Increase Gas Mileage
Tips & Tactics

Reducing Your Car’s Emissions

There’s no way around it – cars pollute. They produce a number of emissions and greenhouse gasses that pollute the air and may contribute to climate change. But let’s be realistic – not everyone has the money or the inclination to run right out and buy an all-electric car or a hybrid. Still, there are a few simple changes you can make to reduce your car’s emissions – and maybe even save some money in the process.

Let’s start with how often you drive. When you can, combine trips and always plan the most efficient route you can when driving your car. Not only is this more fuel efficient, but it reduces the amount of pollution your car produces. When you can, use alternative modes of transportation like walking, riding a bike, carpooling, or using public transportation. And, as much as you can, avoid letting your car sit and idle for more than 30 seconds.

Most people don’t know that you don’t need to let your car idle to warm up during cold weather. Modern engines are designed to warm up as they’re driven. In addition, using the air conditioning during hot months causes the engine to work harder and produce more emissions. Whenever possible, roll the windows down and avoid using the air conditioner altogether.

Also, keep your car well maintained. Many areas require emissions inspections, but even if your area doesn’t, you can still have your car inspected and repair any deficiencies. When you choose gasoline for your car, choose a fuel that burns cleanly or, if you have the option to switch to alternative fuels, do so.

You can also reduce the emissions your car produces by accelerating gradually and maintaining a moderate speed. The more smoothly you drive – minimizing accelerations and decelerations and maintaining a constant, moderate speed – the fewer emissions your car will produce. Most cars have what’s called a “sweet spot,” – this is the spot in your car’s highest gear that uses the least amount of gas to maintain speed. If you drive an automatic, watch for when your car shifts into its highest gear and the rpms begin to level off – this is your sweet spot. Of course, driving in the sweet spot isn’t always possible, as it may be at a higher speed than allowed on most roads. Do keep this in mind for highway driving, however.

Another way to reduce your car’s emissions is to go right to the source – your gas tank. A gas cap that fits well prevents gas from escaping into the air. Not only do escaping gas fumes pollute the air, they also mean poor fuel efficiency for you and can be seriously dangerous. If you suspect your gas cap doesn’t fit as well as it should, purchase a new one. These are available relatively inexpensively at most auto parts stores.

Speaking of gas, use the type of gasoline the manufacturer specifies for your car. Purchasing a higher octane product generally won’t help your car perform better, nor will it increase your mileage. Choosing a higher octane gas won’t lower your emissions either – it’s just more money flying out the window for you.

How LED Lighting Can Help Your Car Be Greener

When it comes to the problem of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, who would have thought that one possible solution could be as simple as changing a light bulb? However, most cars use incandescent lights – especially in their headlights and taillights. The problem with incandescent lights is that they’re very inefficient – far more of their energy consumption produces heat, not light.

On the other hand, light emitting diodes (LEDs) use almost all of the energy they consume to produce light, not heat. This means you can get the same light output from an LED as from an incandescent light for about 85 percent less energy. When you draw less energy from your engine, it doesn’t have to work as hard and, therefore, produces fewer emissions. Whatever its color, an LED light can, in fact, be very green.

LEDs also last longer than incandescent lights. They don’t contain harmful gases or chemicals, unlike some other types of lights. But it’s their energy savings that are their biggest selling point for the automotive industry. If you were to switch your car to LEDs, you’d likely notice an increase in your mileage. Your greenhouse gas emissions would also decrease, although that’s not something that you’d readily see. However, think of the impact that could make over all of the cars on the road today.

In fact, LEDs aren’t just being used in car’s interiors, but also for headlights, signal lights and tail lights. Many car owners actually prefer LED headlights because they’re brighter and last longer than other bulbs – not to mention, they’re far more durable. LED lights are also more resistant to shock, making them especially useful for vehicles used for uneven or rough terrain.

And because they consume less energy, LEDs are especially useful in the case of hybrid or electric cars. Since less energy is needed for lighting, more energy is available for use in keeping the car running. In other words, LEDs can help a hybrid or electric car to go farther on a single battery charge.

Fortunately, switching over to LEDs doesn’t have to be difficult. Some vendors offer LEDs that can be used in the same fixtures as the current incandescent lights. This allows owners to upgrade their lights without having to pay for costly shop repairs. In addition, new cars are expected to begin using LEDs almost exclusively, so you may already have these enhancements without even knowing it.

In addition, LEDs are available in different colors, including white, red and blue, as well as in infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths. It’s easy to choose a color that looks great on your car – all while saving money and reducing emissions.

Finally, despite their ability to help cars be greener, blue LEDs have the capability of contributing to light pollution. While this isn’t an issue with cars at this point, it’s no doubt something that designers will want to keep in mind as more and more LED technology is used in the auto manufacturing process.

Will Anyone Buy Hybrids Now?

Last summer when gas was approaching $5 a gallon, fuel-efficient vehicles were all the rage. Dealerships were so desperate to sell their vehicles that they offered “price locks” on fuel of $2.99 a gallon, which at the time seemed like a steal. “Smart” cars, the car that almost has a higher miles-per-gallon rating than it does horsepower, were all the rage. People thought that spending $15,000 on these glorified mopeds was a sensible solution to the wallet-crippling fuel prices.

As people have a way of doing, they overreacted big time.

Gas is now at or under $2 a gallon in most parts of the country. Those who leased or bought hybrids or other vehicles that sacrifice power for fuel efficiency are feeling mighty foolish right now. The pendulum has swung back the other way in full force. Now the question that is left to ask is: will anyone buy hybrids now?

