HYPERMILING explained by Kevin Courtney.

Sounds like a thrilling new sport

Oh, it's a thrill a minute, all right. Hypermilers are the real daredevils of the road, pushing the envelope to the max and seeing just how far they can go before they completely burn out. Once these guys get behind the wheel, there's no stopping them; they're gonna take it to the limit - and beyond.

Wow, what channel's this sport on? I'm getting bored watching Formula 1.

Hypermiling hasn't reached our TV screens yet, but when it does, you can expect it to knock bowls and curling into a cocked hat. Hypermilers have only one goal - to see how many miles they can get to the gallon. The idea is to get as far as possible on as little petrol as possible, and hypermilers will stop at nothing to save gas. If that means driving at a steady 30mph, putting the car into neutral on a slope or cutting the engine out altogether, then so be it - no feat is too dangerous in the cause of fuel efficiency.

So these guys aren't burning rubber?

No, they're burning petrol - as little of it as possible. For hypermilers, it's not about speed, but about savings. Whoever can reach the finish line having used the least amount of petrol, no matter how long it takes, wins.

Well, petrol is a bit pricey these days . . .

Tough times require tough measures, and the growth of hypermiling can be seen as a reaction to rising oil prices. Hypermiling can cut your petrol costs considerably, although you can use up a lot of brain energy watching the petrol gauge and trying to come up with new ways to cut down on fuel consumption.

So, how do they do it?

Hypermilers have changed their driving habits to maximise fuel efficiency. For a start, SUVs and gas-guzzling luxury cars are scrapped - hypermilers usually only drive hybrid cars. Secondly, their on-road behaviour is adjusted - when the traffic light turns green, they don't roar off, but accelerate slowly to burn less fuel. They choose routes that will take them along straight, level roads, where they can cruise steadily just under the speed limit, and will avoid letting their car idle for too long. Some hypermilers might jettison items such as seat belts, the stereo and even passenger seats to try and reduce drag.

Sounds a lot easier - and faster - just to get the bus.

The king of the hypermilers is one Wayne Gerdes, who covets the title of World's Most Fuel-Efficient Person. Gerdes competed in Hybridfest's MPG Challenge, a 20-mile race through the streets of Madison, Wisconsin. By driving like an average 90-year-old, Gerdes can get up to 59 miles per gallon out of his hybrid. But the holy grail for hypermilers is 100 miles to the gallon.

Sounds like he's well equipped to ride out the current fuel crisis.

He's not the first - during the second World War, when petrol was rationed, drivers used to adjust their habits accordingly (although they didn't call it hypermiling back then). In Europe, we call it ecodriving, which is self-explanatory, but there's a better word for it, derived from the Japanese: nempimania, an unhealthy obsession with fuel economy.

Try at work:We picked up this guy for kerb-crawling, Sarge, but he swears he was just driving slowly to save petrol.

Try at home:Sorry I'm late, darling, I found the best way to save petrol - just get out of the car and push!