Yahoo Autos Toyota Prius Sets Guinness Record by Averaging 93 MPG from LA to NYC
Managing 56 mpg on the highway would be considered incredibly economical driving for most of us — but most of us aren't legendary hypermiler Wayne Gerdes, who took the pursuit of maximizing mileage to the extreme this summer in his fifth-generation Toyota Prius.
Driving from city hall in Los Angeles to city hall in New York City, a total distance of 3,211.7 miles (and a reasonable facsimile of the traditional Cannonball Run route), Gerdes set the Guinness Book of World Records title for best west-coast-to-east-coast fuel economy while behind the wheel of his Prius LE. His car averaged 93.158 mpg for the entire trip, beating the previous record by more than 20 mpg. That average is also, obviously, much higher than the EPA estimate of 56 mpg highway for the hybrid-electric vehicle.
However, Gerdes acknowledges his driving style was certainly not normal. Gerdes employed slow takeoffs from stops and was diligent about keeping an even pressure on the accelerator pedal. He also eased off the gas as early as possible when approaching stop signs or red lights, in an effort to use the vehicle’s momentum to glide as long as possible. Additionally, hypermiling philosophy often includes driving at or below the speed limit, which significantly improves fuel economy numbers.
"For a record attempt like this, it's a lot of planning," Gerdes said in a statement. "You can't just go sight unseen into doing this. You have to have that plan. But you also have to be able to work on the fly. So, if things change, you have to switch up your plan. Reroute. Figure out what you're going to be able to do to achieve that goal."
The cross-country journey that Gerdes took appears to be a southerly route, as the record release mentions traversing the Mojave Desert as well as strong winds along the Gulf of Mexico. Gerdes and his trusty Prius even tackled a 7000-foot climb, though the mountain range that was ascended was not specifically mentioned.
The folks at Toyota found Gerdes's record praiseworthy, too. "The Prius has impressed us all for the past 23 years, and frankly, it continues to wow us today," said Michael Tripp, Toyota Vehicle Marketing group vice president. "The world record for the highest mpg to us is just one more proof point that the Prius truly is an engineering marvel."
It's not particularly surprising that Wayne Gerdes was the man to pull off this stunt; he's often called the founder of hypermiling, after a 2004 exploit with his Honda Accord. Gerdes has previously set hypermiling records in a Prius, driving an 805-mile route from New York to Chicago on a single tank of gas. It's safe to say he knows how to stretch a gallon.
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