In today’s world, having a car is often seen as essential. But cars can harm the environment by causing pollution.
In the United States alone, one-third of the pollution is associated with transportation. Although energy-efficient cars aid in reducing adverse environmental pollution, making the transportation sector environmentally friendly takes time.
The sad truth is that the cars’ environmental impact will likely never reach zero emission. However, there are ways to make your vehicle eco-friendlier. To help with that, this article will take you through ways to become an eco-friendly car owner.
How to Become an Eco-Friendly Car Owner
The trend toward eco-friendliness is spreading rapidly in the commercial sector and among consumers. More and more businesses are now adopting this trend. For instance, being inherently more durable than other building materials, steel is widely used to construct workshops and warehouses. Because of this effort, fewer trees will need to be taken down.
Meanwhile, becoming an eco-friendly car owner is an excellent move to reducing pollution and curbing your carbon footprint. If you’re wondering whether electric cars are really more environmentally friendly, read on at practical ways of becoming an eco-friendly car owner:
1. Do Your Research
The first step to becoming an eco-friendly car owner is doing your research right. List down the features you need in a car, then compare them to an eco-friendly one.
This will make it easy to choose a vehicle that best suits your requirements without compromising the specifics you need.
One of the factors you should put more emphasis on is size. A small car is considered more environmentally friendly than a larger one. This is a vital tip if you don’t need a bigger car occasionally. Doing so will save on emissions, maintenance, and fueling your car.
2. Be a Good Driver
Being a good driver will help you save gas. Did you know that aggressive driving is associated with gas wastage?
Reducing speed, braking, and rapid acceleration will lower gas usage by approximately 15% to 30%. Therefore, it’s best to go easy on the brakes and accelerator pedal to improve road safety and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Use Cruise Control
By engaging in cruise control, you can save gas by traveling within the speed limit when driving on a highway. However, before using cruise control, ensure the traffic and the weather in your area are good.
You can watch this video by Helpful DIY to learn more about cruise control:
4. Avoid Unnecessary Road Trips
To become an eco-friendly driver, you’ll need to reduce the number of unnecessary trips on the road. In cases where you have several errands to run, it’ll help if you do it on one trip by making stops where necessary. Since engines become more efficient while warm, making one long trip is better the environment, and for your car, and than having multiple short trips.
5. Watch Your Speed
Your speed and the type of car you drive can significantly influence your emission. Driving slower and wiser may improve your gas consumption while reducing greenhouse gases.
When you travel at more than 50 miles per hour, your fuel economy will decrease significantly. By slowing down and traveling at the recommended speed limit, you’ll do justice to the environment while saving money.
6. Fill Your Car Wisely
When filling up your car’s gas tank, it’s wise to avoid topping it off. This is vital since the extra gas often causes harmful vapors to escape from the gas tank while forcing fuel into the car’s canister. Additionally, ensure the fuel cap is tight enough to reduce vapor emissions.
7. Avoid Extra Weight
When your car weighs less, it runs more efficiently. Since the 1970s, most vehicles’ weight has steadily increased. Nevertheless, lighter cars have better fuel economy and incredible performance. Hence, reducing the car’s weight will improve fuel consumption per mileage. Clearing your car’s back seat and trunk is an effective ways of reducing extra weight.
8. Reduce Air-Conditioning Usage
Keep in mind that cars with high temperatures are dangerous for passengers, including pets, children, and the aged. Always limit or reduce AC usage by lowering your car’s window.
Also, installing tinted windows can help because your car’s windows reflect approximately 78% of the sun’s harmful rays. You can look for other DIY tips that aid in cooling down the temperature in your car without using AC.
9. Maintain Your Car
Maintaining your car more often will enhance its gas mileage significantly. Additionally, regular maintenance will get hold of any severe issues early. Your fuel efficiency will also improve following frequent car maintenance. Although maintaining your car will depend on the number of miles you’ve covered, it’s advisable to have your vehicle checked every year.
Additionally, it’s best to use the right type of oil in your car. Fuel such as E85 and biodiesel are products of renewable sources such as corn. For instance, E85 is 15% gasoline and 85% ethanol and is ideal for certain cars. Cars that operate on biodiesel, like B5, are 5% biodiesel.
10. Tire Pressure
Ensuring your tire pressure is correct will help improve your fuel economy. Failure to properly assess your tire’s pressure can lead to inefficient driving. Your tire won’t move appropriately, making your car’s engine work even harder.
In the process, you’ll end up using more fuel and emitting more greenhouse gas, causing harm to the environment. Try and check your tire pressure at regular intervals, at least once a month.
11. Wash Your Car In An Eco-Friendly Way
Most individuals think cleaning their cars at home is good for the environment, but this isn’t the case. As you wash your car on the street or driveway, the soapy wastewater will drain into the storm drain. And since most soaps contain harmful chemicals, they’ll destroy marine life as the wastewater finds its way into large bodies of water.
In addition to the soap, the water used for washing your car could contain exhaust fumes, gasoline, heavy metals, and oil. Therefore, you can combat this issue by using eco-friendly soaps. These detergents are safer for the planet because they don’t use any nasty ingredients.
Alternatively, you might consider washing your car on gravel or the lawn as it allows the wastewater to drain into the soil rather than going to larger water bodies with marine life.
Takeaway
Owning a car nowadays is a necessity because it facilitates mobility. However, they’re also well-known for polluting the environment. Cars emit greenhouse gasses, contributing to global warming. However, following the tips discussed in this article, you can quickly become an eco-friendly car owner and reduce your carbon footprint.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Electric Cars Sustainable?
Electric cars are still a controversial subject regarding their sustainability. Although electric vehicles or EVs don’t produce pollutants when driven, they require charging, which often takes a relatively long period. Power plants produce the electricity needed to charge an electric car, and the emission is relatively clean when a power plant is powered by natural gas or hydrogen. On the other hand, pollution can be harmful or worse than an emission produced by a gasoline-powered car if the power plant uses coal.
How Can You Travel Green?
Driving your car less often is one of the best ways of traveling green. When traveling locally, you should consider micro-mobility vehicles such as public transit, scooters, and a bike. Furthermore, you can always walk, which is good for your health and the environment.
Why Are Eco-Friendly Vehicles So Expensive?
Hybrid and electric cars are typically more expensive compared to standard cars because manufacturing electric batteries costs a substantial sum of money. However, this price of eco-friendly cars is expected to fall in the future as continued research and advancements in battery technology.
Are Electric Vehicles Safe Compared to Other Cars?
Yes, they’re safe because electric cars must meet similar federal safety standards imposed on other vehicles. They’re also a safer choice because they don’t carry combustible fuel which can be especially dangerous in the event of an accident.
What Distance Can An Average Electric Car Cover On A Single Charge?
The standard distance that most electric cars can cover is between 50 to 80 miles on one charge. However, sportier electric cars can travel for a longer distance with the Tesla Model S traveling for up to 300 miles once fully charged.
References
Forbes: Best Electric Vehicle for Range
Forbes: Renewable Energy is Powering the Future of the Automobile Industry
WikiHow: Charge Your Electric Car
