Hyper-Milers: 'Gliding' Toward Fuel Conservation

Nov. 8, 2007— -- Very early today, in a house adorned with leftover Halloween decorations, stirred a man consumed with energy. Literally.

Wayne Mitchell is focused on saving energy. He eats his breakfast long before sunrise just so he can allow for a morning commute that will burn less gasoline. "I make the effort simply because it is the right thing to do," he said.

Today, after he unplugged his car, Mitchell allowed 'Nightline' to join him on his daily journey to downtown Chicago. Every inch of it was designed to maximize his gas mileage.

Starting with the plug that's connected to a heater that kept the engine warm overnight. "Have to unplug the car, don't want to drag the extension chord downtown."

Mitchell drives a hybrid, of course. He's powering up his Toyota Prius in gloves and overcoat on a 43-degree Chicago morning.

"It's a little chilly," he said, "and typically I'm not going turn the heat on in the Prius until it gets to be close to zero... Any heat I take out of the engine isn't there to help with the car, with the fuel mileage."

Mitchell is a "hyper-miler", one of a small, but growing contingent determined to squeeze every last drop out of a gallon of gas.

"Oil is a finite resource," said Mitchell. "We're not gonna have it forever, our kids are gonna have less of it and it's just important to conserve it until we come up with alternatives."

So conservation drives everything Mitchell does behind the wheel. This includes the meandering route along Chicago's side-streets, bypassing the morning's stop-and-go rush hour.

On his 18-mile commute, Mitchell times the 68 stoplights to avoid using the brakes. "What I'm trying to do is come up to the light when it turns green so I don't have to stop."

One of his tricks is called "pulse and glide" accelerating briefly, then coasting for a long as possible.

While at a stoplight, Mitchell explains the process of "gliding" or using practically no energy while waiting for the light to turn green. All of this can be aggravating to the drivers behind him.