9 Ways To Be An Eco-Driver
25 Aug 2020
As a motorist in 2020, there is a growing responsibility to contribute in as many ways possible to counteract the environmental crisis. The motoring industry is undergoing something of an overhaul, with smart motorways and electric vehicles becoming ever more present on the roads. In this article, we discuss the small yet effective changes you can make to your own driving technique that lends to a brighter future. Here’s how to be an eco-driver in nine easy steps.
Check Your Tyres
Obvious, really. Tyres do an awful lot for both safety and comfort purposes. Firstly, check the tyre pressure. Under- or over-inflated tyres are detrimental to your safety. Under-inflated tyres are particularly bad as your car burns a great deal more fuel in an effort just to turn the wheels.
More Exertion + Higher Fuel Consumption = Higher Emissions And Fuel Costs
You can see how much of a load a tyre takes of a car when it is fully punctured; ‘flat as a pancake’ springs to mind. Accessing the correct bar or PSI for your vehicle’s make or model should be simple. Often it is on the inside of a driver’s door or in the handbook. It’s nothing a quick Google can’t answer.
In addition, it is crucial you keep an eye on the quality of the tyre tread. When this starts to wear, you are in for trouble. The less friction, yes the faster, but the more likely you are to slip. That doesn’t sound good.
Ditch Excess Weight
Do you need to keep that stack of gardening bags in the car in the thick of winter? Is the collection of CDs relevant when your car allows Bluetooth? Do you often use all 7 seats, or are those occasions few and far between? Is it absolutely mandatory your zombie apocalypse survival pack, consisting of cans of food and excess water, remains in the boot or can you give faith a chance? You get the gist. Weight affects your performance as an eco-driver. The fuel consumption of a regular-sized car can increase by 1% for every 25kg of weight it is carrying. Stripping your car of the random accumulation of excess weight is really beneficial for ensuring it works at optimum performance.
Regulate Your Speed
Tearing through the gears, slamming your foot on the break at every unforeseen event and kicking it back at 90mph on the motorways are all incredible examples of horrific driving. Not only is it particularly unsafe, but it is also damaging to your car’s performance.
Top tip: If you have Cruise Control, no is a great time to use it. By sticking to a regular speed between 15 and 60mph, your car is far more obliged to perform at peak fuel-efficiency. Oscillations in speed transfer into a greater fuel burn. Simply dipping between 45 and 52mph for lack of attention during a journey has the ability to increase your fuel consumption by 20%. Inject a little Zen into your eco-driving; accelerate smoothly and always forward-plan to avoid dramatic braking. Be mindful, be aware.
Understanding Aerodynamics
Weight is one thing, addressing your car’s aerodynamics is another. Wind drag caused by bike racks, luggage racks, or other unnecessary accessories that you can’t be bothered to remove from your car on a daily basis will hinder your car’s fuel-efficiency. Accessories as basic as flags will impact drag, so it pays to be aware of the attachments you choose for your car as they will likely be hindering the airflow.
Oh, and close the window when you are driving at speeds. That fresh feel on your skin is the distance between being an eco-driver and losing fuel-efficiency to wind drag.
It Pays To Forward-Plan
Google Maps and infotainment systems are good for in-the-moment traffic information, there’s no taking away from that. They are also handy for learning alternatives for avoiding the dreaded traffic. However, often there are some easy steps you can take to minimise the amount of time spend wasted burning fuel aimlessly.
For longer journeys, understanding mileage, times of heavy traffic and having a general idea of road types (A-roads, motorways etc) will allow you to pre-plan the best possible route. This way you can account for roadworks too. If you are feeling particularly thrifty, you could figure out the cheaper fuel stops along your journey.
To avoid the commute or at least one side of it, why not find a gym close to work, wake up a little earlier and pump some endorphins through your veins while others crawl along in thick exhaust fume tainted air?
Eco-driving is also demonstrated in the ability to plan the various trips you are likely to take throughout the day. Minimising your trips and the need to stop-start the car will accentuate fuel-efficiency. Rather than taking the kids to school in the morning, then going to the shops around noon, only to return to pick up the kids later, you could just combat two in one. School run, Aldi, gym, coffee date, pop back, let the dog out, school pick up. Done.
Car Maintenance Is Key
Upkeep of your car isn’t limited to the odd car wash and liquid levels and tyre pressure checks - time permitting. To ensure your car remains capable of delivering the eco-drive you desire, you need to provide regular checks of the above alongside annual services. MOT goes without mention as it is a legal obligation. Check and, if necessary, change your air and oil filters frequently.
