The Australian hypermiling duo of John and Helen Taylor have accomplished their goal of breaking the existing record for fuel economy achieved in a gasoline-fed production vehicle during a drive that touched some slice (defined here as at least 30 miles) of all 48 contiguous states.
Arriving in Las Vegas after 22 days and an impressive 9,564.2 miles out on the open road, the Taylors of Melbourne, Australia averaged a shocking 64.42 miles per gallon in an unmodified 2012 Chevy Cruze Eco. All told, the Cruze burned through 148.5 gallons of gas at a cost of $541.24. That's fine and dandy, you may be saying, but didn't the Taylors manage to get 67.9 mpg out of a Volkswagen Jetta TDI during a similar trip back in 2009? You're right, which is why this challenge was about gasoline (the TDI runs on diesel).
Officially, the Cruze Eco is rated at 42 mpg highway, but when driven the Taylor way, it seems the sky's the limit in terms of fuel economy. When the Taylors aren't trying to break records – as they've done 88 times, now – they can be found lobbying governments to implement fuel-saving driving techniques in driver education classes. The Taylors squeeze every last drop of the tank and drive three to five miles per hour below the speed limit, but beyond that, they don't offer up too much detail on the their record-setting driving technique (except in class, we assume). If you'd like some hypermiling tips right now, you can get them from another master: Wayne Gerdes.
Arriving in Las Vegas after 22 days and an impressive 9,564.2 miles out on the open road, the Taylors of Melbourne, Australia averaged a shocking 64.42 miles per gallon in an unmodified 2012 Chevy Cruze Eco. All told, the Cruze burned through 148.5 gallons of gas at a cost of $541.24. That's fine and dandy, you may be saying, but didn't the Taylors manage to get 67.9 mpg out of a Volkswagen Jetta TDI during a similar trip back in 2009? You're right, which is why this challenge was about gasoline (the TDI runs on diesel).
Officially, the Cruze Eco is rated at 42 mpg highway, but when driven the Taylor way, it seems the sky's the limit in terms of fuel economy. When the Taylors aren't trying to break records – as they've done 88 times, now – they can be found lobbying governments to implement fuel-saving driving techniques in driver education classes. The Taylors squeeze every last drop of the tank and drive three to five miles per hour below the speed limit, but beyond that, they don't offer up too much detail on the their record-setting driving technique (except in class, we assume). If you'd like some hypermiling tips right now, you can get them from another master: Wayne Gerdes.
Sign in to post
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Continue