Environment Matters Podcast

Topic: Do gas mileage gadgets really work?
Date: July 25, 2008
Time: 5:36
Size: 5,260k

(car noises, horns honking etc.)

Joan Schafer With gas prices sky high this summer, drivers are looking for
anything that will help them get more miles to the gallon.

(opening music)

Hi, I’m Joan Schafer of the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency’s Mid-Atlantic region, and welcome to Environment

Matters…our new series of podcasts.

There are a lot of gadgets on the market today that promise better

fuel economy. But are they worth the money? Will they do what

the ads promise? What can we really do to improve fuel economy

and stretch our gasoline dollars?

                                    EPA’s Brian Rehn says drivers should approach such
                                    fuel-saving devices and fuel additives with caution.

Brian Rehn: Drivers want to find a device that will, at a low cost, help them

to reduce their gasoline usage especially with the steep increase in

the price of gas and the greater reliance on foreign imports to

support our growing oil dependence. There are quite a few

products being sold now…fuel line magnets, chemical additives,

ionizers, inline flow fans, air disturbers. There are such things as

additives that you can dump in the tank that supposedly will stretch

your mileage, and some even claim to be able to run the car on

water. But the truth of the matter is, EPA has tested over a

hundred of such devices and in general they don't meet the

manufacturer’s claims of improved fuel economy. In general, if it

sounds too good to be true, it probably is. EPA maintains a list of

such devices here on our website at www.epa.gov.

Joan Schafer:               Some of these devices are very inexpensive but there are others

                                    that have to be installed by an auto mechanic – which could cost

several hundreds of dollars.

                                    Brian, what steps can drivers take to really improve their gas
                                    mileage?

Brian Rehn: The best advice I can give is…drive efficiently. Speeding and

aggressive acceleration, running up on traffic lights, hard use of the

brakes, these all can lower gas mileage by up to a third. I suggest

that you drive as though there’s an egg under the accelerator and

you don’t want to break it. Use your brakes judiciously, gently

slowing down well before you expect the need to stop. Another

obvious tip is simply slow down. Gas mileage decreases rapidly at

speeds above 60 miles an hour. In fact, you can assume that for

every five miles an hour you drive over 60 you're paying 30

cents a gallon extra for your gas. Also, try traveling lightly. Take

anything out that’s weighing it down. An extra 100 pounds of

weight could reduce your mileage by upwards of two percent.

Also, if your car has a roof-mounted rack or box take it off when

you're not using it. It's a drag-on fuel economy. Finally, avoid

extended periods of idling. If you're parked waiting for someone

for more than a minute, in general, it pays to shut off the vehicle.

Also, cars today don't need to warm up their engine and the

climate-control systems in a modern car can heat or cool it fairly

quickly after start up.

Joan Schafer: Would it help my gas mileage if I took my car in for a tune-up?

Brian Rehn: Absolutely. Keeping your car well-maintained is always a good

idea. Replacing a clogged air filter alone can help the car breathe

and increase your fuel economy by upwards of 10 percent. A full

tune up is even better. Change the oil according to the schedule in

the car's owner manual and be sure to use the correct oil viscosity

and grade per the owner's manual. Look for a label in the oil that

says energy-conserving. That means that the oil contains friction-

reducing additives to improve fuel economy. Finally, don't forget

to check the air pressure in your tires. It might seem like a small

thing but low tire pressure means tires wear faster and adds drag on

the car. Finally, buy the minimum octane grade of gasoline that

meets the level stated in the owner's manual. Higher octane is

wasted on a car that doesn't need it. It's like flushing dollars down

the drain.

Joan Schafer: With the gas prices we're seeing today, a lot of people are out

looking to purchase a new car. Is there any advice you can give

these folks?

Brian Rehn: Yes. Fuel economy has become a priority for today's shoppers

when it hasn't been in the past. If you only haul a few things,

infrequently, consider buying a smaller car instead of a truck and

renting a truck on those odd occasions when you need one. The

difference between a car that gets 30 miles per gallon versus one

that gets 20 miles per gallon adds up to a savings of upwards of

$1,000 a year.

Joan Schafer: You've given us some great ideas on making the best use of our car

and gasoline. Do you have any suggestions, however, on getting

us out of a car altogether?

Brian Rehn: The most important one would be to consider using mass transit if

it's available in your area. If telecommuniting or compressed work

weeks are an option at your workplace, talk to your employer about

taking advantage of them. This eliminates your commute entirely

on one or more days of the week. Also, if you have a long

commute look into carpooling as an option. You can search the

internet for carpool message boards if you're having trouble

finding someone going where you're going. In addition to saving

gas, these measures not only help the environment but reduce wear

and tear and depreciation on your car. They can even lower your

insurance rate and as an added benefit reduce your stress levels

                                    from driving in traffic. And one last thing, it also helps the

                                    environment.

Joan Schafer: Since we're talking about high gas prices, let me remind you that EPA

advises…don’t top off your gas tank. The gas nozzle

automatically clicks off when your gas tank is full. Any additional

gas you try to pump into your tank may never make it into the

tank, even though you’ve paid for it. If you'd like more

information on this topic, please refer to the joint EPA and

Department of Energy website - fueleconomy.gov (gov) or visit the

Green Vehicle Guide on EPA's website - epa.gov.

Thanks for joining us on Environment Matters, our news series of
podcasts.

(car noises, horns honking etc.)

(closing music)

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