From Guest Blogger Kyle O'Brien: Top Ways To Cut Back On Fuel Consumption
It’s no secret that today’s car manufacturers have spent a good deal of time in the first decade of 2000 to present day on making their vehicles as fuel efficient as possible. From aerodynamic changes to more streamlined mechanisms underneath the hood, whereas 25 MPG was a starting point, it’s looking more and more likely that most models will achieve 30+ MPG in the near future.
**The day heavy-duty trucks and sports cars reach that plateau will be even better.**
But modern technology and other just-out-of-the-box vehicles can’t account for the simple fact that a majority of vehicles on the road today still fall in the 25 MPG or below category. But that doesn’t mean these drivers are at a loss with being on the eco-friendly side of the coin.
Adaptation is the name of the game, and there’s no better way than cutting back on bad fuel consumption habits. Some, drivers continually do without thinking about it, while the other fuel conservation methods just aren’t as fresh in their minds. Which is why a good way to bridge that gap and perfect your fuel conservation can be accomplished with the following tips.
Learn When To Blast The A/C
So many times drivers turn to their A/C for relief when the weather outside is pleasant and moderate. Not to say you should swear off the A/C altogether – because drivers shouldn’t sweat through upper 80’s and 90’s days – but try to be a better judge of when fresh air is better off.
Reduce Unnecessary Wind Resistance
Engineers have been refining the aerodynamic makeup of cars with every passing year. Most of the time, it’s to benefit the performance of the car, which in turn helps put up better numbers in the MPG department. As such, drivers must know when they’re inadvertently altering their car’s performance. Little actions like having your windows down while driving on the interstate puts added resistance to your car, forcing the engine to adapt and churn out more fuel in the process. Getting past this is easy: judge the drive and if it’s a 60+ miles per hour job, then windows up. If it’s a 20 miles per hour stroll downtown, having the windows down isn’t going to alter the wind resistance nearly as much, if at all.
Vehicle Maintenance
One of the most obvious candidates – but ignored just the same – is how well drivers tend to their car. Keeping your car to a mirror shine, both under the hood and outside, can play a major role in your car’s fuel efficiency. If you’ve got a loose portion of a front or rear bumper, it’s safe to assume the wind can expose that gap and push your car more than it needs to. Same goes with a worn-down muffler, old oil lubricants on the gears, rickety timing belts and so on.
Think of it this way, when drivers see initial MPG marks for a car, the stats are being judged when the car’s at is most optimal. The best way to tow that line is by being more aware of when your vehicle’s crying out for your attention.
Reduce The Load
This isn’t a call for driving solo – because that point will be touched upon next – but more with cutting out the fat of your car. Using your trunk as a storage locker ready to be bid on by the cast of Storage Wars adds unnecessary bulk to your car, meaning every drive demands a little more from the engine and fuel performance at the same time.
Counter the dilemma by keeping your car organized and clutter-free, removing and storing items like golf clubs, luggage and so forth. Only keep items you know you’ll need on a daily basis or for emergencies (i.e., flashlights, car oil and other fluids, etc.).
Warm Up To Carpooling
Carpooling has become more popular through the years mainly to reduce fuel costs, yet when expanded upon outside of routine drives to work and practiced on weekend outings with friends and vacations, the fuel conservation initiative is given fresh legs to stand on even more. Dividing up whose turn it is to drive to the office one week or go out for a night on the town means less cars on the road, plain and simple.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, reducing fuel consumption is not only great for the wallet, but the environment as well. Broaden your horizons with carpooling, stay on top of car care, omit needless strains on your car and not only can you obtain better MPG performance, but you’ll develop a greener eye for things outside of a simple drive.
Author Bio: Kyle O’Brien is a freelance writer on energy-saving techniques such as fuel consumption and has written other eco-friendly reminders for the automotive industry and has consulted for Cable-Dahmer Chevrolet and written about preowned car comparisons and beyond.
“Learn When To Blast The A/C”
A problem with my 2004 Mazda 3 is that the fresh air vents deliver air that is considerably warmer than the outside air. That makes it necessary to run the air conditioning much more often than would be necessary if the fresh air vents delivered air that is closer to the outside air temperature. In fact, to be comfortable, I need to run the air conditioning when it is warmer than 65F outside, which makes no sense. I consider that to be a design defect.
Although it’s remarkable how much more fuel efficient modern cars have become, they could still be more fuel efficient. The increased fuel efficiency has occurred even though power and performance have increased to what one would have expected of race cars in the 1950s. In fact, the Consumer Reports rate one car as somewhat sluggish even though it accelerates from 0 to 60 in 10 seconds. Many cars will now accelerate from 0 to 60 in less than 8 seconds. Unfortunately, such performance exacts a fuel efficiency price. If cars had somewhat less, but still more than ample power, they could be more fuel efficient.
Average fuel consumption of new cars in the EU is only 61% that of current American cars at an average of approximately 33 miles per American gallon compared to roughly 20 in the USA(US gallon is different to British gallon).
I think that half the problem in America is the propensity of many to drive SUV or light truck type vehicles without having any real need for them.
Other factors which make a difference are EU legislation which sets far tighter emission standards than the US, and the high fuel taxation in the EU (gasoline at around $10 per US gallon. Whilst there were at one point fears that this legislation would make driving unaffordable, the opposite has proved to be the case with fuel standards making only a very minor if any difference to new car prices and improved fuel consumption making them more affordable to own.
Possibly the US needs to value its fuel more highly if it is to make its economy more efficient?
I am sure that average fleet economy for new vehicles would rapidly improve if US citizens paid $10 per gallon, quite possibly eliminating the need to import fossil fuels in the process!
You’re right about SUVs and small trucks.
Excessive fuel consumption is not the only problem created by SUVs and some small trucks. Because of their size and shape, they can block the view of the road for other drivers thereby making it more likely that other drivers will have accidents. Also, they are more hazardous for pedestrians, bicycles, and motorcycles. For example, if a pedestrian is hit by a conventional car, he is likely to be thrown onto the hood (bonnet) whereas if he is hit by an SUV or some trucks, he will probably be thrown forward and run over leading to more serious injuries.
There are political problems that make it difficult to raise taxes on motor fuel. However, it may be that the political problems could be circumvented by shifting part of the tax burden from the income tax to a tax on motor fuel. To avoid disruptions, the change could be phased in gradually.
To cut fuel consumption – Go Green!
Example – Car doing 10,000 miles (16,000Km) /yr
> Small diesel car at 45mpg would need ~1000 litres bio-diesel which needs about 2000 sq-m (0.5 acre) of land for energy crop.
> Small petrol car running on bio-methanol needs about 7000 sq-m (1.75 acres)of land for energy crop (sugar beet in UK).
> Performance EV (e.g. Tesla Roadster) could do 10K mi/yr powered from about 3 sq-m of CPV (Concentrating PV) panels (on less than 15 sq-m of land)located in a suitable place, e.g. Mohave or Sahara deserts.
Conclusion: best way to cut back on fuel is to drive an EV, even if powered from grid electricity the overall fuel per mile is still likely to be lower. OK, there are currently cost, range and refuelling (charging) times issues but these are gradually being addressed. If the UK could switch to EVs for all land transport (powered from renewable sources) it would cut about 20% from our energy consumption, equivalent to about 40Mtoe/yr!
Relying on car owner initiative alone to reduce fuel consumption has been shown to be ineffective. There have to be economic incentives or legal means to reduce fuel consumption. It would also help to make public transportation more readily available and convenient, but that is politically difficult because the public is more willing to spend millions of dollars to add lanes to highways than to improve public transportation.