Save fuel now, crash later

Drivers in the US, shocked at fuel costs that have risen to nearly half the price of those in Europe, have taken to using 'hypermiling' techniques to economise. Such techniques involve accelerating gently, minimising use of braking, switching off engines and coasting down gradients. Other more controversial techniques involve inflating tyres to excessive pressures to reduce rolling resistance as well as 'slipstreaming' on highways by driving close to the vehicle in front to reduce air resistance. While wish
July 17, 2012 Read time: 1 min
Drivers in the US, shocked at fuel costs that have risen to nearly half the price of those in Europe, have taken to using 'hypermiling' techniques to economise. Such techniques involve accelerating gently, minimising use of braking, switching off engines and coasting down gradients. Other more controversial techniques involve inflating tyres to excessive pressures to reduce rolling resistance as well as 'slipstreaming' on highways by driving close to the vehicle in front to reduce air resistance. While wishing to save fuel is laudable, US drivers would do well to choose more economical vehicles instead. The cost of crashes caused by over-inflating tyres and driving too close to the vehicle in front will far outweigh the value of the fuel saved.

Related Content

  • Europe's smart road pricing project
    February 20, 2012
    New trials pave the way for smart road pricing using Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). In recent years, the concept of road charging has been gaining acceptability among Europe's policymakers.
    Read More
  • Crane assembly for Tibet excavator
    February 9, 2017
    A tough machine assembly operation at extreme altitude has been carried out by two cranes from XCMG The cranes were used to assist in the assembly of a large excavator needed to assist in production at an extraction operation in Tibet. Located at an altitude of no less than 5,400m on the very remote Mila Mountain, the extraction sites was aiming at upgrading its operations and boosting productivity with the addition of a new 100tonne class excavator. The two cranes, an XCT100 model and a QAY300A machi
    Read More
  • The importance of road maintenance
    July 15, 2015
    Gülay Malkoc discusses the importance of investing in road maintenance.
    Read More
  • Hyundai premiers tracked excavators
    January 6, 2017
    It’s a world premier here at INTERMAT for Hyundai’s HX220L and HX380L tracked excavators, both of which are Tier 4 Final, Stage IV engine machines. Milan Wamsteker, head of marketing for Hyundai, said the body work has had some restyling to accommodate the larger air intakes needed for Stage IV/Tier 4 Final engine performance. There is also an optional all-around 360° external video and camera system, the HX Series. It includes a warning alert to the driver that an object is near the vehicle as well a
    Read More

Highlighted Content