Perhaps the first thing I should say is that this is not my car! It's simply the only photo of a car I have that I also have the right to use.
The recent hikes in forecourt petrol prices have exposed (if ever it needed exposed) our addiction to oil and our reliance on the car. We try and use our car wisely for both economic and environmental reasons. My wife and I even had a conversation recently about whether we could do without a car. The answer at this point of time is no - we still need a car - but yes we are committed to reducing year on year the mileage we do.
That said there are things that can be done to reduce the petrol you use and therefore the amount of emissions you make. So here's my list...
(1) Take your bike rack, roof rack, canoe rack etc off the car when your not transporting your bike or canoe etc. It's simple aerodynamics and even an unloaded rood rack will add to your fuel use. While I'm on the point, why do people need bike racks? I thought the idea of a bike was to cycle it, not stick is onto your car! Ok, perhaps you want to cycle somewhere different - well take the train somewhere different and cycle home.
(2) Make sure your tire pressure is correct.
(3) Given the amount of energy needed to move anything is connected to its mass make your car lighter. Now I'm not suggesting that you remove bits of your car, but if your car is anything like ours then the boot becomes a storage point and you end up driving around with a boot full of stuff adding to the weight of your car.
Why not go for what I'm calling the double bonus - lose some weight - that way you save on your food bill plus your car does not have to work so hard to move you from A to B as you weigh less.
The reduce your weight idea also applies to how much fuel you put in the car each time you fill it, so try and run with your tank less than 1/2 full.
(4) If the journey is less than 2 miles then you really should not take the car. Ok so this is a little more difficult if you've small kids or a lot of stuff to carry, but in the first two miles or so your car is at its most inefficient and just guzzles the fuel.
(5) Stick to the speed limit, especially on the motorway. Now we should all be doing this anyway, but if you sit at 70 on the M-way then you know that there are a lot of people who are not. Fuel efficiency drops dramatically after approx 60 mph, so if your on eof those people who power along the M-way at 80+ then your costing yourself and the environment.
(6) Don't be a boy racer! When the green lights come on at traffic lights your not at Silverstone. Move away smoothly. When I was a kid we sometimes borrowed a relatives car. My Dad got far better miles per gallon than they did because he's an old smoothie and does accelerate aggressively.
Along with this select the right gear so your engine is working at its most efficient.
(7) AC in a car seems to be an ambiguous one with experts saying it does or does not add to your fuel bill. What there does seem to be agreement on is that for short journeys, say less than 20 mins then its not worth putting your AC on, just to leave your car to get all hot again. For long M-way journeys having a window open is going to cause so much drag that it will out weigh any saving made from not using AC. What we try and do on a long journey is have the AC on to cool the car down. Once the car and the air system is cool switch to the normal air vent system.
Anyone else got any bright ideas?
Great points Brodie. I am currently in North Carolina and car use here is unbelievable! Everyone drives everywhere. This is in part because their town planning takes no account of reducing driving. The issues about reducing the amount we drive are wider than our own choices.
Also final point on a/c. Does anyone in Scotland really need a/c? It's just not that hot that often, so do yourself (and the environment) a favour and don't buy a car with a/c.
Though I must say in the 100 degrees today I was grateful for it!
Posted by: Glenn | Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 12:31 AM
Glenn - Thanks for the comment. Have you guys moved from BC to NC or are you just visiting?
On the AC point, yes whyw do we need it in Scotland? However trying to but a car without it may be hard as it seems it is standard on most cars now.
Posted by: brodie | Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 10:43 AM
Just visiting NC on our way back to Scotland. I have taken a post at Gerrard Street Baptist church in Aberdeen.
Posted by: Glenn | Friday, July 04, 2008 at 12:40 PM