Increasing your vehicle’s fuel efficiency can go a long way to reduce the future carbon footprint. The rise in fuel prices has also placed a lot of strain in the pockets of motorists. Some of the things you can do to improve your fuel efficiency include; lowering your overall CO2 emissions, and secondly buying a car that is fuel efficient. To minimize your vehicle’s CO2 imprint; you should turn-off your vehicle’s Air Conditioner (AC), change your engine oil frequently, keep your tires well-inflated and reduce your vehicle’s excess weight. The Air Conditioner normally exerts an extra strain on your vehicle, causing it to guzzle more fuel. Keeping well-inflated tyres is another cost saving mechanism; research has shown that deflated tyres make it very difficult for a car to accelerate properly. The extra burden exerted on the tyres, cause the car to be inefficient. Changing your engine oil regularly increases the efficiency of your engine in terms of power and fuel consumption.
Carrying heavy and unnecessary items in your car boot can lead to dragging; this will cause you to spend more on fuel. The other steps to take if you want to conserve fuel and reduce you’re the CO2 emissions includes; closing the window while driving, choosing better roads, moving the gears efficiently and driving more sensibly. Closing the windows can reduce your vehicles inherent aerodynamic flow; this can reduce the fuel consumption rate by up to 10 percent. Better roads with no traffic, on the other hand, can do a lot to reduce your vehicle’s carbon imprint. When driving, allow your vehicle’s speed to creep up automatically; this is important because revving up your engine to move faster will cause you to use more fuel. When driving over long distances, it is always wise to keep your driving speeds constant; this is important, because it reserves fuel. In addition, when you are driving, avoid making quick stops in order to conserve fuel and reduce the wear and tear on your brakes.
The second step to undertake to increase your vehicle’s fuel efficiency is buying an energy efficient vehicle. If you have a wasteful vehicle, you can trade it with a new or better car. Choosing a good car also means; selecting an engine that will meet your needs. Diesel engines generally emit fewer CO2, but produce higher levels of air pollutants. Diesel engines are also more expensive but very economical on long haul trucks. Petrol engines, on the other hand, are much more efficient in small cars. Aside from the mechanical changes that you can apply to boost your vehicle’s fuel efficiency, your personal driving habits can do a lot increase your fuel mileage. These habits include warming up your car for only about 30 seconds, slowing down on the highway and turning off your engine as needed, when driving in traffic within the city. On the whole, try to always drive conservatively and you will notice a huge change.