By Ben Timmins, Motor Trend - Helen and John Taylor have already plenty of world records for hypermilling, but they recently added another. The Australian couple coaxed a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco to an average fuel economy of 64 miles per gallon over the course of a 9552-mile journey around the U.S.
The duo launched their trip in Burbank, California, and drove counterclockwise around the contiguous 48 states, driving just under 10,000 miles behind the wheel of a new Cruze Eco fitted with the standard 6-speed manual transmission. When they finished in Las Vegas, Nevada, they calculated that they had used 148.457 gallons of gas, averaging 64.424 miles per gallon.
Those numbers were good enough to score the Taylors (and the Cruze Eco) a world record for an unmodified, non-hybrid gas-powered vehicle. They also exceed the Cruze Eco's EPA estimated numbers by 53 percent: the stock Cruze Eco achieves 28 mpg and 42 mpg highway. The only cars that can return better figures than the hypermiled Cruze Eco require electricity-notably, the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf.
The Taylors achieved this feat by using their aptly named MAP strategy, which combines maintenance, smart actions behind the wheel, and purchasing smart products. Maintenance strategies include keeping tires properly inflated and performing schedule maintenance at the right time, while smart actions include not exceeding the speed limit and coasting whenever possible.
"Helen and I are both thrilled with the 64.42 miles per gallon world record we set," John Taylor said in a prepared release. "This shows that we can all follow a few simple steps behind the wheel ... to help improve our fuel efficiency today."
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