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Ways to save fuel in your vehicle

The price of fuel is on the rise. The rates of petrol and diesel fluctuate daily. As a result, one can easily assume that fuel is an expensive quantity. Most of the cars these days run on petrol and diesel. As these oily products are expensive, and produce pollution on combustion, slowly, Indian car drivers are shifting to CNG. CNG or Compressed Natural Gas is very cheap, and gives good mileage. CNG usually costs Rs. 1/KM. As CNG cars give good mileage, CNG cars are now making a big entry into the Indian Market.
The high cost of petrol and diesel means one can’t always keep their car fuel tank full. Petrol costs in excess of Rs. 70+ while diesel also costs Rs. 50+. So cab drivers need to make sure that they don’t waste their fuel unnecessarily. Here we look at few ways that can help a driver in fuel management.

1. Don’t use the AC in excess.

Running the car’s AC uses a lot of the fuel. Whether the car is Petrol and diesel, fuel is converted to energy to yield the cooling effect. So, try to use the minimal use of Air Conditioning. Try to use the AC in a lower level. Using the AC at high power would use a greater amount a fuel. Keep the door closed. This will keep the cooling effect of AC intact inside the car. Also, stick black shades on windows. This will stop the heat from coming inside and will not heat the car.

2. Drive at a slow speed.

Driving a car at an optimum speed reduces fuel usage. Driving the car inside the limits 40Km/Hr-60 Km/Hr would save a lot of fuel. The cars use less fuel when driven at this speed. Also, driving at this speed is better as the chances of accidents are quite less.

3. Switch off the engine at red lights.

If there is a red light and the driver is waiting for it to turn green, then switching the engine off would save fuel. This would also shut down the AC, which would further reduce the usage of fuel.

4. Avoid idling of the car.

Idling the engine when the car is stationary uses a lot of fuel. As the car is not moving, unnecessarily burdening the engine will use more fuel. So do not rev the engine while the car is stationary.

5. Maintain proper tyre pressure.

In order for your vehicle to run smoothly with effeciency you need to make sure to maintain the tyre pressure always. One underinflated tire can cut fuel economy by upto 2 percent . One out of four drivers, on average, drive vehicles with one or more underinflated tires. When a tire is underinflated by 4-5 psi below the manufacturer’s recommended tire pressure, for example, vehicle fuel consumption increases by 10 percent and, over the long haul, causes a 15-percent reduction in tire tread life. Check the vehicle’s doorpost sticker for minimum tire inflation pressure.

6. Dont overload the vehicle.

Overloading the vehicle can cause disastrous effects on the vehicle. Overloading vehicles significantly increases fuel consumption. Tyres are more prone to wear, steering becomes more difficult to control and vehicles take longer to react to braking. This can dramatically affect vehicle handling, increase daily wear and tear and increase the likelihood of a costly – and potentially fatal – accident.

7. Check the wheel alignment.

Always ensure that the wheels are properly aligned as they hamper in the braking as well thereby increassing the rolling resistance of the car, meaning more fuel consumption.

8. Keep the car serviced.

A serviced car will not use a lot of fuel. As cars get older, their owners reduce the car’s service. Owners then service the car after 6-8 months. This is usually a bad practice which doesn’t allow fuel management thereby resulting in the vehicles using excess fuel for working. As part of caring for your car, you should:

  • Keep the engine correctly tuned
  • Keep filters in good condition
  • Keep the fuel and ignition systems in good working order
  • Regularly change the engine oil using the correct grade of oil as recommended by the manufacturer.

9. Keep track of your fuel and vehicle spends

Monitoring your fuel and vehicle related spends can save you a lot of money. By keeping a track of where your money is going in your vehicle you will have a fair idea about the mileage and the volume of fuel consumption on a weekly/monthly basis thereby putting you at an advantage. Also if you are a fleet owner, it becomes a crucial part of your business as most of your money will be spend in fuel or service itself. Bonfleet provides an effective and efficient way of managing and tracking your vehicles related expenses with the Bon Petro card that is coupled with an app which lets you go cashless and effectively save money. With Bonfleet, all you have to do is give a Bon Petro Card to your driver and control everything from swipes to load/unloads from the app itself with consolidated monthly expenditure reports at your fingertips.

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