How to save fuel and the environment on your summer roadtrip

With the summer holidays rolling around again, many Kiwis are thinking about setting off in their cars to catch up with family and friends. Factor in weekend trips up the coast to the batch, and the old classic summer road trip as well, and we’re talking about a lot of time on the road and a lot of money spent on petrol.

While walking and cycling are the ideal ways to travel, there are a few things you can do when driving to save money on fuel and reduce the effect on the environment:

Plan your trip: Before you even get near your car, it’s a good idea to check out the best route to your destination on a map, especially if it’s going to be a long drive or somewhere you haven’t been before. This can save you time, and allow you to calculate the most direct and economical route. Try Google maps nz to plan your route, and check out the AA Roadwatch website for the latest information on road closures and conditions.

Turn off your engine when stuck in traffic: Holiday driving and traffic queues go together like jandals and the beach. If you do find yourself stuck in traffic, turn off your car engine if you’re going to me idling for more than 30 seconds. This both saves you money and helps the environment.

Ensure your car is tuned and tyres are correctly inflated: If your car isn’t well tuned and your tyres are under inflated, this can add 10% to your fuel consumption according to the fuelsaver.govt.nz website. Making sure your car is tuned before you go on a long journey will also ensure that it is less likely to break down on the way.

Drive at a steady pace: Accelerating and breaking when driving uses more energy (and therefore fuel) than driving at a constant speed. The less heavy breaking and acceleration you do, the more fuel you’ll save.

Cooling your car: There is a debate about whether using air conditioning or winding down the windows is more efficient in cooling your car. The fuelsaver.govt.nz website suggests that at speeds of under 80 km/h it is more efficient to cool your car by having your windows open. However, at higher speeds using your air conditioning is more efficient.

I hope these useful tips make your summer driving that much more sustainable and will freeup some more money for lunch on the way! Got any great tips of your own? We’d love to hear them.