Reduce fuel consumption, vehicle wear, and pollution? It's possible for everyone by applying some simple eco-driving tips every day. It's a driving style that requires attention, practice, and responsibility, but the benefits are guaranteed. One of the tips that is probably least followed, but truly useful, is: turn off the engine. What does that mean? Let's see.
Turning off the engine is convenient. A traffic jam at a traffic light, a queue, a stop to answer a phone call or drop off a passenger: if the stop lasts more than 10 seconds, it's advisable to turn off the engine and restart it only when you're ready to go again. Keeping the engine running unnecessarily consumes fuel and produces about 10 liters of exhaust gas per second.
Some figures to clarify our ideas.
In the city, let's say there's a 50-second stop for every km driven. If we turn off the engine at every stop, after 200,000 km and 200,000 stops, we'll need to replace the starter motor, at a cost ranging from €200 to €600 (depending on the type of vehicle we own). "See? Then it's not worth it!" Wait a minute: let's look at the numbers if we leave the engine on all the time. Total fuel consumption during the 200,000 stops: 4,000 liters (0.02 liters per stop); at an average cost of €1.4 per liter, this means a total of €5,600, burned uselessly while standing still.
According to a common belief, frequently turning the engine off and on can damage it, but is that true? No, turning it off does not cause damage! It's no coincidence that many recent vehicles are equipped with a Start and Stop system that automatically turns off the engine when stopped, evaluating various parameters. The system activates when the driver stops the vehicle and puts it in neutral. When the clutch is pressed or the foot is lifted from the brake, the system "understands" that it's time to restart the engine and acts accordingly. With this system, an average fuel saving of 4/6% can be achieved, and up to 10%. A study by the Polytechnic University of Madrid found a CO2 reduction of around 20% on a journey at an average speed of 15.5 km/h, under conditions similar to those of an urban journey characterized by heavy traffic.
It must be said: with Start and Stop, it's not possible to use a standard battery; instead, the car needs to be equipped with a battery with more powerful accumulators, capable of withstanding the numerous starts required by the system. In fact, while for "normal" cars a battery designed for an average cycle of 30,000 starts is sufficient, for those with Start and Stop, this figure multiplies to 300,000 starts. And the battery is more expensive.
Other eco-driving tips can be found here, here and here on the website and in our manual Sicuri al volante, available in paperback on Amazon and in eBook and paperback on Lulu.
