From Guest Blogger Dixie Somers: Tips for Reducing Your Car’s Carbon Footprint
Driving can have a hugely negative impact on your carbon footprint, and while we all strive to reduce our personal drain on the environment, there are some things we struggle to do without. While you work toward a world that lives in harmony with earth, there are some things you can do to reduce your car’s carbon footprint.
Share a Car
Most families have more than one car, and more often than not, each car is intended for the transportation of one person at a time. Getting rid of one car and sharing the other can greatly reduce your carbon footprint and save you money. If life with one car is not doable right now, try to carpool as much as possible and save the other car for emergencies only.
Trade Up
Trade in your gas guzzler for a more fuel efficient green vehicle. Not only will you be helping the environment, but you’ll be saving money on gas as well. Check out the EPA’s site on green vehicles to help you make the best choice for your family.
Drive More Sensibly
The better you drive, the less gas you waste. Instead of hitting the gas, accelerate slowly and maintain a steady speed. That also includes not driving faster than you need to. These simple tips can improve your gas mileage by 33%, not to mention make the road safer for you and others.
Maintenance
Proper maintenance can also improve your carbon footprint. Simple acts like getting an engine tune up from a company like Natrad can keep your car running smoothly and keep it from emitting more CO2 than it should. Take it a step further and replace all of your filters at least once a year.
Air Up
Airing up your tires and keeping them inflated to the proper level can increase your fuel efficiency and save over 400 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
Roll Down the Windows
Instead of cranking up the air, roll down the windows. Not only will this reduce your fuel consumption, but it will increase your happy mood. A little fresh air and vitamin D does good for the mind and body.
So many people live by the idea that, if we can never reduce our carbon footprint to a completely sustainable level, we shouldn’t bother trying. While it may be true that some pollution is inevitable, it is also true that we can make a difference and lessen the global impact one step at a time—and the first step is making eco-friendly choices in your own home.
From the article:
“The better you drive, the less gas you waste. Instead of hitting the gas, accelerate slowly and maintain a steady speed.”
Good driving technique can improve fuel efficiency. However, some of the common recommendations are misguided. At one time I worked for a manufacturer of engines and generators and even took a course in internal combustion engine design so I know what determines engine efficiency.
A serious cause of inefficiency in Otto cycle engines (4-stroke spark ignition) is the throttle valve. The engine has to suck in air against the vacuum created by the throttle valve which takes power and reduces efficiency, a problem which Diesel engine don’t have since they don’t have a throttle valve. For that reason, an Otto cycle engine is more efficient when the throttle valve is almost wide open. However, because the power required to overcome air resistance increases with the cube of the speed, driving faster reduces fuel efficiency.
With a manual transmission, the most efficient way to accelerate from a stop is to use a heavy foot on the accelerator but upshift at the lowest speeds at which the engine will run properly and smoothly. Then, after getting into top gear, lighten up on the accelerator. If you accelerate too slowly, you will spend more time in the lower gears but you don’t achieve maximum fuel efficiency until you get into top gear.
With an automatic transmission, you have less control. Accelerating with a heavy foot will cause upshifts to occur at higher speeds; you can do nothing about that which is one of the disadvantages of automatic transmissions. So, with an automatic transmission, it is best to accelerate at a moderate rate, i.e., not too slowly or too quickly. Then, when you reach the lowest speed at which the transmission can shift into top gear with the torque converter locked, back off of the gas to cause the transmission to shift into top gear and lock the torque converter and accelerate slowly. Of course that requires paying attention to what the transmission is doing so you will know when shifts occur and when the torque converter locks up.
According to EPA figures, there is little difference in fuel mileage between manual and automatic transmissions. However, that is not the full story. A driver who knows how to maximize fuel efficiency can get better fuel mileage with a manual transmission in city traffic because he can use a heavy foot and still upshift at low speeds; that cannot be done with an automatic transmission. The EPA is not likely to use that technique.
With a hybrid car, the technique to maximize efficiency is different. With a hybrid, it is best to accelerate very slowly. That’s because if you accelerate fast, but battery will lose efficiency because of the high current required. As the car pick up speed, the engine will start after which you can accelerate faster without losing efficiency.
Regardless of what kind of transmission a car has, efficiency is greater if one anticipates traffic lights and traffic condition to maintain as steady a speed as possible. But again, advice to accelerate extremely gradually, except with a hybrid car, is misguided for the reasons I have given.