If you’re not exceptionally unmoved by the latest trends in the automotive world, you must have come across the term ‘eco-driving.’ Eco-friendly driving or eco driving represents a driving culture that helps minimize fuel consumption. Additionally, it considerably reduces the adverse effect of gasoline on the environment.
Eco-friendly driving is becoming more popular with the emerging consciousness for fuel-efficiency and sustainability. Just altering the driving style can make our planet healthier and more sustainable.
If you are not much aware of eco-friendly driving techniques, you have landed on the right page! Here, we’ll take you through the 9 best eco friendly driving tips that help you drive the right way.
Speed Regulation
It’s worth knowing that with an increase of each 5mph above 60, you are likely to pay an extra cost of 10 cents a gallon for gasoline. Besides, when you constantly keep on accelerating, it creates room for increased emissions from your car.
Natural Resources Canada says that if you alter your speed back and forth from 47mph every 18 seconds, your fuel consumption increases by 20%.
Apart from that, aggressive driving increases the chances of life-threatening accidents, which goes way beyond gasoline costs. So, it’s always wise to maintain speed regulation while driving, and here are a few tips for ideal speed regulation.
- Always adjust speed based on the road condition.
- Always work with specific speed targets. For example, if you have started with a speed of 30mph, maintain it at least for the next half mile.
- Never drive too fast through intersections.
- Be familiar with the response of your car upon changing gears and hitting the accelerator.
- Finally, if you are a new driver, keep practicing in different areas to earn the proper knowledge of speed regulation.
Smooth Acceleration
One of the essential elements of eco-friendly driving is indeed smooth acceleration. To develop a clearer idea about smooth acceleration, it’s critical to know how acceleration works. When you press the gas pedal (accelerator), more fuel is fed into the engine, resulting in increased speed. To what extent and how quickly your vehicle accelerates depends on the force applied to the accelerator.
To achieve a smooth acceleration that involves a steady increase of pressure on the gas pedal, you must maintain steady pressure on the accelerator. It will help you move the speedometer upwards smoothly until you reach the desired speed.
Smooth acceleration allows you to control the vehicle better, and it ensures that you won’t have to contend with any unexpected weight transfers toward the back of the car. This will omit the chances of loss of fraction. Besides, it will reward your tires with a prolonged life.
The recommended span for accelerating your vehicle upto 15mph is 5 seconds. You can achieve this in quite an exciting way – simply imagine that you have kept an egg under the gas pedal, and if you accelerate too hard, that can crack badly.
When you accelerate smoothly, it allows you to save considerable bucks on fuel. Here are the ideal scenarios to use smooth acceleration –
- Driving through the midpoint of a turn
- Moving on to a stretch of road
- Driving down from a standstill
Avoid Rough Braking
When it comes to eco-driving, you should avoid speeding up and slowing down too rapidly. If you slam on the brakes, it will raise fuel consumption and cause the brake pads to overheat, which may wear them down more quickly.
In addition, rough breaking can trigger your vehicle’s Anti-lock Braking System, which can harm brake performance drastically. For older cars that lack ABS, harsh braking may cause a ‘flat spot’ (uneven wear on the tires).
Route Optimization
Route optimization is the method of finding out the most cost-efficient route and it’s crucial in eco friendly driving. For example, when you combine multiple trips in one and plan your route accordingly, you optimize your route. You can do it by following traffic reports, getting to know about the construction areas, being aware of busy intersections, etc.
Precise route optimization allows you to cut back on idling and decrease the chances of harsh braking. If you own a transport business and deal with a fleet of vehicles, you may use efficient technology tools that help you coordinate your resources perfectly.
Excess Weight Reduction
Heavier vehicles require more fuel. Modern vehicles are made up of improved materials that aid in reducing the overall weight of the vehicle. However, if you carry bulky items and equipment, it can impact your fuel consumption negatively.
So, before hitting the road, always check if there are unnecessary loads in your vehicle and if there are any, remove them immediately.
Reduction of Aerodynamic Drags
When it comes to eco-driving, reducing aerodynamic drag is essential. When you put something on top of a vehicle, it increases its aerodynamic drag. You can remove roof racks, boxes, etc., from the top of your vehicle’s roof to reduce aerodynamic drag. Several efficient aerodynamic devices are available in the market that can reduce fuel use by 1-5%, and you can count on them without hesitating.
Reduction in Idling
It may sound surprising, but when you keep your vehicle idle for more than 10 seconds, it consumes more fuel than turning it off and on again. A report from Argonne National Laboratory says that an annual 10% idling for trucks = a contribution of 1% in fuel economy.
Ensure that you have turned off your vehicle when you are off-road and don’t let it idle for more than 60 seconds. If you are idling your car considering the temperature control factor, there are other ways to do it. You can simply invest in bunk or cab heaters, storage air conditioners, or any similar idle reduction equipment.
Limit the usage of Air Conditioners
Car ACs may define comfort; however, they significantly increase fuel consumption. Due to this reason, eco friendly driving doesn’t appreciate the idea of setting your car’s AC on every time. Try limiting the use of car air conditioners whenever it looks possible. You can turn to alternative products like window tints, which reflect upto 78% of the sun’s heat.
Vehicle Servicing
Did you know that routine maintenance of your vehicle can boost its mileage by 4%? Besides, when you maintain your vehicle regularly, you omit the chances of sudden technical issues. Apart from that, periodically repairing your car’s engine can award your car an increased fuel efficiency – approximately by 40%.
Different vehicles have different maintenance requirements. However, the span depends on how many miles you put on your car. Typically, you should get your car checked and maintained at least once a year.
Eco-Driving Score -What is it, and how can it be calculated
The eco-driving score computes the gap between the energy consumed and the minimum energy achievable on the journey. You can calculate the score by comparing the driver’s speed with a reference speed trajectory.
There are applications to calculate the eco driving score. These apps typically provide a reference required to achieve expected gains or compare drivers using various vehicles on different roads.
To track and measure your fleet’s fuel efficiency and eco friendly driving score, feel free to count on Damoov’s exclusive Telematics suite. It allows you to monitor, manage and track driver efficiency and eco-driving, which helps you experience noteworthy improvements in fuel consumption.
Useful links
- Company website: https://damoov.com
- Open-source telematics app: https://damoov.com/telematics-app
- Telematics SDK: https://damoov.com/telematics-sdk
- Telematics API: https://damoov.co/api-services
- Developer portal: https://docs.damoov.com
- Datahub: https://app.damoov.comm
- Github: https://github.com/Mobile-Telematics
