In addition to riding the bus, biking, walking, carpooling, telecommuting, and combining trips, consider the following actions:
- If your family has more than one vehicle, the person driving the furthest should drive the more fuel-efficient vehicle.
- Rid your car of unnecessary weight: every extra 100 lbs loses 1% fuel efficiency.
- Plan the route that prevents idling in traffic: up to 1/3 of your fuel can be wasted in idling.
- Plan trips outside rush hour and peak traffic periods.
- Slow down! 55mph saves 20-30% in cost over 75mph!
- Anticipate stops and slowdowns. Decelerate steadily to save gas.
- When appropriate, drive between 45-55mph, the most fuel-efficient range.
- Avoid using the air conditioner in city driving.
- On the highway, opening the windows reduces the aerodynamics of your car, so it’s better to use the air-conditioner, but in slow start-and-stop driving, it’s better to open the windows.
- Park in the shade in hot weather if you can. Less gas will evaporate from the engine and gas tank.
- Avoid “topping-off” and spills at the gas station. Spilled gasoline pollutes the air when it evaporates.
- Don’t idle! Turn your engine off at railroad crossings, or whenever you stop for a minute or two. After 10 seconds, it is more fuel-efficient to stop the engine and start it up again than to keep it running.
- Consider getting an electric bicycle. You can plug it in at night, and can carry heavy loads easily uphill, including lumber, hardware, and even an extra person.
