payment methods

WE'LL BE BLUNT

We need to start raising significantly more in donations from our online community of readers, especially from those who read Mother Jones regularly but have never decided to pitch in because you figured others always will. We also need long-time and new donors, everyone, to keep showing up for us.

In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

Please learn more about how Mother Jones works and our 47-year history of doing nonprofit journalism that you don't find elsewhere—and help us do it with a donation if you can. We've already cut expenses and hitting our online goal is critical right now.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate