In less than a minute, you’ll be done filling up your regular variant of a Ford F series pick-up truck if the station uses a 20 GPM fuel pump.. Filling it up with gas is a breeze. But so is burning it. With the volatility in oil prices, there’s always a chance that you’ll be paying more dollars per gallon from one day to the next.
Your truck is a necessity for your business. Without it, you won’t be bringing in the required income to feed your family and send your kids to school. But you also recognize the need to conserve energy and reduce the negative impact of carbon emissions on the environment. Saving gas consumption is one way that you feel you can contribute to helping save the environment.
America’s Gasoline Consumption
The last time gasoline was priced at below $1.85 per gallon was during the first quarter of 2016. The price slowly went up during the next three years, breaking the $3 per gallon barrier by May 2018. By the end of 2019, the price was around $2.66 per gallon.
The national average as of January 2020 is at $2.52 per gallon. In 2015, Americans used more than 384 million gallons of gas per day. At $2.13 per gallon, that’s nearly $818 million per day. Most Americans (80%) agree that gasoline consumption of cars should be made at least 60% more efficient.
Saving on Gas
“Gas up in the morning when it’s cooler.” The premise is that with heat, gasoline expands, thereby creating more volume, but it still packs the same energy compared to when it is colder and denser. So, more volume plus the same power equals more expensive. Thus, experts are quick to point out that gasoline is stored several feet underground where the temperature is controlled. By the time gasoline reaches the nozzle, the temperature would have changed very little. Double-check your facts. Here are a few more things to consider to save energy.
- Don’t go premium. Conventional vehicles don’t require premium gasoline, no matter what the advertisements say. Putting premium gasoline in your tank, if your car is not designed for premium gasoline, will not impact the performance or fuel efficiency of your vehicle. It will just cost you more money.
- Seal it tight. Make sure that you tightly close the cap of your gas tank. Heat and the slightest air space allow gas to evaporate. The estimate is that around 147 million gallons of gasoline are lost due to evaporation because of faulty gas caps.
- Remember driving school. Slowly accelerate and slowly decelerate. This is what they teach in driving schools because this is more energy-efficient and less costly. Slam that accelerator, and you’re bound to consume more power and gasoline.
- Plan your trip. Maximize the use of apps, like Waze, in planning your trip. Determine which one will be the most energy-efficient. If you have several stops, find a route that doesn’t make you double back to get from one destination to the next.
- Tire pressure level. Check this at least once a month. Your gas consumption can increase from 2% to 3% if your tires are underinflated.
Turn off the air conditioning. Replace air filters regularly. And most importantly, have your engine checked based on the necessary mileage. These won’t shave several hundreds of thousands of dollars from your expenses, but doing these things has a significant impact on the environment.
