Definitely. The principles within eco-proactive that relate to anticipating do not depend on the type of gearbox that your car has. The fact that you are not able to select the gear yourself does not mean that all the other eco-proactive tips are not relevant.
Furthermore, many modern automatic gearboxes are actually automated robotized “normal” gearboxes. These allow us to change gear (for example, with the pedals), or influence the way in which gears are changed through the position of the accelerator pedal.
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Can I drive eco-proactively with a car that has an LPG tank?Definitely. Eco-proactive driving does not depend on the type of fuel used. LPG engines are actually specially adapted petrol engines. This means that the same revs have to be used when accelerating as for petrol engines. How can I apply eco-proactive tips in traffic jams?The aim of eco-proactive driving always remains the same: maintaining the most consistent speed possible. As a first measure, try to stop as little as possible in a traffic jam. Constantly getting a car moving again requires an incredible amount of fuel and is therefore very expensive. Try to drive with the lowest revs possible, maintaining this as consistently as possible. In other words, it is better to drive at 15 km/h in second gear at 1000 revs per minute than at 15 km/h in first gear at 1800 revs per minute. If I go more distance to my car in front, is there not always somebody between crawling?If you want to completely prevent someone from cutting in, then you have no choice but to tailgate the vehicle in front of you, with all the consequences for your fuel consumption. This is the most expensive solution imaginable. At the same time, you won’t lose too much distance and time. What tips should I use if I mainly drive on the motorway?You can mainly save on motorways by driving at the most consistent speed possible. Cruise control is particularly useful, especially if it is not too busy and the road is reasonably flat. Make sure that you set the cruise control correctly at a speed appropriate to the prevailing conditions. If you set it at a speed that is higher than what is generally possible in that situation, you will be braking continually. In other words, the difference in fuel consumption between 50 km/h and 60 km/h is much less than the difference in fuel consumption between 120 km/h and 13O km/h. Should I allow my engine to warm up in the winter?An engine warms up anything but efficiently when it runs without the vehicle being driven. In freezing conditions, it can take up to half an hour (!) before the engine completely reaches operating temperature in neutral. Furthermore, the motor burns fuel very inefficiently during this time, thus releasing a filthy stream of emission gasses. This results in a lot of fuel being pointlessly burned up, without the vehicle actually having moved an inch.
We recommend that you start the motor and depart almost immediately, keeping the load on the engine low. This ensures that your car reaches its operating temperature as quickly as possible, with the lowest degree of wear and tear. It is therefore better not to floor the accelerator if the engine has still not completely warmed up, but also don’t let the engine run idly to warm up. Are low revs bad for the engine?No. If you take your foot off the accelerator, the average diesel engine will turn at 800 to 900 revs per minute. It is possible to drive at very low revs, as long as nothing more is asked of the engine than to maintain a consistent speed. This only requires a very small amount of power that can be adequately delivered at such low revs, or in other words in the highest gears. Is fast acceleration bad for the engine?No. If we accelerate within the rev zones in which the engine delivers its maximum torque (≈its maximum power), we get the best return on the fuel. We therefore get more momentum in exchange for the same fuel.
However, if we continue accelerating (going into higher revs) in each gear to get more pulling power, we will usually end up driving around in higher revs. This means that we will need more engine revolutions to cover a certain distance. This in turn leads to a higher degree of wear and tear. Conclusion: accelerate quickly with maximum torque, not with maximum power. Is zero fuel consumption really possible? Doesn't a car always use fuel when its switched on?Yes, this is possible. Modern cars are fitted with an electronic fuel injection system which completely cuts off the fuel supply in certain conditions. The condition is fairly simple: when moving, the car's mass wants to keep moving, which keeps the wheels turning. The wheels can also keep the engine turning if the contact (the transmission) between the engine and the wheels remains intact. In other words, the clutch must not be held down and the gearbox must not be in neutral. Can I stop my engine for 20 seconds? Will I end up using more fuel by starting it up again?A modern car with an electronic fuel injection system uses much less when starting than older cars. This is the case for just about all cars built over the last ten years. It is therefore beneficial to stop the engine, even for relatively short periods of time.
For these reasons, we are also seeing increasing numbers of cars with engines that stop of their own accord when they come to a halt (stop-start systems) as soon as the engine has warmed up enough. Any fuel that is just used to keep the motor running and not for driving is wasted. Do the roof rails on my car have a negative impact on my fuel consumption?Everything that interrupts the car’s normal streamline has a negative impact on fuel consumption. Longitudinal roof rails fitted by the manufacturer have a minimal impact. As soon as crossbars for bikes or skis are fitted on the roof, the streamline is seriously disturbed which results in a marked increased in fuel consumption. |
