Saving Gas and Fuel Economy With Vehicle Maintenance
If you’re trying to find a way to save gas and improving your car’s overall fuel economy, you might feel as if the only way you’ll be able to really reach your goals is to buy a new car. The problem is that new cars can be really expensive, so this might not be an option for you.
How can you make sure that you’re able to make the most of the vehicle you have and avoid having the high cost of gas from stopping your adventures? You need to take a good look at how well you maintain your vehicles.
Vehicle Maintenance – Oil Changes and Tune Ups
When the engine of a car isn’t properly tuned up, you might find that it burns more gas than you would like. You can save gas and improve your fuel economy by making sure to have your car tuned up regularly. This usually includes changing spark plugs and wires so that you don’t bog your car down by having your plugs “misfire”.
Another big factor that can affect your car’s average fuel economy is how often you have your oil changed. Remember that your oil helps to keep all the parts of your engine run smoothly, so by keeping your oil clean and fresh, you’ll ensure that the parts of your car run with as little friction, and gas, as possible.
Tires and Your Fuel Economy
Tires also have a lot to do with your average fuel economy, so pay attention to them. By making sure to have your tires rotated regularly and take care to ensure that they are properly inflated, you can make sure that you save more gas than ever before.
Old tires that are under inflated will cause your vehicle to have to work harder to move your car and that will make you use more gas and decrease your average fuel economy. It’s a good idea to get new tires every couple of years, depending on how much you drive and consider a brand of tires that will help you to save gas.
The Way You Drive Makes a Difference
While the way you maintain your car really will have an effect on fuel economy, it’s also essential that you consider the way you drive. Driving faster than you should or “gunning” your car every time you leave a stop light can cause you to burn more gas than you would like. In addition to the way you drive, think about the way you sit in your car.
Sitting in an idling car is not a good way to save gas at all, so think about how long you’ll be sitting in your vehicle and, if you can, turn it off for better fuel economy.
A few simple changes can help you to save gas and improve your fuel economy so that you not only save money, but also help your car last longer and run better.
Fuel Efficient Vehicles – Including Gas Hybrid Cars
Fuel prices have soared and many of us are looking at going back to more fuel efficient vehicles. Popular in the 1970s, the trend towards SUVs in the 1990s and early ‘aughts undid much of the conservation efforts of the last time fuel economy was a matter of concern. Though speed limits may have risen, there is a whole new lineup of cars that are ready to take on some of the demand created by people who are unwilling to spend hundreds of dollars filling up the tank each time.
While there have always been a small number of fuel efficient vehicles manufactured in the US, to reach the CAFE standards set out by congress, though not many. Several of those made in the last 20 years were made in partnerships with Japanese firms that had expertise with these smaller vehicles. Even in the early 1990s, for instance, the 3-cylinder, 1.0L Geo Metro was delivering upwards of 50mpg (21km/L) in 1990. This was at a time when US consumer purchased a massive fleet of vehicles with fuel economy less than 15mpg (6.3km/L).
In addition to these small and relatively low powered vehicles, hybrid cars and SUVs are becoming a very common replacement. Instead of generating fuel savings with very careful use of somewhat limited power and lightweight construction, new vehicles are able to deliver the sort of comfort and ride that consumers have become accustomed to.
Gas Hybrid Vehicles
The very popular gas hybrid vehicles conserve power requirements by transferring the power of momentum from when you break and storing it in the car’s battery. For that reason, a heavy frame is not as much of a liability – the energy used to get it going is then transferred back into the car with the added energy required to stop that higher momentum.
This makes the city and highway mileage of gas or diesel hybrid cars almost exactly the same. The Toyota Prius and Honda Insight are two vehicles that made early entries into this market, though nearly all automakers now have a hybrid offering of one of their most popular vehicles. For each, demand has far outstripped supply since they were first introduced in the early ‘aughts. For most drivers, the increased cost of this vehicle choice is covered in the gas savings within two years or less.
Battery Electric Vehicles – BEV’s
Electric-only hybrids (also known as a continuously recharged Battery Electric Vehicle or BEV) are also on the way, with US automakers promising the first plug-in hybrid vehicles for 2010. These vehicles will be able to take advantage of other types of alternative fuels and energies, such as home-generated power from micro-turbines or even solar paint. It is very likely that within a decade, cars will be on the market that produce some of their own fuel from the light catching the surface of the vehicle.
Small vehicles that are designed to work with alternative fuels are now being imported from Europe in increasing numbers, too. Though the first wave of fuel efficient European vehicles could be said to have been the influx of mopeds and scooters in the 1950s and 60s, this trend focuses both on small cars and the surging popularity of scooters among young people, once again. Highly fuel efficient vehicles that run on alternative fuels like bio-diesel will likely pay for themselves many times over in fuel cost savings.
Entirely electric vehicles are also becoming a hot commodity. Whether manufactured that way or upcycled from an existing vehicle, these are almost always used in combination with a rechargeable energy storage system, in the form of batteries or a heavy flywheel. They can be charged with any sort of power and may also have a small combustion engine for assistance at distances of over 60 miles (100km). The raw materials (many of which are mined and sent from China) weight and toxicity of batteries has, so far, kept adoption to low levels, despite the fuel flexibility.
Flex Fuel Vehicles
Flex fuel vehicles that can run on a variety of energetic fluids and gases are the most popular vehicles in places with excess bio-matter, such as Brazil. These relatively fuel efficient vehicles are also present in North America. Usually these flex fuel or dual fuel systems combing either a gas or diesel engine with the ability to run natural gas or un-treated vegetable oil. Sometimes they also have charging and storage capacity like an electric hybrid, too. Such vehicles are currently more a curiosity than a market force, but volatility in commodity markets makes it very advantageous to have the ability to adjust for what fuel is available or less expensive.
The marketplace for “green” vehicles has grown tremendously over the last few years. These new trends towards smaller and more fuel efficient vehicles has been good for cars, as a hobby, too. What was just a few hybrid cars and some under-powered clown-cars a few years ago has become a respectable term for well-made cars and trucks that can reduce dependence upon foreign oil and reduce polluting emissions that would hasten the effects of climate change.
Choosing the fuel-efficient vehicle that suits your needs is determined by your current and future life-style. If you think you need a big vehicle for recreational opportunities and road-trips, you might want to also consider how your driving behaviors are likely to change if gas were $10/gal ($3/L). It’s something very likely in the next 10 years that people are likely to keep their vehicles. You might find that an alternative fuel vehicle suits the majority of your driving needs.
Even if you do need to drive a mini-van or SUV, you can still make cost effective and relatively non-polluting choices about how you use those vehicles. Flex fuel might be the best option for trucks and fleet vehicles.
