High petrol prices are good for us
From today's Age.
The way you drive and the condition of your car has an impact on the amount of petrol you use and in turn the amount of green houses gases your car produces. Here are a few tips to help you save the environment by using less petrol.
Plan to do a number of errands in one trip rather than several trips and save both time and fuel. Try to avoid short vehicle trips by walking or cycling, this will save over a quarter of a kilogram of greenhouse gas emissions per kilometre of vehicle driving it replaces. Also avoid peak-hour traffic whenever possible. Catch the bus – that’s what I do.
The engine runs most efficiently between around 1,500 and 2,500 rpm (lower in diesels). To maintain these low revs you should change up through the gears as soon as practical and before the revs reach 2500 rpm.
Automatic transmissions will shift up more quickly and smoothly if you ease back slightly on the accelerator once the car gathers momentum.
Drive at a good distance from the car in front so you can anticipate and travel with the flow of traffic. This avoids unnecessary acceleration and frequent repetitive braking that ends up wasting fuel. It's also far safer.
Minimise fuel wasted in idling by stopping the engine whenever your car is stopped or held up for an extended period of time. By having the engine switched off, even for a short period, you will save more fuel than is lost from the burst of fuel involved in restarting the engine. The net increased wear and tear from this practice is negligible.
High speeds result in high fuel consumption. At 110 km/h your car uses up to 25 per cent more fuel than it would cruising at 90 km/h.
Additional parts on the exterior of a vehicle such as roof racks and spoilers, or having the window open, increases air resistance and fuel consumption, in some cases by over 20%.
Inflate your vehicle's tyres to the highest pressure recommended by the manufacture and make sure your wheels are properly aligned. Looking after your tyres will not only reduce your fuel consumption it will also extend tyre life and improve handling.
Air conditioners can use about 10 per cent extra fuel when operating. However, at speeds of over 80 km/h, use of air conditioning is better for fuel consumption than an open window.
The more a vehicle carries, the more fuel it uses; an extra 50 kg of weight can increase your fuel bill by 2 per cent.
Keep your vehicle well tuned and reduce greenhouse gases by up to 5 per cent.
Somebody has to say it. The sooner the price of petrol is lifted to $2 a litre, the greater the chance that Australia will enjoy a relatively smooth, as distinct from a violent, transition to a world in which both mobility and lifestyles will be seriously constrained by a combination of oil scarcity and the need to reduce greenhouse gases to maintain a global climate fit for human and the other life forms that inhabit the planet. - Kenneth Davidson 9/8/06
The way you drive and the condition of your car has an impact on the amount of petrol you use and in turn the amount of green houses gases your car produces. Here are a few tips to help you save the environment by using less petrol.
Plan to do a number of errands in one trip rather than several trips and save both time and fuel. Try to avoid short vehicle trips by walking or cycling, this will save over a quarter of a kilogram of greenhouse gas emissions per kilometre of vehicle driving it replaces. Also avoid peak-hour traffic whenever possible. Catch the bus – that’s what I do.
The engine runs most efficiently between around 1,500 and 2,500 rpm (lower in diesels). To maintain these low revs you should change up through the gears as soon as practical and before the revs reach 2500 rpm.
Automatic transmissions will shift up more quickly and smoothly if you ease back slightly on the accelerator once the car gathers momentum.
Drive at a good distance from the car in front so you can anticipate and travel with the flow of traffic. This avoids unnecessary acceleration and frequent repetitive braking that ends up wasting fuel. It's also far safer.
Minimise fuel wasted in idling by stopping the engine whenever your car is stopped or held up for an extended period of time. By having the engine switched off, even for a short period, you will save more fuel than is lost from the burst of fuel involved in restarting the engine. The net increased wear and tear from this practice is negligible.
High speeds result in high fuel consumption. At 110 km/h your car uses up to 25 per cent more fuel than it would cruising at 90 km/h.
Additional parts on the exterior of a vehicle such as roof racks and spoilers, or having the window open, increases air resistance and fuel consumption, in some cases by over 20%.
Inflate your vehicle's tyres to the highest pressure recommended by the manufacture and make sure your wheels are properly aligned. Looking after your tyres will not only reduce your fuel consumption it will also extend tyre life and improve handling.
Air conditioners can use about 10 per cent extra fuel when operating. However, at speeds of over 80 km/h, use of air conditioning is better for fuel consumption than an open window.
The more a vehicle carries, the more fuel it uses; an extra 50 kg of weight can increase your fuel bill by 2 per cent.
Keep your vehicle well tuned and reduce greenhouse gases by up to 5 per cent.