Knowing and rectifying any problems with your car allows it to run at maximum fuel-efficiency; so plumes of exhaust smoke, dodgy sounds and less-than-adequate responsiveness are key signifiers that something is definitely wrong. Routine maintenance checks avert such further issues, and you will be rewarded with a cleaner, smoother ride.
Car Sharing
When alternative forms of transport such as trains and buses aren’t available, you may find that you have a colleague who travels from an area close to you. You could always consider ride sharing as an eco-friendly option. This is generally really handy for the commute, plus, you get to enjoy some extra company in the long, dull crawl to and from work.
Outside of this context, wherever possible it is so important to utilise fewer vehicles. Zipcar has thought long and hard on how to combat this. They have created an eco-friendly, cost-efficient way of having access to a car, but with none of the cost of owning one. Through your membership, fuel, insurance, congestion charge and parking are all covered. Of course, this is only a big hit in larger cities in the UK at present. However, with encouragement to live more ‘green’, the provision of such an innovative solution should really gather some serious steam over the coming years.
No Idling - Turn Off Your Engine
We all have those moments where we deem it necessary to leave the engine running while stationary; de-frosting the car or waiting at traffic lights are prime examples. In most circumstances and for the purposes of fuel-efficiency and being labelled an eco-driver, then it is strongly suggested you turn the engine off whenever the moment permits.
Sitting in the car waiting for someone, being held at train gates, or pausing for another driver to move from the only available parking space are all moments where your car does not need to be kept switched on. It is commonly believed that leaving a car in idle uses less fuel over re-starting it. This, more often than not, is actually not the case. Research has found that fuel and emissions are significantly reduced by turning off the engine for stops as brief as 10 seconds.
Switching off is one of the simplest actions you can take to an eco-friendlier drive. That’s why such technology as the start-stop function is becoming so incredibly popular, people! And that is why it’s in your interests to have access to a newer, more ecologically-aware vehicle.
Own A New Low-Emissions Vehicle
One of the best ways to counteract the impending environmental crisis through your responsibilities as a driver is to own a newer vehicle, which is manufactured solely with eco-living in mind. Of course, buying outright is a very expensive option, especially if you turn your eyes to EVs and Plug-In Hybrids - the type of cars that look to saturate the market in 2020. So what about leasing?
The methodology behind car leasing makes ownership of the latest and greatest vehicles in the market incredibly accessible. Rather than a lump sum into the tens of thousands, you part with a reasonable cost and monthly payments; a small price to drive your dream car every day! Click here for some amazing leasing deals in 2020, hosted by Cars2buy. Become the perfect eco-driver, today!
Check Your Tyres
Obvious, really. Tyres do an awful lot for both safety and comfort purposes. Firstly, check the tyre pressure. Under- or over-inflated tyres are detrimental to your safety. Under-inflated tyres are particularly bad as your car burns a great deal more fuel in an effort just to turn the wheels.
More Exertion + Higher Fuel Consumption = Higher Emissions And Fuel Costs
You can see how much of a load a tyre takes of a car when it is fully punctured; ‘flat as a pancake’ springs to mind. Accessing the correct bar or PSI for your vehicle’s make or model should be simple. Often it is on the inside of a driver’s door or in the handbook. It’s nothing a quick Google can’t answer.
In addition, it is crucial you keep an eye on the quality of the tyre tread. When this starts to wear, you are in for trouble. The less friction, yes the faster, but the more likely you are to slip. That doesn’t sound good.
Ditch Excess Weight
Do you need to keep that stack of gardening bags in the car in the thick of winter? Is the collection of CDs relevant when your car allows Bluetooth? Do you often use all 7 seats, or are those occasions few and far between? Is it absolutely mandatory your zombie apocalypse survival pack, consisting of cans of food and excess water, remains in the boot or can you give faith a chance? You get the gist. Weight affects your performance as an eco-driver. The fuel consumption of a regular-sized car can increase by 1% for every 25kg of weight it is carrying. Stripping your car of the random accumulation of excess weight is really beneficial for ensuring it works at optimum performance.
Regulate Your Speed
Tearing through the gears, slamming your foot on the break at every unforeseen event and kicking it back at 90mph on the motorways are all incredible examples of horrific driving. Not only is it particularly unsafe, but it is also damaging to your car’s performance.
Top tip: If you have Cruise Control, no is a great time to use it. By sticking to a regular speed between 15 and 60mph, your car is far more obliged to perform at peak fuel-efficiency. Oscillations in speed transfer into a greater fuel burn. Simply dipping between 45 and 52mph for lack of attention during a journey has the ability to increase your fuel consumption by 20%. Inject a little Zen into your eco-driving; accelerate smoothly and always forward-plan to avoid dramatic braking. Be mindful, be aware.
