Andrew’s Sustainapedia

I track my fuel economy on a per-trip basis. Today, on my way home, I managed to coax my vehicle down to using only 5.7L/100km, which I managed to keep all the way home. This, by far, is my best fuel economy ever!

Of course, a post entitled “5.7L/100km!” just doesn’t have any sort of ring to it… luckily, 5.7L/100km corresponds to 50 mpg Imperial, which DOES have quite a nice sound to it!

Remember, this was done with no advanced driving techniques; just driving slowly (just over the posted speed limit, actually) and coasting whenever possible. Go ahead - give it a try!

Were I disposed to holding my nose high and telling the world just how good I am, I’d probably not hesitate to declare that MY lawn has ALWAYS been a Green lawn; no chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides have been used on it. However, I’m not disposed to do that, and truth be told my lawn is Green due to equal parts desire not to use chemicals and outright neglect.

Unfortunately, this means that the dandelions have been having a field day on our poor lawn. Our front yard (I can’t even really call it a front “lawn”) is simply chock-a-block full of dandelions, some Creeping Charlie, and who knows what else. It’s a sad state of affairs. Instead of being content to let my wife work out her frustrations on our multitude of dandelions, I bought myself a tool: a Lee Valley water-powered weeder. It arrived today.

I didn’t get a chance to tackle the front lawn yet (that task will be this weekend’s work), but I did manage to spend some good, quality time with my new tool in the back yard this evening. Let me tell you, this is a great tool. It works exactly as advertised, and I managed to extract quite a number of dandelion roots that were well over 15cm (6 in) long. With our hard-packed clay soil, there is no way we ever would have managed to extract those roots intact with a standard dandelion tool.

The only drawback? Muddy backspray. But I figure that’s just part of the learning curve. Yes, I got muddy, but it was a happy muddy - after all, I managed to de-dandelion the back yard while aerating and watering it at the same time.

Now we just have to deal with the grubs and leatherjacket larvae. Quotes for nematode applications (small worms that kill larvae in your lawn) are forthcoming. With luck and some proper attention, hopefully our Green lawn will become a healthy Green lawn.

Boy, the weather sure does affect fuel economy. Since starting my hypermiling, the weather has changed from being a late winter chill (between -10°C and 0°) to becoming downright summery (mornings around 10°C, afternoons higher, as high as 27°C today!). As the temperature rises, I have seen a corresponding reduction in my fuel consumption.

Filling up today, I logged 794 km on 48.15 L for a tank average of 6.06L/100km. Sweet! Compare that to my hypermiling average of 6.5L/100km for my previous two tanks, and you can see why it’s advisable to use your vehicle’s block heater during the winter to reduce fuel consumption.

I am now actively looking to get out of my Elantra and into a VW TDI. With average fuel consumption figures in the 6.0L/100km range, I am hoping to be able to dip deep down into the 5’s, if not even the high 4’s. That will be exciting!