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Washington, DC, June 29, 2005 – As motorists planning to travel by car for the July 4 weekend face gasoline prices nearly 30 cents higher than a year ago, the Alliance to Save Energy offers vehicle maintenance and driving tips that can help them achieve better mileage and ease the strain on their pocketbooks:
- Keep your car properly tuned up to improve gas mileage by about 4 percent.
- Improve mileage by up to 40 percent by replacing a faulty oxygen sensor.
- Keep tires properly inflated to improve your gas mileage by more than 3 percent and to extend the life and ensure the safety of your tires.
- Use the manufacturer’s recommended grade of motor oil to improve your gas mileage by another 1-2 percent. Select motor oil with “Energy Conserving” on the API performance symbol to be sure it contains friction-reducing additives.
- Check and replace air filters regularly. Replacing a clogged or dirty air filter can improve your car’s gas mileage by as much as 10 percent, and a clean filter keeps impurities from damaging the inside of your engine.
- Curtail aggressive driving. Speeding, rapid acceleration, and rapid braking all waste gas – and curb mileage by as much as 33 percent at highway speeds, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Nix jack-rabbit starts, opting instead for slow acceleration from a dead stop.
- In addition, speeding cuts fuel economy 7 to 23 percent, as gas mileage decreases rapidly above 60 mph. Each five mph you drive over 60 is like paying an extra 15 cents per gallon.
- When buying a new vehicle, think high gas mileage. Check out the DOE website, www.fueleconomy.gov, and the ACEEE website, www.greenercars.com, for information on fuel-efficient vehicles. Learn about current electric drive vehicles on the Electric Drive Transportation Association website, www.electricdrive.org.
- Get a $2,000 federal tax deduction this year when you purchase a hybrid-electric car. Next year, the deduction drops to $500.
- When renting a car, ask for a model that gets better fuel economy. Also, remember to fill up the tank before returning the car to the rental company, which always charges much higher gas prices – and sometimes an extra gas surcharge.
- Avoid idling, which gets 0 mph. Cars with larger engines typically waste even more gas at idling than cars with smaller engines.
- Combine your errands into one trip and plan your routes carefully to drive fewer miles and use less fuel.
- If available, use your vehicle’s overdrive gear when appropriate to reduce engine speed, save gas, and decrease engine wear.
- Use cruise control to help cut fuel consumption by maintaining a steady speed during highway driving.
- If you own more than one vehicle, drive the one that gets better gas mileage whenever possible.
- Protect your health and your pocketbook by walking to your destination whenever possible. You’ll lose weight, lower stress, save gas and money, and reduce pollution.
- Pack lightly when traveling, and avoid carrying items on your vehicle’s roof. An extra 100 pounds in the trunk cuts a typical car’s fuel economy 1-2 percent.
- Carpool and use public transportation whenever possible. And consider telecommuting if your employer allows it.
- Find additional tips for saving fuel and money from the American Automobile Association at http://www.aaanewsroom.net/Files/gaswatch02.pdf.
- See Alliance gasoline-saving tips in Spanish at www.ase.org/content/news/detail/1608.
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The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, economy, and national security.
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