Can we drive more fuel-efficiently, and save on gas maybe, as well?

Question

So, I used to live in a congested area. I can kind of understand people who speed up to brake at the light, or else they feel they may never get anywhere (I always did, though I would coast along, and use less brake pad!)

Are there any other ways we can cut down on emissions and maybe save a little on gas? Of course, if everyone starts using less, the price may vary with that, and go up, because enough isn't sold... but at least we could cut back on environmental dangers.

Answer 1

The Air Car uses compressed air to push its engine's pistons. It is anticipated that approximately 6000 Air Cars will be cruising the streets of India by 2008. If the manufacturers have no surprises up their exhaust pipes the car will be practical and reasonably priced. The CityCat model will clock out at 68 mph with a driving range of 125 miles.

Refueling is simple and will only take a few minutes. That is, if you live nearby a gas station with custom air compressor units. The cost of a fill up is approximately $2.00. If a driver doesn't have access to a compressor station, they will be able to plug into the electrical grid and use the car's built-in compressor to refill the tank in about 4 hours.

The compressed air technology is basically just a way of storing electrical energy without the need for costly, heavy, and occasionally toxic batteries. So, in a sense, this is an electric car. It just doesn't have an electric motor.

But don't let anyone tell you this is an "emissions free" vehicle. Sure, the only thing coming out of the tailpipe is air. But, chances are, fossil fuels were burned to create the electricity. In India, that mostly means coal. But the carbon emissions per mile of these things still far outdoes any gasoline car on the market.

Unfortunately, the streets of North America may never see the Air Car, though; it's light-weight, glued-together fiberglass construction might not do so well in our crash tests. However, that does not mean the Air car is confined to the sub-continent. Nègre has signed deals to bring its design to 12 more countries, including Germany, Israel and South Africa.

http://green.yahoo.com/index.php?q=node/...

I wonder what the crash test ratings for motorcycles are.

Answer 2

People could buy their next car differently.  Instead of buying a status symbol or something that makes them "feel good" they could buy the smallest car that meets their real needs.  If everyone did that, we'd be a lot better off.

Don't worry about gas prices going up if we use less.  Rising demand from China and India and lower supplies will make that impossible.

Answer 3

Let me add a few tips on saving fuel:

As a rule of thumb, you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.20 per gallon for gas.

Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2%. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle's weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.

Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.

When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear.

Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve its gas mileage by an average of 4 percent, though results vary based on the kind of repair and how well it is done.

Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, can improve your mileage by as much as 40 percent.

Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car's gas mileage by as much as 10 percent. Your car's air filter keeps impurities from damaging the inside of your engine. Not only will replacing a dirty air filter save gas, it will protect your engine.

Answer 4

How about this:

A law mandating that no gas tank can be more than 3 gallons.

A law banning the use of credit cards for gasoline purchases. (Cash only)

That way, people would feel the pinch of inefficient driving.

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The other ideas about how to drive more efficiently are nice, but they're ignored when Joe Sixpack is on the road.

Answer 5

1) Get the most fuel efficient car possible.

2) Accelerate your car slowly.

3) Coast before using the brakes.

4) Drive slowly - Toyota estimates that for each 1 mph you drive above 55 mph you're decreasing your mileage efficiency by 1 mpg on the aerodynamic Prius.

5) Keep your tires well inflated.

6) Minimize use of the A/C.

7) Keep the air filter clean.

Answer 6

People can save a lot of gas by driving at speeds that minimize gas consumption, and not by racing to red lights as you mentioned.  Keep cars tuned.  Plan routes to avoid delays and arrange your errands to be more efficient.  Use public transportation at least once a week.  Carpool.

Answer 7

is this pizza hut?

Answer 8

Exactly! I think SUVs and other large vehicles need to be driven only on special occasions. People can cut back on their driving and the way they drive but it is tough to change everyone.

If everyone used less fuel, this would actually raise the oil reserves and LOWER the price of gas! This is a great goal for everyone--drive less and drive smaller vehicles.