GM is sure praying they do. In addition to all of their other problems, one of their biggest projects, the electrically-charged Volt, is slated to be released sometime in the next 18 months. People are already reluctant to buy a car that requires being plugged into the wall as it is. With gas at $2 a gallon, GM might as well not even bother trying to market the Volt.

On average, vehicles with a hybrid engine cost about $4,000 more than their gas-only counterparts. For someone who drives a lot, it was conceivable to recoup this savings (and then some) when gas was at $4/gallon and climbing. Now it is almost impossible to justify the purchase of a hybrid over a standard engine. The savings at the pump from doing so is almost negligible when you account for the sacrifice in power.

However, much in the same way that it was sensible for those who wanted a Hummer to purchase one last summer (when dealers were slashing prices like crazy to get the gas-guzzlers off their lots), the perfect buying time for Hybrid vehicles could be now! It’s a safe bet that, eventually, gas prices will come back up. It might not happen in the next couple of months, but odds are that in a year or two, we’ll be faced with gas price concerns all over again. This is especially true now that Obama is about to take office. While his opponent in the general election was calling for offshore drilling to help ease prices, Obama’s focus has never been on working to keep prices low. He is more interested in developing alternative energy sources.

They say “when it rains, it pours.” This could especially be the case for increasing gas prices that will inevitably happen at some point in Obama’s administration.

A truly viable alternative energy source is still a decade away, at least. When the economy recovers and people start traveling more than ever before, you can bet gas prices will increase. Now could be the perfect time for those interested in owning a hybrid to make their move. Just because it seems counter-intuitive doesn’t mean it’s a mistake. Ask the three people savvy enough to have purchased a Hummer at a basement bargain discount six months ago.

Shopping For A Car With Good Gas Mileage

In addition to horsepower, safety features, and basic amenities, one of the most important properties to notice when evaluating a vehicle is its miles per gallon, or “mpg”. Quite simply, this is an estimate of the number of miles the car should be able to travel while burning just one gallon of gasoline. It is important to realize that a car’s estimated mpg is just that, an estimate. Actual results will depend on the operator’s ability to employ fuel efficient driving practices.

Most vehicle specification sheets list two numbers related to mpg: city and highway. In almost all cases, vehicles achieve more miles per gallon during highway driving than city driving. This can largely be attributed to the stop-and-go nature of city driving; braking and accelerating expend a lot of fuel.

An average driver puts far more miles on their vehicle through highway driving than city driving. While that may seem counterintuitive, just one road trip to Grandma’s or the beach is enough to match weeks of errands driven on city streets. With that in mind, it’s generally okay to ignore the city mpg rating and just focus on the highway rating. It is easier to compare vehicles by focusing on just one number.

As a general rule of thumb, vehicles with a highway mpg rating of 23-28 can be considered “average”. Ratings of 29-35 are quite good. Anything above 35 is excellent, but hard to come by. Owners of vehicles with highway mpg ratings below 20 can expect to spend a small fortune on fuel. Usually only high-performance sports cars and heavy-duty pick-up trucks fall into this range.

When shopping for a car, one must take a personal inventory of the importance of gas mileage. Generally speaking, there is an inverse relationship between a vehicle with a powerful engine and a vehicle with a high mpg rating. Powerful, sporty vehicles require a lot of fuel for their high-grade engines. A quick look at a list of vehicles with excellent gas mileage will yield names like the Toyota Prius, Honda Accord, Nissan Versa, and Chevy Cobalt. None of these vehicles are known for winning street races. Instead, they are mostly viewed as a good choice for those looking to take it easy on the wallet and the environment.

A shortcut to find cars with good gas mileage is to shop at dealerships which sell Japanese brands. In almost every class of car on the market, a Japanese brand ranks first on gas mileage. In America, most of the Japanese-made vehicles on the road are either Honda (Acura), Nissan (Infiniti), Toyota (Lexus), Mitsubishi or Mazda. These companies have been very aggressive in developing environmentally-friendly products. Toyota, in particular, offers a Hybrid version of most of their popular models. The most fuel efficient car on the market today is the Toyota Prius Hybrid, which has a posted highway mpg of 45 miles per gallon. Some owners have reported achieving as high as 56 miles per gallon.

As one might expect, cars are typically much more fuel efficient than trucks or SUVs. However, truck and SUV enthusiasts still have some mpg-friendly options. The Ford Ranger, Mazda B2300, and Toyota Tacoma (all two-wheel drive versions) are the most fuel efficient compact pick-up trucks. Standard-size pick-up trucks top out at 20 miles per gallon. Many trucks are tied at that mark, including the Honda Ridgeline, Mitsubishi Raider, and Dodge Dakota. The most fuel efficient SUVs are all compact in nature. They include the Ford Escape Hybrid, Mazda Tribute Hybrid, and the Mercury Mariner Hybrid. Jeep offers two non-Hybrid (and thus, more affordable) SUV options with great fuel mileage in the Compass and Patriot.

To conclude, note that Hybrid engines are very fuel efficient, but they are also a new technology and thus generally quite expensive. For example, Ford’s compact SUV, Escape, comes in a regular and Hybrid version. The regular version’s starting price is $19,000, while the Hybrid version starts at $26,500.

Looking for a New Car? Check Out these Fuel-Efficient Models!

If gas prices have you tossing and turning in your sleep, it just might be time to trade in that late model car for a newer model.

It seems that as consumers, our only hope of controlling the current oil situation is going to be either altering our driving habits or using less gas to get further.
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