Make Your Car Greener
We are headed toward the days when the price of gas at the pump won’t faze us.
Our cars will be mostly electric, or solar-powered, or will run on biofuels. We’re not there yet, but there are still steps you can take to green up your driving experience.
The first, most effective thing you can do while we are still in the thrall of OPEC is ease up on the gas pedal. You’ll use less gas if you accelerate and brake gently whenever you’re driving. On the highway, keep your speed at 55 mph. Fuel efficiency peaks between 35 and 55 mph. You will literally lose only a few minutes reaching your destination, but your gas bill will decrease. You will also use less gas if you empty your trunk regularly—extra weight increases your gas burn.
Own that high occupancy vehicle lane on the freeway! When the HOV lanes opened up years ago, people laughed about them. Everyone pretty much preferred to maintain their independence and ride alone. But it’s time to post a notice on the bulletin board at work for a carpool.
Besides carpooling, you really can decrease the number of miles you travel. Plan your route for your daily errands. Ask your neighbor if you can pick up a few things for him at the store; eventually perhaps the two of you can save each other some trips. Use your bicycle or walk if possible.
If your car was manufactured in 1999 or later, you might have a “flex-fuel” vehicle, which means possibly you can fill it with E85 ethanol instead of gasoline. Visit E85fuel.com to find out if your car is one of them, and also for a list of fuel stations that supply this blend of ethanol and gasoline. Besides reducing our dependence on gasoline, E85 means less hydrocarbon and benzene products released into the atmosphere, and carbon dioxide emissions are reduced. Ethanol also has a greater solubility in water than does gasoline.
Take your car to a green automotive service station for routine maintenance and service. Many dealership and franchise service suppliers are utilizing recycled solvents and water-based cleaners. They service your car with an eye to maximizing fuel efficiency. They look for low-energy methods to operate their business, and they recycle byproducts to preserve water tables. Look for a place like this in your area.
If you are buying a car, don’t buy something bigger than you need. Do your part to put the days of gas-guzzling muscle vehicles behind us. Kits to convert your car to electric via lithium battery are available for $10,000, cost prohibitive at this time.
But keep your eyes on the news as green technology progresses; the prices will spiral downward as we approach the future.
Warranty Direct offers extended warranties for the new green hybrid cars on the market. Contact us today for a free quote. We offer payment plans on extended car warranties, too, so you can more easily budget your expenses.
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Filed under: Auto News, Car News, Hybrid Cars
No wonders, in a few more years, we are going to convert our vehicles to green fuel. Even we are going to have only green vehicles. I think all manufacturers should do the need fuel to encourage green vehicles. In fact they could do it many years ago but they were reluctant to do so. I think they didn’t want to promote bio fuel and technology.