2024-08-17 11:06:31
Between the traditional “cross” of holidays and the weekend of August 15, traffic is very dense on Saturdays and Sundays on the roads. Bison futé classifies the entire region as red in the direction of returns, and even black for the northwest quarter this Saturday morning. For drivers, there is the risk of finding themselves stuck on the roads, and finding that their fuel tank is a little empty without taking miles.
Although the price of diesel is certainly at the lowest price in a year, any savings are good to take on the road, and some tips make it easy to limit your fuel consumption in traffic jams.
The power that is being raced away
A car slowed down by traffic can use almost 16 liters of fuel per 100 km, almost twice its normal consumption, “for an average car”, according to one direction of the Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe), which estimates that “in terms of energy consumption and pollution, traffic jams are the most punishing situation”.
According to Website Via Michelinacceleration and braking due to traffic jams lead to a power consumption of around 90% on highways and 175% in urban areas. In 2013, a study carried out by the research company CEBR and the US traffic information company Inrix determined that train crashes caused 568 million euros in wasted fuel.
Stop the machine when it stops
To avoid draining your tank too quickly, Ademe recommends stopping your engine at each long stop. “Stopping and then restarting the car actually uses less fuel than letting the engine run for more than 20 seconds,” he explains. on your website. It even prompts you to turn off the light after 10 minutes of inactivity.
A hot engine takes less energy to restart than when starting a cold engine, explains Via Michelin. The Start & Stop option offered by some cars, which automatically shuts off the engine when idle, can also be a great help for frequent stops.
Restart smoothly and expect braking
When the traffic jam is thin and you can travel a few meters, the site also advises taking time to restart by gently pressing the accelerator, to avoid futiles. If you can drive for more than five meters, you must change the second gear “around 2,000 rpm”, which “benefits from a lower engine speed which will be less power”, he added.
And to anticipate the next reduction, it is advisable to rely on engine braking. “Injection systems (on all devices since the late 1990s) make it possible to eat anything during the downtime, when the accelerator is released,” explains the UFC Que Choisir user group. on your website. This “free retarder” allows you to use fewer brakes, thus saving on maintenance costs.
To drive as smoothly as possible, we also ask drivers to avoid the vehicle in front. Safety insurance, which also allows you to control your own speed well, without relying on the differences in the previous car.
Do not overload the power supply
To limit expenses as much as possible, it is also recommended to avoid anything that can put more stress on the battery, for example by avoiding air conditioning, which can increase fuel consumption by 1 to 7 %, according to Ademe, according to which. This eco-friendly drive also allows to reduce your CO2 emissions by 15% over 100 km.
“To gain 8 ° C in the passenger compartment, the power will increase around 15% for a petrol engine and around 20% for a diesel”, the figures “observed on the road” and which “may even double in city”, according to UFC Que Choisir. In the event of extreme heat, the group also called for limiting the temperature difference between the outside and the inside of the passenger compartment to 4 to 5 ° C, otherwise the abuse will increase further.
Also avoid plugging into a phone charger, GPS or using USB ports, which also consume more energy.
Other accessories, maintenance… Travel advice still applies
In general, classic travel-driving basics can also help you avoid seeing the tank run out. For example, drivers are asked not to increase engine speed, which saves up to 20% of fuel. But also to remove external parts as soon as they are no longer needed, such as a roof box, luggage box or even a bike rack. By counteracting the aerodynamic resistance, they can represent an additional power of 10 to 15%.
Vehicle maintenance is also important: you must have the tire pressure checked before hitting the road, but also choose low power tires, thus saving up to 5% on fuel.
More broadly, regular checks are necessary to limit its further use. “A clogged air filter can, for example, cause an excess fuel consumption of 3%,” explains Ademe for example. Overall, a car that is not maintained can cause an increase in power of up to 25%, according to UFC Que Choisir.
Finally, the option of parking is also highly recommended to limit both expenses and CO2 emissions, while reducing the number of cars on the roads, an important solution in times of traffic congestion.
In addition to fuel consumption, many driver’s reflexes are important during highways: do not get out of the vehicle at the risk of not being ready to restart if traffic resumes, or do not drive on the emergency lane, which is reserved for law enforcement, firefighters and repairers, rescuers Vinci Autoroutes website. A particularly dangerous practice, which is punished by a fixed fine of 135 euros and the removal of three license points.
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