…Avoid being stuck in traffic jam….you spend more time and fuel”
LAST week, I shared some fuel saving tips for motorists. This came in the wake of a major fuel pump price hike by the Energy Regulation Board (ERB).
The public reaction was immediate and that of despondence. I have decided to share more fuel saving tips.
Some of them may look not feasible but I assure you that if you apply your mind to it and change the mindset, it will help you a lot.
It is the little savings which become major savings over time. Do not frown upon small savings. Let’s build a culture of disciplined saving regardless of the size.
When changes take place, it cannot be business as usual. When the pain of maintaining the status quo becomes more than the pain of change, change of approach to reality becomes inevitable.
With fuel prices having gone up due to the partial removal of fuel subsidies, motorists and companies will seek to find ways of cutting down costs.
Every drop will count. Here are a few tips for some motorists who may be wondering how they will deal with the challenge.
1) Start car pooling or sharing practice
In several countries including the United States of America, motorists living in the same area and use more or same route when going for work or other errands will park their cars and use one car for up to a month and then use a different car. You take turns to use one another’s car.
If you are four and on a one month rotation, you will hardly use your car to go for work for up to three months. What a saving.
This practice also assists with reducing traffic on the road and time you spend on the road. You use more fuel when stuck in slow moving traffic.
This practice can be extended not just for work related purposes but also for other trips such as going shopping, kitchen parties, taking beloved ones to school and going to religious events among others.
This strategy is called car pooling or sharing. It also helps to reduce traffic and carbon emissions. Utilise this strategy. It will help you a lot to arrest the fuel bill.
My friend, if you are not yet using this strategy, try it. If you are using it, try to bring in one or more people in your arrangement.
With the greening agenda taking shape, set yourself for earning carbon credits by car sharing. I will guide you more how you will earn the carbon credits.
In places where public transport is good, one can combine the use of own car and the use of public transport at times. In my case, I have been so fortunate to have spent my entire work life in the oil industry.
I have never bought fuel and servicing using my money. But at times, I decide to use public transport. At times I use those good-looking big buses to move across towns within Zambia.
I don’t feel shame whatsoever and I will never feel it. You can use public transport when going across cities. You will save a lot.
2) Avoid aggressive driving
Unless you are participating in a motor racing rally, avoid aggressive driving as much as possible. All vehicles above a certain speed begin to lose fuel efficiency.
Obey speed limit signs. My preferred speed is around 100km/h unless not acceptable.
If we start off from Lusaka for Kitwe at the same time with you driving at 130km/h and me at 100km/h, you will probably arrive earlier by 20 minutes if you are lucky but at greater fuel expenditure.
I may even find you in the traffic jam just as you enter town. It is not worth it. Intermittent speeding and braking has a huge impact on your fuel bill in case you didn’t know.
Time for travel is also important. Try to avoid traffic jam as much as possible by starting off early or much later. When stuck in slow moving traffic intermittent with stopping, you consume more fuel over the same distance than when there is no traffic jam.
3) Avoid unnecessary movements
Plan your movements well. Some places we drive to can be covered by walking. If you have a bicycle, try using it when it is safe.
I was shocked the number of bicycles I saw on streets in Netherlands, Thailand and China. It is also part of keeping physically fit.
Combine your errands very well. On certain things you liked doing out door; you can consider doing them from home.
You can also consider using technology such as telecom, Zoom calls, cell phones etc to communicate unless the situation demands physical presence. It is not a must that you must travel.
4) Avoid driving with open windows
Try as much as possible not to drive with windows wide open. In aviation language, wind is considered as solid. It takes wind to lift an aeroplane.
Wind entering the inside of your car increases resistance to move forward. This affects your fuel usage especially on long distance.
In the same vein manage your car air con very well. It can affect your fuel bill. Recently, I was in Lagos, Nigeria; I was shocked at how my cab driver was using the car aircon. It was constantly at maximum cold. That’s not being cost saving conscious.
There are a lot of tips that can be utilised to reduce the fuel bill. Pay attention to the engine size as well and the age of the car.
The bigger the engine size, the more fuel it will consume. In addition, the older the car, the more fuel it tends to consume. The use of wrong engine oil can also affect fuel efficiency.
Johnstone Chikwanda is an energy expert and a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Zambia, a PhD candidate at Johnson University, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
