With a weekend away planned in Aberdeen over the easter weekend, we’re looking at close to an 800 mile round trip from our home in North Wales. Looking at whatmpg.co.uk I know my Peugeot 206 1.1 lx should get around 50mpg on the open road. Then using the tools over at fueleconomy.co.uk (because I’m rubbish at maths) I have calculated that given the current high fuel prices of around 117 pence/litre, this trip will cost me around £85. However, I don’t think the mpg listed takes into account a car where every square inch is crammed with people and their luggage, so lets say £100. Eek.
With figures like these you can understand why I’ve been searching the net in a quest for ways to reduce the cost, i.e. to increase my mpg. I’ve come across some great ‘green driving’ tips, so I though I’d share them here. Before I start though, the best tip I read suggested that to save fuel you should simply imagine that you are riding a bicycle. Take cycling through a town for example, you wouldn’t accelerate up to every set of traffic lights and then slam on the brakes. With all that wasted energy you’d be knackered, and the same applies for your poor car. This really brought it home for me, it’s all about being sensible.
The car from aerocivic.com. Isn't she a beauty? 100mpg!
Anyway, without further a do here are the best tips I have found for increasing your mpg. If you practice any of these hypermiling techniques then congratulations, you are a hypermiler.
- Drive sensibly. Flooring the accelerator, driving too fast and braking all waste fuel. You should avoid leaving last minute so you don’t feel rushed, listen to chilled out music, and be aware of whats happening up ahead so you can slow down by taking your foot off the accelerator rather than braking.
- Slow down. It may sound obvious, but cars are at their most efficient whilst travelling at 35-55mph. That’s awfully slow I know, but fuel economy can drop by as much as 25% between that sweet spot and 70mph. I used to regularly drive at 80mph+ on motorways so I dread to think what effect that had on my fuel consumption. I simply suggest sticking to the speed limit.
- Pick the best route. Whilst finding yourself stuck in traffic due to an accident is unavoidable, you can avoid driving at peak times and find out about any potential delays due to roadworks before you set off. Think about shortest distance rather than the quickest route, but avoid short routes which include lots of stops. If you do get caught in slow moving traffic, leave a large gap in front of you so you can avoid braking as much as possible. People will inevitably pull into your gap occasionally but its still worth doing.
- Coast. Modern engines now stop pumping fuel into the engine when coasting whilst in gear. I don’t know whether my car has this feature, so I plan to coast down hills in neutral. Dangerous? Probably. Coasting also works well when approaching traffic lights though, be sure to ease off the accelerator well in advance. If the lights are red as you approach you may be able to coast through just as they start turning green. Pulling away from a standstill uses much more fuel than starting off whilst rolling along at walking pace for example.
- Some assorted tips. Cruise Control. Got it? Use it! Is your trunk full of junk? Don’t carry excess wait if it can be avoided. Air Conditioning? Avoid using it, but bear in mind that tests have shown that having all your windows open can actually hit your mpg even harder. Finally, find the cheapest petrol station in your area!
By following some of these tips I hope to make my trip as cheap as possible, and of course getting better mpg means less pollution. It’s all good.
