gas mileage
Thursday, April 9th, 2009
by Dustin
Spring is here and that means summer is just around the corner. Summer is the season for vacations, swimming at the beach, and long road trips to Florida. Summer is that time of year when people drive the most, however it is also that time of year when gas prices reach the highest due to the laws of supply and demand. As a student, I am always looking for the cheapest gas and ways to save gas while driving. Other than the obvious solution to saving gas by carpooling, little gas saving techniques can save hundreds of dollars at the pump for an everyday commuter over a relatively short period of time.
1. Control that heavy foot of yours
Quite possibly the most obvious way to save some gas while driving is to control your bad acceleration habits otherwise known as a lead foot. Cars burn the most amount of gasoline under hard acceleration. Instead of getting up to speed quickly, slowly increase the car’s speed until you reach your desired cruising speed. Although it may be tempting to go 10 MPH over the speed limit, don’t do it. Driving the speed limit not only requires less gas than driving above the limit, but it also reduces the strain on the transmission and wheel bearings. However tempting it may be to get a jump on the person next to you at the light, think about how that jump may cost you a few extra pennies at the pump.
2. Dealing with rush hour mayhem
Traffic, it’s a nuisance to every motorist on the road today. Not only is it extremely frustrating causing drivers to lose control over the lead foot, but also the habits that people use to deal with traffic are very gas consuming. Many people try to stick to the person in front of them to ensure that they are not cut off by another inconsiderate driver, however this is not the most efficient way to deal with traffic. As I mentioned before, cars use the most gas when accelerating. This idea is magnified when a car starts from a stand still. Knowing this, it is best to keep the car rolling even if at a slow speed. This can be achieved by breaking before you actually need to, and doing this repeatedly over a long period of time can show an improvement in fuel economy.
3. Do a few extra pounds hurt?
Any extra weight on a car makes the car work harder to get up to speed. The best way to get optimal fuel economy would be to strip the car of any components that are not essential to the car, i.e. radio, passenger seats, door panels. However, this makes the car an unpleasant environment. One of the best solutions for the weight problem is to get rid of the spare tire and replace it with a can of flat fix. This small can could save people the time and effort of completely changing a tire by just stopping the leak all together. The downside to this is in the event of a blow out, there is no other choice but to use the spare you left at home to get better mileage.
4. Spring cleaning, your car appreciates it
Ok it’s Spring now, and there isn’t any snow on the ground so, so why do you still have that ski rack on your roof? Any non-aerodynamic parts on your car will ultimately reduce fuel economy especially while cruising at highway speeds, so unbolt it and leave it in the garage till next winter when it’s needed again. While you are prepping your car for summer, make sure you check your tire pressure. A higher tire pressure gives the wheel a lower rolling resistance, requiring less power to maintain a cruising speed. Also be sure to check your engine oil and transmission fluid levels. If these fluids are low, not only is the engine forced to overcome the resulting friction, severe damage could result from excessive wear on internal engine components.
5. Drafting… NASCAR in ever day commuting
The most effective, yet somewhat dangerous way to save a great amount of gas during long road trips is drafting. Drafting is the idea of following closely behind a large truck where there is a low-pressure zone of air in order to get better gas mileage. Although it is an unsafe method of increasing fuel economy, the Mythbusters in the episode Big Rig Tailgate proved this unsafe method that drafting can increase the fuel economy of any given car by almost 40% and is an effective way to increase gas mileage.
Photo of gas pump by Heather
Photo of Speedometer by ???
Photo of traffic by Nrbelex
Photo of NASCAR by Roger Smith
Popularity: 8% [?]
Monday, November 10th, 2008
by RyanB
Let’s just admit it, America is addicted to oil; we consume 20.4 million barrels a day! We use it for our cars, to heat our homes, and to run the machines that produce the products that we use in our everyday lives. Our addiction causes us to drill all around the world and buy massive amounts of oil from foreign countries. Our addiction to oil has destroyed many natural areas like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Instead of using money to pay for the cost of drilling, shipping, and processing oil, we should turn to a cleaner and more efficient forms of energy; ones that would not pollute the earth and its atmosphere. There is a need for dramatic reduction of the consumption of fossil fuels.
Even though heating oil and gas prices have gone down, two dollars and thirty-nine cents at the Hess in the center of town, there is still a need for a new type of energy. Soon there will not be enough oil left to meet our increasing needs and the prices will once again sky rocket. The senate has addressed this issue and many clean energy legislation have been passed. One proposal approving solar powered and wind powered energy for the future has been discussed. This legislation will slowly end the large grasp the oil companies have on our economy. Recent incentives such as the new energy tax credit have been passed to also assist with reducing our dependence on oil.
