The overall goal for the transportation sector is to reduce the consumption of petroleum in ground transportation by 70% (or approximately 385 million gallons per year) by 2030.
TIPS ON DRIVING EFFICIENTLY
Sitting in traffic is stressful. It also wastes energy and pollutes our environment. There are many alternatives that are healthy for you and the environment. The following tips are from the State of Hawaii and Fuel Economy:
- Walk or bike when you aren’t in a hurry or have shorter distances to travel.
- Carpool, vanpool, or take the bus whenever you can.
- Take advantage of ride sharing networks—or organize one yourself.
- Park your car for free all day in a park & ride lot convenient to your bus stop or carpool meeting place.
- Keep your car or truck tuned up to maximize fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.
- Make sure your tires are properly inflated, which can reduce your emissions by as much as 3%.
- Consider going without a car.
- Trade your gas guzzler for a fuel-efficient car, a hybrid, a flexible fuel vehicle, or a clean diesel vehicle (which would allow you to use bio-diesel).
- Buy a motorcycle or moped.
Sometimes, driving is the only option. In that case, here are some smart tips for the road:
- Chill. Driving aggressively (speeding, rapid acceleration, and braking) wastes gas. Driving calmly and sensibly can increase your gas mileage by 33% at highway speeds and by 5% around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.
- Go the speed limit. Gas mileage tends to deteriorate rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. As a rule of thumb, figure that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an extra 20 cents a gallon for gas.
- Shed some weight. Leave your toys out of the car unless you’re headed for the beach, the golf course, or the hills. Same with your tools, unless you’re off to work. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your mileage by up to 2%. This impacts smaller vehicles more than larger ones.
- Avoid idling. Idling gets zero miles per gallon. The bigger your engine, the more gas you waste when idling.
- Cruise. Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and tends to save gas.
- Shift into overdrive. When you use overdrive gearing, your car’s engine speed goes down, saving gas and reducing engine wear and tear.
- Go A/C free. Using air-conditioning dramatically reduces your mileage, especially in stop-and-go city traffic. Roll down the windows and turn off the air whenever possible. When air-conditioning is a must, rolling down the windows for a minute as you begin driving will let the hot air escape and cut down on the amount of energy needed to cool