Energy Efficiency Behind the Wheel

As increasing gasoline prices cause consumers to reach deeper into their wallets, buying an electric-gasoline hybrid vehicle, like a Toyota Prius or a Ford Escape SUV, has become a new craze. But if buying a more fuel-efficient hybrid to reduce your “pain at the pump” (and carbon footprint) isn’t in your budget, here are some steps that can trim gas consumption and improve vehicle mileage:
• Observe the Speed Limit – While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas  mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph, in fact, becomes the equivalent  of spending an extra 30 cents per gallon for gas.
• Remove Excess Weight – Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your  vehicle could reduce your miles per gallon by up to 2 percent. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight  relative to the vehicle’s weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.
• Avoid Excessive Idling – Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than cars with smaller engines.
• Use Cruise Control – Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save  gas.
• Use Overdrive Gears – When you use overdrive gearing, your car’s engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine  wear.
• Drive Sensibly – Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration, and braking) wastes gasoline. It can lower your gas  mileage by 33% at highway speeds and by 5% around town. In addition, sensible driving makes things safer for you and others.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy and
www.fueleconomy.gov