Personal travel accounts for up to a quarter of all the damage individuals do to the environment across Europe, including climate change effects.

[edit] Instructions

[edit] Drive More Efficiently

1. Drive Sensibly
   • Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.
   • Fuel Economy Benefit: 5-33%
   • Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.19-$1.23/gallon
     
     
2. Observe the Speed Limit
   • 

     

     MPG decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph
     While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.26 per gallon for gas.
   • Observing the speed limit is also safer.
   • Fuel Economy Benefit: 7-23%
   • Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.26-$0.86/gallon
     
     
3. Remove Excess Weight
   • Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2%. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle's weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.
   • Fuel Economy Benefit: 1-2%/100 lbs
   • Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.04-$0.07/gallon
     
     
4. Avoid Excessive Idling
   • Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines.
     
     
5. Use Cruise Control
   • Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.
     
     
6. Use Overdrive Gears
   • When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear.
     
     
7. Note: Cost savings are based on an assumed fuel price of $3.74/gallon.^[2][3]

[edit] Keep Your Car In Shape

1. Keep Your Engine Properly Tuned
   • 

     

     Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, can improve your mileage by as much as 40 percent.
     Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve its gas mileage by an average of 4 percent, though results vary based on the kind of repair and how well it is done.
   • Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, can improve your mileage by as much as 40 percent.
   • Fuel Economy Benefit: 4%
   • Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.15/gallon
     
     
2. Check & Replace Air Filters Regularly
   • Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car's gas mileage by as much as 10 percent. Your car's air filter keeps impurities from damaging the inside of your engine. Not only will replacing a dirty air filter save gas, it will protect your engine.
   • Note: Air filter savings based on: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 1981, Automobile Fuel Consumption in Actual Traffic Conditions. Paris, France. These tests were performed before the introduction of computer-controlled, fuel-injection engines. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is currently studying the fuel economy effects of clogged air filters on more modern engines.
   • Fuel Economy Benefit: up to 10%
   • Equivalent Gasoline Savings: up to $0.37/gallon
     
     
3. Keep Tires Properly Inflated
   • 

     

     Sample tire pressure label
     You can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.3 percent for every 1 psi drop in pressure of all four tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.
   • Fuel Economy Benefit: up to 3%
   • Equivalent Gasoline Savings: up to $0.11/gallon
     
     
4. Use the Recommended Grade of Motor Oil
   • 

     

     API energy conservation label
     You can improve your gas mileage by 1-2 percent by using the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use 5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by 1-2 percent. Using 5W-30 in an engine designed for 5W-20 can lower your gas mileage by 1-1.5 percent. Also, look for motor oil that says "Energy Conserving" on the API performance symbol to be sure it contains friction-reducing additives.
   • Fuel Economy Benefit: 1-2%
   • Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.04-$0.07/gallon
     
     
5. Note: Cost savings are based on an assumed fuel price of $3.74/gallon.^[4][5]

[edit] Plan & Combine Trips

1. Combining errands into one trip saves you time and money. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer multipurpose trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm. Trip planning ensures that traveling is done when the engine is warmed-up and efficient.
2. With a little planning, you can avoid retracing your route and reduce the distance you travel as well. You'll not only save fuel, but also reduce wear and tear on your car.
   • Walk between stops. If you are driving into town and will be visiting more than one store, park between them and walk instead of drive from one to the other.
     
     
3. Commuting
   • 

     

     Many urban areas allow vehicles with multiple passengers to use special High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes.
     If possible, take advantage of carpools and ride-share programs. You can cut your weekly fuel costs in half and save wear on your car if you take turns driving with other commuters. Many urban areas allow vehicles with multiple passengers to use special High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes.
   • Reduce your commute -Consider moving closer to work or working closer to your home.
   • If you can stagger your work hours to avoid peak rush hours, you'll spend less time sitting in traffic and consume less fuel.
   • Park when you first see a space-Don't be pickey about where you park. Take the first parking place instead of driving around looking for a spot.
   • If you own more than one vehicle, drive the one that gets the best gas mileage whenever possible.
   • Consider telecommuting (working from home) if your employer permits it.
   • Consider using public transit if it is available and convenient for you.
     
     
4. Traveling
   • 

     

     An extra 100 lbs in the trunk reduces a typical car's fuel economy by 1-2 percent.
     A roof rack or carrier provides additional cargo space and may allow you to meet your needs with a smaller car. However, a loaded roof rack can decrease your fuel economy by 5 percent. Reduce aerodynamic drag and improve your fuel economy by placing items inside the trunk whenever possible.
   • Avoid carrying unneeded items, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 lbs in the trunk reduces a typical car's fuel economy by 1-2 percent.

[edit] Choose A More Efficient Vehicle

Many countries give tax breaks for people who operate gas saving cars

Selecting which vehicle to purchase is the most important fuel economy decision you'll make. The difference between a car that gets 20 MPG and one that gets 30 MPG amounts to $935 per year (assuming 15,000 miles of driving annually and a fuel cost of $3.74). That's $4,675 extra in fuel costs over five years!

[edit] Tips

• When next time buying a new car, buy a hybrid car. Hybrid cars give you immediate savings at the pump. Another benefit is that many countries give tax breaks for people who operate gas saving cars. In US deductions from the Federal government can be as high as $2,000. Be sure to check on these tax breaks before buying since they may change.
  
  
• If not hybrid, buy a diesel car. Diesel cars often get better mileage than hybrids. And diesels allow you to use alternative fuel such as biodiesel or even waste vegetable oil (WVO/SVO) fuel.
  
