Greener Driving (UNEP) Eco-Driving Sustainable Driving Saving Money

Benefits Economic: savings for self and the college Social: Working together, connecting beyond our community Environmental: Less emissions, more money for improvements and offsets Totally depend on drivers’ choices

More benefits Support self-image as a good driver Soothe your environmental conscience Improve safety Help you relax

Costs Minimal effort  big effect Change of behavior No necessary money outlay –Fuel efficiency monitors can be retrofitted to existing cars; cost $35 up to $300

Greener driving tips Based on research by Ford-Europe Six main tips Ford research shows fuel savings and emissions reductions of “up to 25%” Ford’s user survey of 300 randomly selected participants found an average of 25% fuel savings reported.

Tip #1: Mobility mix Choose the most efficient mode of transport that fits your needs –Walk, ski, rollerskate –Bicycle –Public Transit –Use the most efficient personal vehicle available –Combine errands and trips –Share transportation –Don’t go: work at home, eat lunch at work

Tip #2: Gear up Shift to higher gears sooner –A Ford Focus (1.8 l) driven at a constant 30 mph for a fixed distance used 8 liters in second gear 5.5 liters in third gear 4.7 liters in fourth gear 3.9 liters in fifth gear –Shift up at rpm –This can be done with automatic transmissions, too.

Tip #3: Power Full Keep tire pressure up –Better fuel economy –Lower emissions –Longer tire life –This one is in the current presidential election campaign. –About 1 in 4 vehicles have at least one seriously under-inflated tire (NHT&SA, 2001) –Proper inflation saves 3.3% (DoE, EPA, 2008)

Tip #4: Off is in Don’t idle if stopped more than 30 seconds –Some argue that the break-even point is 10 seconds –Don’t idle the engine to warm it up—in modern engines, that is unnecessary. Idling gets 0 mpg

Tip #5: Road Surfing Slow down: Obey the speed limit –DoE estimate: This alone saves 7 – 23% Relax: Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration, and rapid braking) increase fuel consumption 5% around town and up to 33% on the highway (DoE, 2008) Anticipate: Slow down well ahead of stops, speed zones; try to avoid needing to stop unnecessarily. Use cruise control

Tip #6: Take it easy Remove ballast from vehicles Each extra 100 pounds in a vehicle reduces fuel economy by 1 - 2% (DoE, 2008)