Ease off the gas to save a packet; STEVE HUGHES rounds up the week's latest motoring news in a nutshell

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), Sept 26, 2008

Byline: STEVE HUGHES

MOTORISTS in the UK could save an average of pounds 325 a year simply by changing their driving styles.

In the case of large cars, vans and lorries, the savings could be even more and in some cases they could be up to twice as much.

This is the conclusion of the most comprehensive study of the effects of assuming a greater awareness of how vehicles operate and how their running costs can be slashed.

In most cases, the techniques are obvious yet few people put them into practice on a daily basis, which collectively could also reduce the emission of CO2 by the equivalent of 13,000 homes nationwide.

The study has been carried out by The Energy Saving Trust, involving 500 drivers under scrutiny at test centres and selected driving locations throughout the UK.

Using fleets of Ford Focus ECOnetic models, the drivers achieved average fuel consumption reductions of a third, thereby raising the average economy figure from 65mpg to 78mpg.

Organisers of the driving challenge said that every driver in the UK could improve their vehicle's economy figure by the same percentage and save hundreds of pounds a year without having any discernable impact upon their journey times.

Of course, buying a car that is particularly economical in the first place is an obvious help, and regular servicing and maintenance pay for themselves several times over because of the improvement in economy, which is helped by ensuring correct tyre pressures, discarding unnecessary items from the vehicle, switching off non-essential auxiliary equipment such as air conditioning and even switching off the engine when stuck in traffic or waiting by the roadside .

However, the greatest savings can be made by adopting the same driving techniques as those relatively few motorists who are not in a desperate hurry all of the time.

This involves moving off gently rather than racing to the lights, changing up to a higher gear at lower engine speeds and cruising at 65 or 70mph rather than 80 or 85mph on motorways, which uses up to 20% less fuel.

The test revealed that motorists who drive in a mad panic as though their lives depend upon arriving at their destination in the least possible time actually achieved very little and in most cases virtually nothing at all in terms of time saved.

Instead, they increased their risk of accidents, suffered immense stress, used a third more fuel and reduced their journey times by no worthwhile amount.

In addition to the significant economy gains by driving less aggressively, the reduction in CO2 emissions averaged 22%, which would be a collective nationwide saving of 83,800 tonnes and is equivalent to the annual domestic emissions from 13,000 homes.

The Smart Driving Challenge ran at several locations across the country, including Tynemouth.

The 500 drivers taking part tackled a threepart test. The first was to establish existing smooth driving skills, with their fuel consumption and CO2 outputs recorded.

Next came eco-driving instruction from the Energy Saving Trust, followed by a second economy and CO2 test that was recorded and expressed as an annual fuel saving.

The Energy Saving Trust's head of transport advice, Nigel Underdown says: "These results prove that a few simple driving techniques make a huge difference to fuel consumption.

"Typical annual savings equate to pounds 325 or 650kg of CO2 per car. If all drivers reduced fuel consumption by the same proportion, more than 15 million tonnes of CO2 emissions would be avoided every year."

The driving challenge used Ford Focus ECOnetic TDCi models, which combine aerodynamic styling, low rolling resistance tyres and enhanced engine oils to achieve CO2 output of 115g/km.

Ford Mondeo ECOnetic models with 139g/km CO2 ratings and Fiesta ECOnetics with 98g/km have also been introduced recently.

Other manufacturers have similar models such as Volkswagen's Blue-Motions, Peugeot's Blue Lion models, Lexus, Toyota and Honda hybrids and all BMW and MINIs using the company's EfficientDynamics energy saving systems.

HOW TO CUT YOUR CONSUMPTION

Change up through the gears at between 2,000 and 2,500 rpm

Ease your speed. Driving at 70mph uses around 15% more fuel than at 50mph

Anticipate to avoid unnecessary acceleration and braking

Use auxiliary equipment such as air conditioning selectively

Switch off the engine whenever it is appropriate to do so

Improve aerodynamic drag by closing windows and removing roof racks

CAPTION(S):

ECONOMICAL - the driving challenge used Ford Focus ECOnetic TDCi models