Understanding Aerodynamics
Weight is one thing, addressing your car’s aerodynamics is another. Wind drag caused by bike racks, luggage racks, or other unnecessary accessories that you can’t be bothered to remove from your car on a daily basis will hinder your car’s fuel-efficiency. Accessories as basic as flags will impact drag, so it pays to be aware of the attachments you choose for your car as they will likely be hindering the airflow.
Oh, and close the window when you are driving at speeds. That fresh feel on your skin is the distance between being an eco-driver and losing fuel-efficiency to wind drag.
It Pays To Forward-Plan
Google Maps and infotainment systems are good for in-the-moment traffic information, there’s no taking away from that. They are also handy for learning alternatives for avoiding the dreaded traffic. However, often there are some easy steps you can take to minimise the amount of time spend wasted burning fuel aimlessly.
For longer journeys, understanding mileage, times of heavy traffic and having a general idea of road types (A-roads, motorways etc) will allow you to pre-plan the best possible route. This way you can account for roadworks too. If you are feeling particularly thrifty, you could figure out the cheaper fuel stops along your journey.
To avoid the commute or at least one side of it, why not find a gym close to work, wake up a little earlier and pump some endorphins through your veins while others crawl along in thick exhaust fume tainted air?
Eco-driving is also demonstrated in the ability to plan the various trips you are likely to take throughout the day. Minimising your trips and the need to stop-start the car will accentuate fuel-efficiency. Rather than taking the kids to school in the morning, then going to the shops around noon, only to return to pick up the kids later, you could just combat two in one. School run, Aldi, gym, coffee date, pop back, let the dog out, school pick up. Done.
Car Maintenance Is Key
Upkeep of your car isn’t limited to the odd car wash and liquid levels and tyre pressure checks - time permitting. To ensure your car remains capable of delivering the eco-drive you desire, you need to provide regular checks of the above alongside annual services. MOT goes without mention as it is a legal obligation. Check and, if necessary, change your air and oil filters frequently.
Knowing and rectifying any problems with your car allows it to run at maximum fuel-efficiency; so plumes of exhaust smoke, dodgy sounds and less-than-adequate responsiveness are key signifiers that something is definitely wrong. Routine maintenance checks avert such further issues, and you will be rewarded with a cleaner, smoother ride.
Car Sharing
When alternative forms of transport such as trains and buses aren’t available, you may find that you have a colleague who travels from an area close to you. You could always consider ride sharing as an eco-friendly option. This is generally really handy for the commute, plus, you get to enjoy some extra company in the long, dull crawl to and from work.
Outside of this context, wherever possible it is so important to utilise fewer vehicles. Zipcar has thought long and hard on how to combat this. They have created an eco-friendly, cost-efficient way of having access to a car, but with none of the cost of owning one. Through your membership, fuel, insurance, congestion charge and parking are all covered. Of course, this is only a big hit in larger cities in the UK at present. However, with encouragement to live more ‘green’, the provision of such an innovative solution should really gather some serious steam over the coming years.
No Idling - Turn Off Your Engine
We all have those moments where we deem it necessary to leave the engine running while stationary; de-frosting the car or waiting at traffic lights are prime examples. In most circumstances and for the purposes of fuel-efficiency and being labelled an eco-driver, then it is strongly suggested you turn the engine off whenever the moment permits.
Sitting in the car waiting for someone, being held at train gates, or pausing for another driver to move from the only available parking space are all moments where your car does not need to be kept switched on. It is commonly believed that leaving a car in idle uses less fuel over re-starting it. This, more often than not, is actually not the case. Research has found that fuel and emissions are significantly reduced by turning off the engine for stops as brief as 10 seconds.
Switching off is one of the simplest actions you can take to an eco-friendlier drive. That’s why such technology as the start-stop function is becoming so incredibly popular, people! And that is why it’s in your interests to have access to a newer, more ecologically-aware vehicle.
Own A New Low-Emissions Vehicle
One of the best ways to counteract the impending environmental crisis through your responsibilities as a driver is to own a newer vehicle, which is manufactured solely with eco-living in mind. Of course, buying outright is a very expensive option, especially if you turn your eyes to EVs and Plug-In Hybrids - the type of cars that look to saturate the market in 2020. So what about leasing?
The methodology behind car leasing makes ownership of the latest and greatest vehicles in the market incredibly accessible. Rather than a lump sum into the tens of thousands, you part with a reasonable cost and monthly payments; a small price to drive your dream car every day! Click here for some amazing leasing deals in 2020, hosted by Cars2buy. Become the perfect eco-driver, today!