[2021 A-Gyeong Fuel Efficiency King] Official Fuel Efficiency Surpassed with 26.5 km/l "The Secret is Momentum Driving"

The 14th Asia Economy Fuel Efficiency King Competition Held at Seo Hanam IC on the 13th
58 Teams Participated... Showcasing Fuel Efficiency Driving Skills
The 14th Fuel Efficiency King Min Byeongyun Achieved 26.5 km/l with Hyundai Avante Sport

On the 13th, Min Byung-woo, who won the overall fuel efficiency king award at the '2021 Asia Economy Fuel Efficiency King Competition' held at the Korea Expressway Corporation Metropolitan Headquarters in Hanam-si, Gyeonggi Province, is posing in front of the 2018 Avante Sports vehicle that participated in the competition with his wife Kim Se-young. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] "The key to achieving high fuel efficiency is driving flexibly according to road conditions."

At the '14th Asia Economy Fuel Efficiency King Competition' held on the 13th near Seohanam IC in Hanam-si, Gyeonggi Province, at the Korea Expressway Corporation Metropolitan Headquarters, Min Byeong-yoon (49) and Kim Se-young (49, female), who won the grand prize (Minister of Environment Award) among 58 teams, revealed this as their secret to victory.

Min participated in the competition driving a 2018 Hyundai Avante Sports model and achieved an astonishing fuel efficiency of about 26.5 km/l. This far exceeds the official fuel efficiency of the Avante Sports model, which is 11.6 km/l.

Min, who took home the championship that day, is the older brother-in-law of famous race car driver Kang Byung-hwi (41). Kang also participated in the competition but missed the award by a narrow margin. Min said, "I was disappointed not to win when I participated three years ago," adding, "I have learned a lot from my youngest brother-in-law since then."

Min cited 'elastic driving' as the secret to high fuel efficiency. He explained, "The section where fuel efficiency drops the most is uphill. When you see a hill ahead, if you accelerate on the flat road beforehand and use that momentum, you can significantly reduce fuel consumption. On downhill slopes, lightly pressing the accelerator can also utilize the momentum. Driving flexibly according to road conditions is the key."

Sports models generally have higher driving performance but lower fuel efficiency compared to regular models. However, Min won the competition driving an Avante Sports model. He said, "Although sports models lack in fuel efficiency, if you drive with gentle acceleration and use momentum, you can achieve sufficiently high fuel efficiency."

Other winners in each category of the Asia Economy Fuel Efficiency King Competition included ▲Domestic gasoline passenger cars over 2000cc (Kang In-cheol, Chevrolet Impala) ▲Domestic gasoline passenger cars under 2000cc (Park Hee-guk, Hyundai Tucson) ▲Domestic diesel passenger cars over 2000cc (Kim Young-eun, Kia Sorento) ▲Domestic diesel passenger cars under 2000cc (Jo Byeong-rae, Chevrolet Malibu 2.0) ▲Imported gasoline cars (Lee Yul-seok, Mercedes-Benz E250) ▲Imported diesel cars (Park Young-joo, Peugeot 2008) ▲Hybrid category (Jung Se-hoon, Hyundai Grandeur Hybrid).

Professor Kim Pil-su of Daelim University, who served as the head judge for the 14th time, said, "The weather was good, but traffic congestion caused by accidents seemed to have negatively affected the overall fuel efficiency records," adding, "I am grateful that everyone arrived safely."

Meanwhile, in line with the trend toward electrification, the competition showcased major eco-friendly car lineups from domestic and international automakers, including electric vehicles Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Mercedes-Benz EQA, and hybrid model BMW X5 45e, attracting attention.