A major reason why we need to start the change to clean and efficient energy is the effect the production and consumption of oil has on the earth. Our dependence has caused global warming among other environmental problems. In 2002 about forty percent of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was from the burning of oil. Coal issues ninety-three percent into the atmosphere from the electric industry. These two renewable energies are the largest contributing factor in the release of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.
Another contributor to the carbon dioxide issue is the automobile. About thirty-three percent of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere comes from cars, and cars that have low gas mileage produce more. America could save 25 million dollars in fuel yearly and save a million barrels of oil every day if gas mileage was increased by three miles per gallon for every car. Still, oil will run out sometime and we will need to turn to clean energy sooner or later.
The U.S. produces about three percent of the world’s oil yet; they consume twenty-five percent of it. The Energy Information Administration says that oil will not be available for nearly a decade and that introducing clean energy will decrease our dependence on foreign oil ten times. Big oil companies are making profits exceeding forty billion dollars, and it is costing Americans increasing more to drive to work in the morning. America consumes the most oil even though we are one 4.54 percent of the population. Every time anyone spends the amount of one American dollar, the equivalent of half a liter of oil is burned to produce what the money buys.
Oil powers America life style and is used everyday; weather it is to get to work or to heat homes in the winter. Without it, America would not function because everything is based on the fossil fuels. Soon there will not be enough oil available to meet our needs because we will have drilled it all and used it. There is a need for clean and efficient energy that would be used and help stop global warming. The money that goes into helping drill for the oil should go into research for a new type of energy to use. This new energy would benefit people every where.
Photo: caseyhelbling
Photo: ilmungo
Popularity: 11% [?]
Monday, October 6th, 2008
by Alaina Stochaj
Vehicle manufactures are taking technology to a whole new level with new and futuristic fuel-efficient vehicles. There have been exiting new developments in making the best and most fuel-efficient vehicle out there. Consumers have a variety of vehicles to choose from such as hybrids, fuel cell, electric, and diesel. The new lineup of cars that will be out in the future are definitely worth being built and purchased because of the environmental advantages they include such as better gas mileage and lower emissions. Many argue that the new fuel-efficient vehicles are expensive and are not worth it, however that does not address how the U.S. emits incredible amounts of greenhouse gasses into the air. Fuel-efficient vehicles would save people a lot of money on gas because of how many miles to the gallon they get. The Toyota Prius is the most popular selling hybrid out there. In fact, more Prius cars have been sold than any other hybrid combined. The Prius gets about 45 mpg on the highway and around 48 mpg in the city and emits 89 percent less smog than the average car. This current hybrid is incredibly fuel efficient, but there are more hybrids to come that will be even more technological advanced and efficient.
A new plug-in hybrid called the VentureOne, which will arrive in the showrooms soon is one of the most unique vehicles we have ever seen. It is a combination of a motorcycle and a car that has two seats and runs on three wheels. It will be able to ride similar to the style of a motorcycle turning sharp corners and leaning from side to side. The vehicle apparently uses advanced technology to determine the perfect balance while driving. When I first learned about the three-wheel car, it seemed a bit dangerous, but it will supposedly be thirty times safer than a standard motorcycle. It will have all the safety features of a vehicle like airbags, bumpers, and impact protection, and it’s going to be environmentally friendly getting about 100 mpg and equipped with two 20 kW electric motors and a 17 kWh lithium ion battery pack. More importantly the manufacturer is really trying to show how environmentally friendly the vehicle is, coming in three different shades of green. I’m surprised that they are coming out with this vehicle because I am not sure how many people will find it appealing. It is a very cool piece of technology, but I am not sure that the average driver will choose to purchase one of these. Despite being fast and fuel efficient, it will be expensive and drivers might not find it safe.
Another interesting soon to be vehicle in the hybrid market is the Honda FCX Clarity, a fuel cell car that will be available in 2008. The vehicle will run on a hydrogen fuel cell stack. It will produce electricity, but no exhaust emissions will come out of the tailpipe. Honda is also working on trying to build a hydrogen fueling station for homes. It would be very convenient for an owner of one of these cars if the company were able to create such a home based refueling station. What I really took notice of was that the hydrogen station would also supply a house owner with heat and electricity in addition to producing hydrogen fuel. From the natural gas, it would generate the hydrogen for homes. I could imagine that this would expensive, but would be extremely efficient reducing energy costs as well as emissions dangerous to the environment. It is unlikely that this home fueling station will be out for several more years. It’s a really intriguing idea that people should take notice of, but who knows what other types of fuel-efficient vehicles will come out during that period of time.
There are now numerous different types of fuel-efficient cars out now and many arriving in the future. Drivers need to take an interest in what is coming out and should take a closer look. They might be more expensive then the average car, but are incredibly more efficient and better for the environment.
Photo Credit: geognerd
Popularity: 8% [?]
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