Eco driving is a series of tips, measures, techniques and habits to enable drivers to obtain the best possible fuel efficiency for their vehicle. There are many ways to make the ride cheaper, safer and, as a bonus, produce less greenhouse gas emissions. The quickest way to learn about eco driving is to check out this youtube clip
Eco Driving – get the facts
- As your speed increases, every 10km/hr above 90 km/hr results in increases in fuel consumption of approximately 10
- Eco-driving can reduce crash rates by 35%
- One vehicle travelling with 4,000 rpm produces the same amount of noise as 32 vehicles travelling at the same speed with only 2,000 rpm.
A few tips to get you started....
- Keep windows closed to minimise air drag and improve fuel efficiency.
- Don’t fill your petrol tank past the first click. Expansion of the fuel can result in increased emissions
- Use air conditioning only when necessary. It can increase fuel consumption by 10 percent.Take extra load out of/off the vehicle, as 50 kg extra load can increase fuel consumption by 2 %
- An idling car gets 0 kilometres per hour. Modern cars do not need to warm up by idling. In fact they warm up faster while driving. Idling for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel than turning off your vehicle and restarting.
- Low tyre pressure increases the rolling resistance of the vehicle and increases fuel use. Ensuring correct tyre pressure will also decrease tyre wear and tear and improve vehicle handling and safety
Eco Driving is safe driving
A key anticipation to eco driving is anticipating traffic flows. This reduces the need to stop and accelerate as much. The best way to do this is to follow the "3 second rule": leaving a 3 second gap between you and the car ahead. Check out this short Youtube clip to show how a 3 second gap reduces your chance of an accident.
You cannot manage what you do not measure
You cannot manage what you do not measure, so keeping simple data is an important part of eco driving. Skilling people to keep data is part of the training, as is follow up and helping businesses to set up simple systems and policies to record and monitor fuel use.
To keep track of your fuel consumption download this Fuel calculation fact sheet
Do you need to know more?
There are many great resources available on the internet.
Gosford City Council has delivered an extensive eco drive program. A "How to Guide" has been prepared and can be accessed via this link
Eco drive Training
Sustainable Living Tasmania can also assist your workplace or community to improve its fuel consumption by holding an Ecodrive course. Contact [email protected] for more information
About the Eco drive project
The Eco drive Project is supported by the Tasmanian Government through the Tasmanian Climate Change Office "Earn Your Stars" grants program. It has delivered training and education on Eco driving in the Kentish Shire (Sheffield area) and in Hobart. The project ended in December 2014.