The Citizen, 2012-10-25, Page 14PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2012.
Fuel efficiency becoming increasingly important
Reducing weight can
help conserve fuel
NC –Filling up at the gas station
is one of the most expensive things
about owning a vehicle. But there
are things you can do to reduce your
fuel costs. If you’re in the market for
a new vehicle and you want to
reduce your fuel costs, the experts at
the office of energy efficiency at
Natural Resources Canada offer
these tips for helping you choose a
fuel-efficient vehicle:
• Identify your needs.
Comfort, brand name, image, fuel
efficiency, environmental impact,
and even emotional factors often
play a role, along with practical
factors such as the type of vehicle
you need, purchase price and
operating costs. Remember, the
smaller the better when it comes to
fuel efficiency. Generally, the
smaller the engine the less fuel it
consumes. For example, a mid-sized
car with a two-litre, four-cylinder
engine burns about 2,066 litres every
20,000 kilometres. The same car
with a three-litre, six-cylinder
engine burns about 2,244 litres – 178
litres more. Manual transmissions
are generally more fuel-efficient
than automatics, but advanced
automatics can be fuel-efficient.
Look for vehicles with a high
number of gears or a continuously
variable transmission.
• Ask yourself these questions.
How much space do you need?
Could you borrow or rent a bigger
vehicle for special occasions? Is fuel
efficiency and reducing greenhouse
gas emissions important or is price
your most important consideration?
Do you really need a four-wheel or
all-wheel drive? The weight and
friction of their additional drive train
parts can increase fuel consumption
by as much as 10 per cent compared
with two-wheel drive vehicles.
• Identify the type and amount of
driving you do. Do you mostly drive
in the city, on the highway or a mix
of both? Fuel consumption ratings
vary for city and highway driving. At
today's fuel prices of about $1.20/L,
a gasoline-powered vehicle can cost
from about $900 to $6,700 per year
to fill, depending on the make and
model, with carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions of 1.7 to 12.8 tonnes over
20,000 kilometres.
• Research power train
technologies. If fuel efficiency is
important, would you prefer to drive
a vehicle powered by gasoline,
gasoline blended with ethanol, diesel
fuel, electricity or hybrid technology
that uses both gasoline and
electricity?
• Question the little extras. Many
extra features increase the amount of
fuel a vehicle consumes by adding
weight, or increasing aerodynamic
drag, or drawing extra power from
the engine. Features such as power
windows, door locks and seats,
heated seats and mirrors, air
conditioning and permanent roof
racks can all increase fuel
consumption. Consider more fuel-
efficient features such as aluminum
wheels, cruise control, navigation
systems, a sun roof, manual
windows, doors locks and seats, a
tachometer to let you know when to
shift gears, or on-board computer to
track fuel consumption as you
drive.
You can find more tips for fuel-
efficient driving on the NRCan
website at www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca
NC –The heavier your vehicle is
the more energy it needs to move so
it makes sense to pay attention to the
size and weight of the vehicle you
intend to drive. Consider these facts
from the office of energy efficiency
for vehicles at Natural Resources
Canada:
• Heavier vehicles have greater
inertia and greater rolling resistance,
which both contribute to increased
fuel consumption.
• Reducing weight means
reducing fuel consumption.
Increasingly stringent government
fuel consumption legislation and
evolving consumer preferences are
making a difference. It is
increasingly common to see auto
makers advertising their weight
reduction initiatives. Auto makers
are achieving weight reductions by
substituting lighter materials, such
as aluminum and advanced
composites, as well as vehicle
design changes. These
improvements enable additional
weight reductions, since other
vehicle components may then be
downsized, ultimately leading to
engine downsizing with no sacrifice
in performance – the less weight
you have, the less weight you need.
• Reducing weight means
reducing fuel cost.
A study by the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology found that
for every 100 kilogram weight
reduction, the adjusted, combined
city/highway fuel consumption
could decrease by about 0.4 L/100
kilometres for cars, and about 0.5
L/100 kilometres for light trucks.
Today’s cars and light trucks range
in weight from about 1,000 to 3,800
kilograms.
• Only buy what you need. When
possible, choose a smaller vehicle
with a smaller, more fuel-efficient
engine. The NRCan Fuel
Consumption Guide is a great
resource to help you compare fuel
consumption between different
vehicles and vehicle types.
• Don’t carry unneeded items in
your trunk as the extra weight will
increase your fuel consumption.
Reducing weight is one of the
ways you can save on fuel and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
There are more tips on fuel
efficiency on the Natural Resources
Canada website at www.oee.nrcan.
gc.ca
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