  
• Although there are other factors to consider, here's a simple calculation to determine if buying a car with better MPG makes sense:

1-New car's MPG : 2-Current car's MPG: 3-MPG Improvement (difference 1-2): 4-Number of miles you drive annually 5-Annual MPG saved (3 x4) 6- Average price for gas: 7- Annual savings with more fuel efficient car (6X7)

• Get lower resistance tires. If there's less friction where the rubber meets the road, you can save money. Tires like the Michelin Energy MX 4 Plus are supposed to increase gas mileage. If gas prices continue to remain high, expect the tire companies to offer more full efficient tires.
  
  
• Get assistance for your employer. Employers often help employees with commuting such as sharing in the cost of using public transportation or providing a way to match you up with other employees for ride sharing.
  
  
• Consider purchasing a GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation system. With a GPS, when traveling you can get routing with the least mileage. Using a GPS, it is also less likely you will make wrong turns and drive more distance than required.
  
  
• Monitor traffic reports. When commuting to work or traveling in general, listen to traffic reports from local radio stations and take the less congested route. Driving through a slow congested area means you will spend more time driving and will consume more gasoline.
  
  
• When planning a vacation, use a route planning service such as AAA (American Automobile Association) or online mapping service such as Mapquest or Google maps .AAA and other similar or online route planning services can plan trips between locations with the least mileage and the least gas costs.
  
  
• Fill the tank full-If normally you have to travel a different direction to get gas, don't full up for small amounts like $10 because each trip to the gas station will result in traveling more miles and costing more gas.
  
  
• Is gas with ethanol right for you? If the gas you buy has a high amount of ethanol, the lower amount of energy in the fuel will result in lower mileage. However, if your gas contains 10 percent or less of ethanol, the ethanol helps the gas burn more efficiently resulting in a higher gas mileage.
  
  
• Park in the shade. Some gas will evaporate when your car is exposed to hot temperature. In addition, if your car is heated up unneccesarily so that air conditioning is required, use of the air conditioning will result in lower gas mileage.
  
  
• Avoiding stopping at a red light. When approaching a red light, try to slow down enough so that you don't actually have to stop (because you'll reach the light when it turns green.) You'll use less gas speeding up from a few miles an hour compared to starting from a complete stop.
  
  
• Don't fill up your car until you only have a quarter tank left. By doing this, you will get more miles per gallon because you have less weight in gas on board. This also gives you the flexibility to decide to buy gas on days when the price is lower.
  
  
• Plan ahead for slow downs and stops-Plan ahead in your driving and slow down earlier (using less gas) and coast to a stop instead of stopping from a faster speed.
  
  
• Don't parallel park-Enter and leaving a parallel parking spot takes more gas and requires your engine to run longer as opposed to simply pulling into a spot in a parking lot.
  
  
• Consider installing a real time gas consumption guage-If you can watch your actual gas consumption as you are consuming it, you will be more conscious of what activities take more gas or less gas and you can adjust your activities accordingly. There are variious OBDII reader devices you can stall (like ScanGuage or Equus 3130) and they provide real time fuel consumption information.^[6]

[edit] Warnings

• Always read the Owners Manual that came with the vehicle.
  
  
• Do not tailgate other vehicles (a practice known as drafting) to conserve gas. Though this may help reduce wind drag, it is illegal and very unsafe.
  
  
• Using a higher gear than necessary has dangers, too- the higher gear the car is in, the less acceleration the car has.
  
  
• Freewheeling (leaving the car in neutral) on downhill slopes is illegal (though poorly defined) in many jurisdictions, and can be very dangerous on steep grades. Know your local traffic laws and your local roads and conditions.

[edit] Reasons Why

• Improved Fuel Economy Saves You Money
  • You can save $200-$1,500 in fuel costs each year by choosing the most efficient vehicle that meets your needs. This can add up to thousands of dollars over a vehicle’s lifetime. Fuel-efficient models come in all shapes and sizes, so you don't have to sacrifice utility or size.
  • You can also increase the fuel economy of you current vehicle by adopting good driving habits and maintaining your vehicle.
    
    
• Strengthens Your Nation's Energy Security
  
  
• Protects the Environment
  • Burning fossil fuels such as gasoline or diesel contributes to a number of environmental problems, such as air pollution (smog) and global climate change. In addition, spills from refining and transporting oil and petroleum products damage ecosystems and pollute groundwater and streams.
    
    
• Conserves Resources
  • 

    

    We will eventually have to find new ways to power highway vehicles.
    Almost all of the cars and trucks we drive run on fuels derived from oil. Oil is a non-renewable resource, and while there is some debate as to how long this resource will last, we will eventually have to find new ways to power highway vehicles. Until other alternatives are developed, it makes sense to use fossil resources such as oil more efficiently to buy time to develop new and better energy sources and to make the transition to these sources smoother and less expensive.

[edit] Related Articles

• How to Drive Green
• How to Commute by Bycycle
• How to Live Without a Car
• How to Save Gas

[edit] External Links

• Fuel Economy - Gas Mileage, safety, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions for new and used cars and trucks. Improve the MPG of your vehicle with our gas mileage tips.
• Federal Trade Commission
• Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources, Canada
• Treatise - Training in Evironmental Transport
• ecodrive.org
• Het Nieuwe Rijden - The Dutch national ecodriving programme
• The American Public Transit Transportation Association has links to information about public transportation in your state.
• Walkscore Get Your Walk Score - A Walkability Score For Any Address

[edit] References