In our previous article, we discussed what an eco friendly car is. As promised, the rest of this article series will focus on the role that electric and hybrid cars play in our modern society, and how you can actually make your car more eco friendly without switching to a new model, yet.
It would be hard for anybody to deny that the price of petrol has risen pretty exponentially since its development. With the size of cars physically increasing, and with longer distances being covered, thanks in part to a better road network, it’s easy to fill a average family car with nearly £100 worth of fuel in just one or two weekly fills. If you are driving your car lots every day, for instance on a long work commute, then that can really eat up your wallet. This is an obvious arguement why electric cars are a much friendlier alternative for both your wallet and the environment.
There are pros and cons to owning any vehicle, including even an electric car. Unfortunately there are not so many charging stations dotted around the UK as there are petrol stations, although our previous article covered how you cannot really directly compare the two. However they are so much better for our environment, with experts suggesting that more than 40% of cars will be running on electric energy by 2035 which would ultimately save 1.5 million barrels of oil every day! One cannot disagree that this is definitely a step in the right direction, for the environment at least, but what is the environmental cost of producing the electricity at source one may ask?
However, upgrading your family car can be expensive and not everyone can afford to change up their car for the sake of the environment. There are a few ways to be a lot more of an environmentally friendly car user with the same petrol-guzzling car that you use. Firstly, avoid un-necessary revving of your car in traffic. Turn the car off when waiting for the kids at the school gates (many schools now insist on this anyway). And, don’t race, and brake suddenly, between speed bumps!
Also, ensure that your spark plugs are regularly changed. In fact, ensure your car is regulary serviced. If your vehicle has cruise control, use it when able to safely do so, so that your speed doesn’t fluctuate and you don’t have to accelerate as frequently, or dramatically, ultimately saving fuel. Furthermore, keep your tyres fully inflated and don’t add too much weight to the vehicle if you can help it; maybe this is the chance you need to de-clutter your boot or backseats!