If you choose to drive an eco-friendly vehicle, you can reduce your carbon footprint whilst lowering fuel costs. If you’re thinking about becoming more environmentally conscious, this would be the correct step for you! Many of us however are on unsure of the first step to take. Lookers, who provide quality car servicing parts, are here to tell us more:
Planning your route in advance
Whilst driving, if you’re trying to be more environmentally friendly, you should try and maintain a steady speed. This will make you save on fuel and make the most out of your full tank. There are a variety of ways you can do this. One of which Is predicting what’s coming up the road and prepare your speed accordingly. This highlights that it would be wise to plan your route in advance so that you’re aware of all possible encounters. For example, if you’re approaching traffic lights, slow your car down in plenty of time to avoid harsh braking. You might surprise yourself by how much you can save on petrol or diesel by avoiding unnecessary stops and starts. In fact, statistics show that harsh braking and acceleration can reduce fuel efficiency by 33%. Similarly, when coming up to stand still traffic, reduce your speed so you can continue to move.
Controlling your speed
Make sure that you make the most out of your car if it has cruise control installed into it. If your car does have this iconic feature, remember to turn your car off when stationary (when it’s safe to do so) to save on fuel too. This feature allows you to maintain a steady speed and prevents too much speed fluctuation — improving fuel efficiency.
Although you should be avoiding speeding anyway for legal and safety reasons, there are other benefits of speed control. Do you know which speed it is more economical to drive at? Well, research has found that it can cost up to 25% more in fuel to drive at 70mph than it does when driving at 50mph.
Although you may not think it, driving slowly is also particularly dangerous too. If your your vehicle is moving below the speed of 15mph, the most vehicle pollution is created. Pollution emitted then lowers when accelerating to 60mph and rises again after this threshold.
Managing fuel costs
When visiting friends and family or going on long haul trips, many of us will manage to spend a lot on fuel. Changing gears at lower revs and resisting to rolling down windows are just two of the ways in which you can cut down on the amount of fuel you use.
This driving technique (changing gears at lower revs) prevents your engine from overworking and therefore requiring more power. It has been suggested that when you’re behind the wheel, you should try to change gear when the rev counter reads 2,000rpm for diesel and 2,500rpm for petrol. This stops your engine from working too hard and reduces the risk of clutch and gearbox damage (more unexpected costs that you could do without).
Although it’s hard to resist rolling your windows down on a warm day, it can have a negative impact on your fuel tank. This is because driving with the windows down can cause your vehicle to drag — requiring more energy to move the car. So, is air conditioning a better alternative when it’s hot? One study discovered that this may actually use even more energy than when the windows are open.
Become an eco-driver and see your savings grow!
