What is a touchless car wash? First of all, a touchless car wash, as the name suggests, allows you to wash your vehicle…
Eco-driving – we reduce fuel consumption by up to 25%
(photo: pxhere)
Fuel escapes like water through a leaky tap. We lose more liters by spending more on operating the vehicle, and yet car manufacturers assure us that modern cars guarantee driving economy... but where is it? Before we start blaming those whose factories produce modern cars, let's think about what we might be doing incorrectly and what our driving actually looks like. Maybe our friends from Stockholm and Copenhagen, where the principles of eco-driving have been used for many years, can give us a few tips.
Beginning drivers can also be excused for braking and starting too suddenly, not controlling their speed and driving too fast, not starting immediately after starting the engine and storing unnecessary things in the trunk. An experienced driver should know that each of these factors reduces driving economy and increases fuel consumption. By following the eco-driving principles, it is possible to reduce fuel consumption by up to 25%. The average driver who pays attention to them consumes 8% less of it, and as we know, practice makes perfect.
The key is the basics
You open the car door, sit comfortably in the seat and turn the key in the ignition. What's next? A running engine takes much longer to warm up when stationary than when driving. We burn fuel without the slightest sense, and the environment suffers, as does our wallet. The drive unit warms up much faster when we are driving, thus achieving optimal operating conditions in a shorter time after starting. Do you want to sit comfortably in the seat of your car? You don't need the engine running for this.
Another important thing – changing gears. This varies among drivers, but this is justified due to the model and age of the car. However, you need to know the general rules and major deviations are inadvisable in their case. We shift to 30rd gear at 50-40 km/h, 50th gear at 50-60 km/h, and XNUMXth gear at XNUMX-XNUMX km/h. In particular, we often post the number five with a considerable delay.
Dynamic but smooth
Dynamic driving does not have to exclude smooth driving. Do you know what engine braking is? This is the appropriate downshift when decelerating. You brake, you slow down, you want to stop... don't do it suddenly. In this way, you reduce brake wear and the engine does not waste even a drop of fuel.
If you start from a standstill, accelerate with the gas pedal pressed at 75% until you reach the desired speed. The engine will be in a phase of increased fuel demand for a shorter period of time.
Habit is not always necessary
We do many things unconsciously, not paying attention to the fact that by giving them up, we can significantly reduce fuel consumption. Open the trunk of your car and answer the question - which of these things do you need while driving? Air mattress? An old garden lounger? A cool box? Mason jars? Each 100 kg of additional luggage is 0,7 l/100 km more. Tidy up your car and you will realize that it is not worth turning it into a mini garage or basement.
And when you come back from vacation or winter break, do you remember to take the box off the roof? Driving with such a seemingly insignificant addition means as much as 20% more fuel consumption, which is sometimes caused by difficulties in air flow.
Another habit of Poles is to always drive in the summer with the air conditioning on. We get into the car and without thinking, we turn on the pleasant cold. We don't remember to turn it off after a while. This way we burn up to 2 l/100 km more. Do you really always need it? On colder days, ventilation is enough, and when parking, spend more time finding a shaded place, if possible, of course.
It is sad to admit that many drivers still have very wasteful habits. They want to travel cheaper, not being aware that a lot depends on them. We have embraced the Scandinavian style in interiors with great admiration, why can't the same be true of the Scandinavian driving style...
