LDrivers Blog

Archive for the ‘Eco Driving’ Category

This Video clip will demonstrate how to corrctly and smoothly change gear in your car. It demonstartes block changing which saves time and fuel, and the cupping or palming methods of changing gear. Look at the video closely and see how the drivers hand is positioned each time he changes gear. Click on the video clip below once to view it.

Safe Driving,
LDrivers.ie

From Garmin, TomTom to Smart Nav, satellite navigation systems offer a destination address with the quickest route possible saving you time and headache from route planning. They are becoming an essential part of today’s society especially when in business and for those living in densely populated areas.

With the most up to date technology downloaded to your sat nav you can save hours on your journey, in particular avoiding road works or indeed crashes. Even when you take a wrong turn the system will automatically re-direct you to your destination.

Essentially they are not just popular now for route planning but will save you fuel, in turn reducing your carbon footprint.

Safe driving,

LDrivers.ie

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Emergency Brake Assist (EBA)

EBA works in conjunction with ABS (Anti lock braking system) and is designed to improve your braking in an emergency stop situation. The system helps to reduce stopping distances, by applying maximum brake force as soon as it detects ‘panic braking’.  This is part of the intelligent protection system available for most modern cars.

Safe Driving,

LDrivers.ie

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The Honda FCX Clarity was named World Green Car at a press conference hosted by the New York International Auto Show at the Jacob Javits Center in New York on April 9, 2009. The FCX Clarity rose above 22 contenders nominated by 59 World Car jurors from 25 countries. This prestigious award honors the Honda FCX Clarity and recognizes Honda’s commitment to environmental leadership in the area of alternative-fuel vehicles. Additionally, it affirms hydrogen fuel cell technology as a contributing factor in achieving our global environmental goals.

Safe Driving,

LDrivers.ie

Electric cars use alternative energy source to power the car. An electric drive vehicle needs electricity, which comes from sources such as batteries or a generator. This flexibility allows the drive train of the vehicle to remain the same, while the fuel source can be changed. The electricity used to propel the vehicle may be provided in several ways, some of them more ecological than others. Examples would be a rechargeable electric  storage system like batteries or capacitors or more economical methods like solar power or the new fuel cell being developed by Honda in the Clarity FCX hydrogen fuel car.

Electric vehicles have several advantages over a regular petrol/ diesel engines.

• They are more energy efficient and use up to 85% of the energy stored in the batteries where as regular engine only uses approximately 20%of the energy stored in the petrol/ diesel tank.
• Electric vehicles emit no C02 through the exhaust although the battery generator may emit some.
• Electricity is a domestic power source which means it is readily available and easy to come by.
• Electric vehicles require less maintenance are much quieter and are smoother to operate than a regular petrol/diesel engine.

The disadvantage of Electric vehicles are.

• In cold weather to heat the car a considerable amount of energy is required from the battery to heat the interior of the vehicle. With a regular petrol/diesel engine this comes from the waste heat in the engine coolant system. To counter this effect newer electric vehicles are being designed with extra insulation so the body heat of the passengers can help to heat the cabin.
• Electric vehicles have a limited range generally an electric vehicle will travel only up to 100-120klms with good quality batteries where as a regular petrol diesel engine can travel up to 600klms on a full tank of fuel.
• Electric vehicles also have long recharge times some up to 8 hours for a full charge, and you would have to charge your vehicle at home as there are very few recharging stations available.  

Good luck,

LDrivers.ie

TIP: After re-fuelling a vehicle be sure to replace the fuel cap tightly as vapour and fumes can escape from a loose fuel cap and this can reduce the mileage achieved by your engine.

TIP: Automatic cars use approximately 10% more fuel than a manual vehicle.

TIP: Using synthetic oils rather than mineral oils can help you save fuel.

LDrivers.ie

A catalytic converter can remove up to 75% of the harmful emissions produced by a normal petrol engine. The converter only deals with toxic and polluting gases, carbon dioxide is still produced. If you accelerate over 3000 RPMS the catalytic converter is not as efficient and some of the toxic gases can be released.

A diesel engine is more fuel efficient than a petrol engine and emits less carbon monoxide but they do unfortunately emit nitrogen oxide and these are bad for the environment.

Sulphur is the main cause of these  gases, and so low sulphur content fuels are now readily available at garages.

LDrivers.ie

The Honda FCX Clarity is the first hydrogen in the world to go into full production. Currently in California they are testing the vehicle and in tests it can travel an estimated 270 miles on a full tank. It can travel speeds of up to 160 kmph and can achieve up to 110 km per gallon. The car is proving popular and BMW and General Motors are testing their own hydrogen vehicles at the moment – so watch this space!

LDrivers.ie
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Hydrogen fuel is currently generated from natural gas as this is the cheapest method of manufacture. Hydrogen fuel if designated, the correct resources and could be the fuel of the future. Hydrogen fuel is still in its infancy but with time and the current problems being solved through continuous research and development will make hydrogen a more viable option and a more carbon neutral alternative to the current fossil fuels being used as ultimately these fuels will be exhausted and as hydrogen is an infinite fuel it will never run out. It could ultimately be a fuel for everyone in the future.

LDrivers.ie
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Hydrogen fuel is the first zero emissions fuel which is now available, purely as a protype at the moment. The reason for this is that it is infinitely renewable. The only emission produced from hydrogen fuel is water. A hydrogen car has a fuel cell and a hydrogen storage tank similar in size to the normal petrol/diesel tank. The fuel cells operate like a battery. The hydrogen is mixed with oxygen to produce electric power. Many experts believe hydrogen will replace petrol/diesel and gas for cars over the next few decades. The reason there is such a delay in the hydrogen car being produced is mainly due to the problem of storing the hydrogen. The hydrogen car requires more storage to produce the same mileage as a conventional petrol/diesel car.

As hydrogen is a gas that is not freely available on its own, it has to be separated from other elements. Currently hydrogen is steamed from natural gas. The fuel cell which produces the electric power has taken a long time to make it commercially viable. Until recently a hydrogen car cost up to twenty times more than a conventional petrol car and there is also a lack of infrastructure to support the production, maintenance and refuelling of the vehicle. Hydrogen burns very intensely and concerns for safety have been expressed. Storage solutions for hydrogen are still in the development stages and in theory the current hydrogen storage systems could explode. Hydrogen is the smallest molecule in the universe and can escape through the tiniest fractures causing metal to become brittle and crack.

LDrivers.ie
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