Green Driving: Fuel Efficiency Through Vehicle Maintenance

Posted on 19. May, 2009 by Ross in Energy News

With the electric vehicle revolution still waiting for us down the road, cutting down on our transport carbon footprints relies on either using public transport, cycling, walking or driving more efficiently. There are some basic ways in which you can make your daily car journey more energy efficient, but here’s some more specific tips on improving fuel efficiency:

Keep your car tuned

Your car’s engine needs to be well tuned because if it isn’t, it will tend to consume more fuel (up to 25% more) and the exhaust gases will increase pollution. A well-maintained vehicle is more efficient and ejects less carbon dioxide.

A clogged air filter increases fuel consumption by up to 3%. The air filter can be cleaned regularly or, failing that, changed. The oil filter should also be changed regularly depending on the prescribed oil-change intervals.

Regular services will ensure that your car stays in tip-top condition, avaoiding breakdowns and saving you money on fuel.

Check oil levels

Here’s one which doesn’t need a mechanic. Car engines use oil to lubricate the working parts of the engine: an engine with low oil levels will start to experience more friction, causing extra engine wear and using more fuel. Keeping your oil topped up avoids this.

There are also advantages to using better quality lubricants. Some manufacturers now sell engine oil formulations which claim to save up to a tank of fuel per year of normal driving, more than paying for itself whilst reducing the vehicles carbon lifetime footprint by a whole tonne of carbon dioxide.

Keep tyres inflated

Poorly inflated tyres can make a massive difference to car fuel efficiency: as much as 20% of car fuel consumption is from friction between the tyres and the road. Keeping tyres inflated properly saves up to 5% on fuel costs - just a single under-pressure tyre can cause a 4% drop in efficiency!

Make sure that your tyres are properly inflated to the tyre pressures advised by the tyre and vehicle manufacturers. The correct pressures are detailed in the vehicle’s manual as well as usually being detailed somewhere on the car itself: check the glove compartment, the inside of the door or inside the fuel cap!

Drive a diesel

Most people are aware of this one by now, but it bears repeating anyway. Diesel cars are much more efficient than their petrol counterparts, with the higher fuel cost dwarfed by far higher miles-per-gallon from similar vehicles. Turbo-chargers are now fairly standard on most diesels, increasing fuel efficiency by creating better air-fuel mixtures. If you do need to buy a new car before there are electric vehicles on every street corner then buy a diesel (the author of this post drives to work in a 12-year-old Peugeot 106 diesel which manages 73mpg at motorway speeds)!

Image by jsalvino @ Flickr