Summer is a busy travel season. Everyone is going on vacation and taking road trips around the country. Gas prices also tend to peak in the summer which means we could be spending big bucks to get around.
Luckily, there are simple ways to cut down on the amount of fuel your cars are using. With a few simple tricks and tips provided by science, you’ll be able to look at your gas receipts without audibly gasping. Here are 3 ways science can save you gas this summer:
Use the Right Car for the Trip
Last year, I had an amazing time traveling around Montana and the vicinity, and I splurged on a one-way car rental to maximize the sightseeing. The rental car company first offered me an “upgrade” to a minivan, presumably because more space is supposed to be a good thing; however, if I hadn’t fought them for the economy car I had reserved, it would have cost me another $100 in fuel for the trip, money I would much rather spend on huckleberry ice cream and a national park pass. You might always default to the big SUV for your family, but if you can fit everything in a sedan, you’re better off. The lesson: use the most fuel-efficient car that will fit your stuff.
Slow Down
One of my favorite aspects of a road trip is taking in new scenery. When you’re flying down the road at 80 miles per hour, not only are you probably missing out on some surprising views—you’re also wasting fuel. Your car is optimized for somewhere around 55-60 miles per hour, and you can reduce efficiency by almost a third if you’re going 20 mph over. At today’s prices, driving 80 mph when the speed limit is 65 mph not only runs the risk of getting pulled over—it’s like raising the price of gas by almost $1 per gallon! Slow down and enjoy the trip.
Turn Off Cruise-Control (On Hills At Least)
On a long drive, you might be tempted to use the cruise control—but if you are driving through the rolling countryside, don’t. Not only does it allow you to pay less attention to driving, which is suboptimal for safety, the cruise control on most cars is a surefire way to waste fuel on anything but the flattest terrain because it tries to maintain a steady speed as tightly as possible. Instead, as a smart and attentive driver, you can maintain speed in a more efficient way.
Looking more tips on saving gas this summer. Here’s the full article from the Union of Concerned Scientists: http://blog.ucsusa.org/8-ways-science-can-save-gas-on-your-summer-road-trip-772
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