This article explains the importance of fuel-efficient driving and how to do it right, presenting bad driving habits and technical approaches to avoid to make your car more efficient. Furthermore, it emphasizes why efficient driving with environmental and safety considerations is essential for modern drivers.
“It’s not just the way it looks that makes it a prestigious car: a new high-performance engine and world-recognized quality. The more you see, the more you are convinced.“…….” “I thought I had experienced the full performance of the 2000cc engine. I was wrong. Here comes a powerful performance that no one has experienced yet. It’s a first. Another first experience that exceeds your imagination! 163 horsepower to lead the way.”
This is an advertisement for the Sonata from Hyundai Motor Company in South Korea. You can see that they all emphasize the performance of the engine, i.e., high performance. But what’s the most common word in car ads these days? It’s fuel efficiency. It’s the ratio between the distance traveled and the amount of fuel consumed during the trip. With the rise of global environmental pollution, especially global warming, there is a growing concern about CO2 emissions, which is directly related to fuel consumption, so the focus is on high fuel efficiency. This is not only for automakers, but also for consumers – drivers – who are encouraged to drive more fuel-efficiently by creating a positive image of high efficiency. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the worst examples of fuel-efficient driving and explain how to get on the right side of the efficiency bandwagon.
The automotive industry’s shift toward efficiency isn’t just an advertising or marketing ploy. It’s part of a global trend to protect the environment, and many countries are tightening fuel efficiency regulations. For example, CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) regulations in the United States and CO2 emissions regulations in the European Union are forcing automakers to improve fuel efficiency. More than just a legal requirement, these regulations have also spurred technological advancement and innovation. This has led to rapid advances in eco-friendly vehicle technologies such as hybrids and electric vehicles, as well as active research and development to further maximize fuel efficiency.
Fuel efficiency can be improved by reducing a vehicle’s rolling resistance. One type of drag, aerodynamic drag, has a significant impact on fuel efficiency, which is related to the shape of the car and the movement of fluids through the car. Some drivers try to reduce drag and increase fuel efficiency by folding down the rearview mirrors on either side of the car. However, this is not the right way to drive fuel-efficiently because it interferes with safe driving. Similarly, you can reduce drag by following closely behind a large vehicle and using airflow to reduce drag, but this is not a safe and fuel-efficient way to drive because it makes it difficult to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you.
The correct way to reduce drag is as follows. First, don’t install unnecessary gadgets that increase drag and reduce fuel efficiency. For example, attaching a carrier to the roof of your car increases aerodynamic drag, which can significantly reduce fuel efficiency. This is something that many drivers overlook, but the impact of these small changes on fuel economy is not insignificant. Also, to reduce rolling resistance, which is the resistance generated by the wheels, it is advisable to use slightly higher tire pressures within the normal range, and avoid driving with unnecessary loads. Removing unnecessary weight from your vehicle is also an effective way to improve fuel efficiency. This is because the more weight your car carries, the more fuel the engine has to use.
The biggest influence on fuel efficiency is the driver’s driving habits. How should you use the pedals and gear knob in automatic transmission vehicles, which account for the highest percentage of cars in Korea? First, avoid hard acceleration. You should also avoid sudden braking, which means that you should aim to drive economically, accelerating only when necessary. These changes in driving habits don’t just improve fuel efficiency, they also have a positive impact on the longevity of the vehicle and reduce maintenance costs.
Let’s look at eco-driving using terrain. When a vehicle travels up an inclined road, it adds an extra layer of driving resistance called gradient resistance. As a result, it consumes more fuel than if it were traveling on a flat road. From this, we can see that you should minimize unnecessary acceleration maneuvers on uphill slopes and only use as much acceleration as necessary on downhill slopes or flat ground. For example, you have a route that goes over two hills. You can drive economically if you accelerate just enough to maintain a steady speed going up the first hill, and gain the necessary speed on the downhill slope of the first hill to get over the second hill. In fact, there are devices in development that allow vehicles to use GPS information to map out the terrain and help the driver make the most efficient trip based on that information. These technologies play an important role in reducing driver fatigue while minimizing fuel consumption.
What’s the right way to drive downhill? If you search for the keyword “fuel-efficient driving,” you’ll find many articles suggesting that bouncy driving – driving in neutral – is an effective way to drive fuel-efficiently. However, this is wrong. When you’re in neutral, the only way to control your car’s speed is to apply the brakes. Automatic transmission vehicles have a certain amount of control over their speed depending on the gear they’re in, and neutral doesn’t allow you to do this, which means you’ll have to rely more on your brakes, which can lead to brake malfunctions, such as overheating. Furthermore, shifting into neutral while driving can shock the transmission and cause damage, so it should be avoided. All cars sold today have a fuel-cut function. Fuel-cut is a function that limits the fuel supply as needed to match the accelerator pedal operation and the driving situation. So, if you’re going downhill and you’re in a higher gear than neutral and you don’t use the accelerator, the fuel supply will be limited, which means you won’t burn as much fuel as you would if you were in neutral, making for more efficient driving.
Finally, vehicle maintenance also has a big impact on fuel economy. Optimizing your vehicle’s performance by regularly changing the oil, cleaning the air filter, and inspecting the tires will directly help improve fuel economy. In particular, the condition of your tires is a very important factor in fuel economy, and worn tires or the wrong type of tires can significantly reduce your fuel economy. Regularly checking your vehicle’s maintenance and replacing parts as needed is also an important part of improving fuel efficiency.
The most important thing about driving is safety. The best driver in this day and age is the Blue-Driver, who is able to drive more economically while maintaining his or her own safety and the safety of others. Fuel-efficient driving is not just about saving fuel, it’s about protecting the environment and being socially responsible. When every driver practices fuel-efficient driving, we can build a better future.
