“I saw a lad at pump 3 put €20 petrol into his car. He must only be going to pump 4.” Sometimes all you can do is laugh, but with fossil fuels now costing an arm and a leg, we’re quickly running out of limbs.
In Ireland we drive an average of 16,400km per year, 31% more than the EU average, thus emitting 31% more vehicle CO2 per capita than our continental neighbours. According to the CSO, in 2015 our average weekly household expenditure for transport was even higher than for our food. I shudder to think where it stands now! So how can we avoid highway robbery while still helping our planet?
Well wind resistance increases logarithmically with speed, so once you get beyond 60kph an hour in any vehicle, you are using more fuel pushing the air out of the way than you are pulling the weight. So you can save a massive 25% by simply reducing your motorway speed from 120 to 100kph. A full tank that used to get you 680kms now gets you 850kms… think of all that money and CO2 saved!
What else can we do? Follow the 5 golden rules – anticipate traffic flow; maintain a steady speed at low RPM; shift up early to between 1,500 (diesel) and 2,000 (petrol) revolutions; check tyre pressures frequently; consider any extra energy by taking off roof racks/boxes and keeping air conditioning to a minimum.
So let’s cruise to a sustainable future!