Did you know that your personal style of driving could have a significant impact on the environment? The importance of “eco” or green driving to the environment is often underestimated but you can make a difference.
By driving in a more environmentally responsible way, not only you reduce unnecessary wear and tear on your vehicle, but you can also reduce exhaust emissions and save fuel and money.
To ease the pain at the gas pump and clean the environment, Ford Motor Company has a list of driving tips to ensure better and greener driving on our increasingly busy roads.
“We call it ECO-driving – ECOnomical because it saves money and ECOlogical because it is better for the environment,” explains Tim O'Brien, deputy chief of staff, Executive Operations & Sustainability, Ford Motor Company. “Our tips are simple actions that can save motorists money on fuel and result in cleaner air.”
Fuel efficiency experts, including Ford Motor Company's environmental policy specialists, agree that learning to drive differently increases fuel efficiency.
The following ECO-driving tips can increase fuel economy by up to 25 per cent. Give them a try and you will be pleasantly surprised!
VEHICLE MAINTENANCE
A properly maintained vehicle can improve fuel efficiency
• Maintain a proper engine tune-up to keep vehicles running efficiently. Keep the wheels aligned. Wheels that are fighting each other waste fuel.
• Under-inflated tires increase rolling resistance and reduce fuel economy. They also wear rapidly. Check the vehicle's door-post sticker for minimum cold tire inflation pressure. Keep tires properly inflated to the recommended pressure – this alone can reduce the average amount of fuel use by 3-4 per cent.
• Replace the air filter as recommended – always consult the owner's manual.
• Use good quality, energy-conserving (EC) oils that have a viscosity grade consistent with the manual.
• Use a fuel with good detergent additives – to keep the vehicle engine clean and therefore, performing efficiently.
DRIVING STYLE
The largest fuel waste occurs with aggressive driving
• Studies show that fast starts, weaving in and out of traffic, accelerating to and from a stop light don’t save time, waste fuel and wear out some of the car components like brakes and tires faster.
• Start your car and immediately, but gently, drive away. Don't leave it idling – today's engines don't need to be warmed up. Prolonged idling creates excess emissions and wastes fuel.
• Turn the engine off when idling more than 30 seconds. However, turning off the engine may disable vehicle features including safety features like airbags.
• Start slowly, avoiding rapid acceleration. Sudden it starts are fuel wasters.
• Accelerate smoothly and brake gradually.
• Anticipate traffic conditions, and accelerate and decelerate smoothly—it's safer, uses less gas, and reduces brake wear.
• Maintain safe distance between vehicles.
VEHICLE SPEED
Maintain a steady speed whenever possible
• Aim to maintain a constant speed – pumping the accelerator pumps more fuel into the engine.
• Drive at posted speed limits – this is a tip that may save a life as well as fuel. The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates a 10-15% improvement in fuel efficiency by driving 90kph instead of 105kph.
• Use cruise control on the highway.
ENGINE LOAD
Traveling light reduces the engine's work load
• Avoid piling a lot of luggage on the roof rack. The added frontal area reduces aerodynamics and could reduce fuel economy by up to 5 percent.
• Don't drive at higher speeds with windows wide open. It increases the aerodynamic drag on the highway and lowers fuel economy.
• Minimize use of air conditioning, especially in cooler weather, and use the vent setting as much as possible.
• Park in the shade to keep car cool and reduce the need for air conditioning.
• Remove excess weight. Unnecessary weight (unneeded items in the trunk for example) makes the engine work harder and consumes more fuel.
OTHER TIPS
• Plan and consolidate trips to bypass congested routes and avoid stop-and-go traffic. Whenever feasible, share a ride and/or carpool.
• Use a high-quality fuel with the lowest appropriate octane rating. Check the owner's manual for the manufacturer's recommendation. There is no benefit to using premium gas in a vehicle calibrated for regular.
Notes to the editor:
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 300,000 employees and 108 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive-related services include Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.fordvehicles.com.
Ford Motor Company’s history in the Middle East goes back to nearly 60 years. The company’s local importer-dealers operate more than 55 facilities in the region and directly employ more than 4,000 people, the majority of whom are Arab Nationals.
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