The Issue of Petroleum Transport, Vol. I

Unfortunately, I am amongst the masses that regularly use a petroleum powered vehicle for their day-to-day business. I use it to get to work, to attend to errands, and to engage in more pleasurable pursuits (such as grabbing something to eat, seeing a movie, etc.). I also use it for a plethora of other reasons, just like most people.

Using a vehicle has come to be quite costly, and if I had my choice I would use mass transportation if it could do what I needed it to do. Unfortunately, the infrastructure and efficiency I require from it is currently not available, which leads to my continued use of a petroleum powered vehicle. I sincerely hope that in the future (near future would be even more excellent) this will change.

In this time of economic hogwash, we have the rising cost of fuel to deal with, as well as the decreasing value of the American dollar. The combination of the two is not a pleasant experience. Since the infrastructure for an effective system of mass transport has not been created in my area, sadly, I and many others who work the dreaded 8 hour daily shift are stuck driving our carbon emitting vehicles.

Today I do not intend to talk about long term solutions, rather, I intend to talk about what we can do now to ease this burden in the short term. I hope that the practices that I am about to talk about will prove helpful to both myself, and whosoever bothers to read this. Here are a few things we can do as ordinary average American citizens to improve our transportation situations, and the financial burdens that are involved:

1. Don't Speed
In this country many people do not abide by the speed limit laws, and most are guilty of speeding at one time or another. It may not seem like much, but by going 65mph instead of 70mph you will save on your fuel economy, and reality you don't lose much time. Here's an example: If you drive at 70mph to a location that is 15 miles away, it will take you 12 minutes and 51 seconds. If you drive that same distance at 65mph it will take you 13 minutes and 50 seconds. That is less than a single minute. Not only is the time difference minuscule, but by driving slower you increase your gas mileage.

For the most part many vehicles reach their peak gas mileage traveling at around 60mph (there are exceptions of course). According to fueleconomy.gov(please note, the following is based off of an average price of 3.96 per gallon), "You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.30 per gallon for gas." So, by observing the speed limit and driving slower, this will save you money, and increase your fuel economy. By driving slower most drivers can increase their fuel economy by 5-33%, and that is certainly nothing to scoff at.

2. Coast when you can
You can decrease your fuel consumption by keeping your foot off the pedal more. If you have the ability to use gravity to keep you moving, then do so. When you coast, your cars engine runs at a lower speed, and by taking advantage of something that's free to keep you moving -gravity and momentum- you will save yourself money.

3. Avoid idling too frequently
When you let your car idle, you are essentially getting 0 mpg. Now, idling is often unavoidable, but if you can avoid it, do.

4. Make less trips
Try to run back and forth between locations less. Plan out shopping trips so that you aren't going back and forth across town, rather in a planned fashion, or even a loop.

5. Manual Drivers: Use Overdrive
If you drive a manual and if you get up to the speed you can use your overdrive gear, do. The overdrive gear allows your motor to operate at slower speeds, which in turn increases your gas mileage.

6. Do not rapidly accelerate
Rapid acceleration consumes more gas than gradual acceleration. If you gradually accelerate this will contribute to better fuel economy.

7. Rid your car of excess weight
If you have things in your car that you do not need, and that are just dead weight, get rid of them. Removing dead weight from your vehicle will improve your fuel economy since your engine has less to haul.


For the most part these steps are not too hard to follow, but they may require some habit changes. I know that I have been guilty of some of the don'ts I mentioned above, so I definitely have some room for improvement. But, by even following these steps, which for the most part don't require any investment of funds, we can improve the fuel economy of our vehicles, as well as the state of our environment by releasing less emissions into the atmosphere, and driving smarter. I know by following these steps it will help me, so I hope this information has helped you too.



Sited Sources: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/FEG/driveHabits.shtml