Words that will never be used in the same sentence: 'sunbeam tiger' and
'hypermiling'.
Bob
Oxford Word of the Year 2008: Hypermiling
The 2008 Word of the Year is (drum-roll please) *hypermiling*.
Do you keep the tires on your car properly inflated to maximize your gas
mileage? Have you removed the roof rack from your vehicle to streamline the
car and reduce drag? Do you turn your engine off rather than idle at long
stoplights? If you said yes to any of these questions you just might be a "*
hypermiler*."
Some history:
"*Hypermiling*" was coined in 2004 by Wayne Gerdes, who runs this web
site<http://www.cleanmpg.com/>.
"*Hypermiling*" or "*to* *hypermile*" is to attempt to maximize gas mileage
by making fuel-conserving adjustments to one's car and one's driving
techniques. Rather than aiming for good mileage or even great mileage, *
hypermilers* seek to push their gas tanks to the limit and achieve *
hypermileage*, exceeding EPA ratings for miles per gallon.
Many of the methods followed by *hypermilers* are basic common sensedrive
the speed limit, avoid hills and stop-and-go traffic, maintain proper tire
pressure, don't let your car idle, get rid of excess cargobut others
practiced by some devotees may seem slightly eccentric:
driving without shoes (to increase the foot's sensitivity on the pedals)
parking so that you don't have to back up to exit the space
"ridge-riding" or driving with your tires lined up with the white line at
the edge of the road to avoid driving through water-filled ruts in the road
when it's raining
The *hypermiling* movement has been criticized for its alleged promotion of
driving tactics that are considered dangerous or illegal, such as
overinflating tires, rolling through stop signs, and following closely
behind large vehicles to cut down on wind resistance. The American
Automobile
Association<http://www.aaacarolinas.com/?zip=27511&stateprov=nc&city=cary>(AA
A)
has issued statements condemning
*hypermiling* as unsafe, while *hypermilers* have countered that AAA's
characterization of *hypermiling* is a misrepresentation (see links below
for more info).
*Hypermiling* has also gotten some positive attention in 2008, gaining
mainstream traction as gas prices soared and the need to reduce dependence
on fossil fuels, especially those from foreign sources, has become more
apparent. A new initiative launched by the Association of Automobile
Manufacturers <http://www.aiam.org/public/aiam/default.aspx> and supported
by such notables as California Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger<http://gov.ca.gov/>advocates the practice, referring to
it as EcoDriving.
President-elect Barack Obama <http://www.barackobama.com/index.php> observed
during his campaign that Americans could save as much oil as would be
produced by proposed off-shore drilling if only they kept their tire
pressures at recommended levels and took their cars in for regular tune-ups.
Republicans' subsequent criticisms of Obama's statement put these measures
advocated by *hypermilers* in the center of the debate between conservation
and drilling as solutions to Americans' foreign oil dependence problem.
A growing number of Americans favor *hypermiling* as a sensible set of
practices for all drivers who are concerned about their wallets, the
environment, and fuel independence, not just for those on the fringe who are
obsessed with increasing their MPG numbers.
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