I'm guilty. I admit it. I'm part of the problem. I do as much as I can to conserve gasoline, but I still miss the target on a few things. First, I drive too much. Sometimes I drive when I could easily walk or bicycle instead. Sometimes I miss opportunities to carpool because I haven't planned well enough. The car I drive isn't as fuel efficient as it should be.
The bad part is that I'm not the worst by any stretch of the imagination. Everyday I see other motorists speeding down local roads -- every one of them apparently late to a very important date. Then there's my friend who drives an SUV but still complains about the price of gas. That's right. He doesn't complain about his vehicle's horrible gas mileage or his decision to buy such a gas hog. He complains about the price of gas. My personal favorite is my coworker who lives across the street from our office (all of 200 yards) but on even the nicest days insists on driving to work.
Worst offenders aside, most people I know are actually interested in spending less at the pump, and there's a growing awareness of the environmental degradation, killing, torture, and oppression that take place as a result of our thirst for oil. The question then becomes how do we begin to free ourselves from this chain.
The beginning is simple:
Carpool. It sounds too good to be true but sharing rides with a friend effectively doubles your gas mileage. Imagine if you could share a ride with two or more people.
Minimize the use of your heater and air conditioner.
Combine errands and trips.
Walk, ride bicycle, or use public transportation.
Drive more conservatively. Fast acceleration and gunning the engine uses more gas. Braking wastes the energy used during acceleration. 5-33% savings*
Follow the speed limit. According to the Department of Energy “…you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.20 per gallon ...” 7-23%*
Use cruise control on the highway. In a road test by Edmunds.com, a Land Rover got about 14% better mileage and a Mustang got 4.5% better mileage using cruise control rather than driver controlled speeds which waste gas with unnecessary acceleration and braking.
Get the junk out of your trunk. The more weight in your car; the more gas that is required to speed up. You can also be creative and start to strip down your car like race car drivers do. Pretty soon my passenger seat and back seat are gonna go! 1-2% per 100 lbs*
Avoid idling. Idling equals zero miles per gallon. It is unnecessary to “warm up” a modern car by idling more than 30 seconds. Instead, driving your car gently when you first start out in the morning will do a better job of getting the engine to its optimal operating temperature. In the same test at Edmunds.com, they saved up to 19% in mileage by turning off the car when idling more than one minute.
Keep your car tuned up. This includes keeping air filters clean; the exhaust system in good repair; spark plugs, wires, and other electrical components in good condition; change the oil regularly with quality synthetic oil; keep tires properly inflated; and use fuel system cleaners from time to time.
When you buy a new car, buy one that gets better gas mileage.
Since I've already written about local foods: eat locally. Maybe you didn't drive that beef all the way from Montana or Chile to your supermarket but someone did.
If you are relocating, consider locales with good public transportation and thriving businesses within an easy walk or bicycle ride.
*US Dept of Energy and EPA site: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/
Edmunds site on fuel economy: http://www.edmunds.com/fueleconomy/index.html
Car Talk's Guide to Better Fuel economy: http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/fueleconomy/
I'd call this extreme fuel economy: Hypermiling. It's a number of driving techniques and strategies that can dramatically increase gas mileage. I'm trying a few of their techniques, but they are not for the faint of heart. http://www.hypermiling.com/ and http://www.cleanmpg.com/
I've also heard about putting magnets around your fuel line and adding a very small amount of acetone to your fuel to improve gas mileage but have not tried these myself nor verified their effectiveness or safety. Does anyone else have any experience with these or have any other tips or sites?
Coming soon... lawns, lawn mowers, and mainstream landscaping.
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