Eco-driving is not new. In Germany the integration of eco-driving into car driving courses was introduced as far back as 1993. Before that, many companies in Europe had already recognised the value of training their drivers to save fuel. The first curriculum entitled ‘Training for environmentally conscious and driving behaviour during driving instruction' was published by the technical University of Berlin (in conjunction with the German DOE and Volkswagen); this was later integrated into the curriculum ‘Practical car training' developed by the German Federation of Driving Instructor Associations.
The RAC published a booklet called ‘Driving with Economy' (aimed at instructors) as long ago as the early 1980's. While this booklet was mainly about safety and economy, the principles it covers are in fully line with modern eco thinking.
From the autumn of 2005 eco-driving was officially incorporated into the UK driving test. This was the first step towards making the UK a nation of eco-aware drivers on a mission to save the world from excessive pollution and global warming. eco-driving is now assessed in all UK driving tests.
First step
The first step towards becoming an Eco Driver is to change the way you think.
Typically, when talking to drivers about saving fuel they often assume that we will all have to drive smaller cars, drive them slowly and only go out on Sundays! This is not the case.
Some vehicles are obviously more eco-friendly than others, especially modern hybrid and electric vehicles, but it's possible to become more eco-friendly without getting rid of your present car. In fact, you can sometimes achieve higher average journey speeds and still save fuel.
The decelerator and reading the road …
One of the first and most basic rules of eco-friendly driving is to learn about the decelerator pedal.
If your driving instructor didn't tell you about the decelerator, you will find it on the right hand side next to the footbrake. Some people still call this pedal the accelerator (gas pedal). The decelerator can save lots of cash in brake linings and fuel.
Over the years as a passenger or teacher, the author of this course has sat beside many drivers who would do well in the world tap dancing championships with their right foot bouncing constantly to-and-fro between the gas pedal to the brake pedal. By recognising the power of engine compression (the engine brake) you can calm your feet down and probably reduce the risk of a heart attack!
The trick is to learn to read road - something that you should now be starting to become familiar with having completed the earlier projects..
By reading the road well ahead you can anticipate the changes in traffic flow and release the accelerator pedal early. This will slow you down gradually through the process of engine braking. This process is commonly called acceleration sense but perhaps deceleration sense might be an equally good, if not better term to use. Developing your deceleration sense will lower your stress levels and those of your passengers (hence the reduced risk of heart attack!) because there will be less last minute braking to avoid other idiots.
If you haven't yet tried this from the 'reading the road' unit, the starting point for learning balanced use of the footbrake and accelerator is to go out for a drive in the country and to learn how to do nothing with your right foot.
Drive for about an hour on open roads, keeping your speed up, but trying not to touch the brake pedal. In order to achieve this you will need to watch the road well ahead and use the gas pedal sparingly. If you must use the footbrake, be gentle!
Learn to squeeze and ease the both the accelerator and brake pedals lovingly.
It's important that you should replace the brakes with the gears by changing to a lower gear to slow the car down. Change gear only when you need to squeeze the gas pedal for more power.
You could also try driving for about 20 miles on a moderately busy motorway maintaining a constant speed of around 55/60 mph in 5th or 6th gear – not faster, not slower. Do this by reading the road ahead and monitoring your mirrors to plan early lane changes.
Avoid harsh acceleration. One of the ways that engines lose efficiency is through friction, the higher the engine speed, the greater the friction and inefficiency. With this in mind you should change up through the gears as soon as possible to maintain low engine speeds and maximum efficiency. In petrol cars this means changing up at around 2500 rpm, with diesel engines at about 2000 rpm.
After shifting up through the gears a steady cruising speed will help reduce fuel use. This brings us back to reading the road … If you are not in a hurry a speed of 55mph will offer a god compromise between ‘getting there' and saving fuel, but whatever speed you drive your fuel consumption will benefit from less speed fluctuation*.
*During ADI Part-Two you will be assessed on your eco-driving ability, but will also need to demonstrate your ability to 'make progress' - driving at 55mph on an open clear road where it is perfectly safe to go faster is likely to be marked against you.
Common-sense
Often, basic common-sense can improve fuel efficiency; with this in mind, when did you last look in the boot? The reason that we ask this question is because we meet lots of drivers who carry all sorts of old junk around for no reason.
It's not only the load inside the car that can increase your fuel consumption. The drag caused by loads on a roof rack can add considerably to your fuel bill (at least 20%)… When possible leave the kids at home and pack all your stuff into the car – the journey will be cheaper and much quieter!
Tyres: If you are now in the habit of weekly checks you will know the recommended tyre pressures are for your car. If you are not in the habit there is a chance that you are wasting fuel - carry this forward into your new career and your fuel bill will be considerably higher than it needs to be. Under-inflated tyres use more fuel and compromise your safety. Many manufacturers recommend different pressures for driving an empty car as opposed to a car which is fully loaded. Get out your car handbook and do a bit more reading.
Perhaps the most noticeable fuel eater in many cars is the ‘air-con'; you can hear the engine idling speed raise when you switch it on. So if you are really serious about doing your bit to prevent global warming, indulge in a bit of personal warming!
Maybe switching off the air-con may be going a bit too far, especially if the result is that you or your future customers are uncomfortable. Being comfortable behind the wheel can make a big difference to your fuel consumption. If you are uncomfortable you will develop unnecessary tension and fatigue, this in turn will affect concentration and smooth operation of the controls, thus increasing fuel consumption and accident risk.
To sum up: Get into the habit of eco-driving on every drive you do from now on.
