Lightening the Load

Sonja here, with another weekly post!

Here at the Compass we've been talking a lot about cars and fuel economy this week, so I thought I would continue with the theme. But while so much of the talk about greening our transportation centers on hybrids, electrics, and hydrogen fuel, vehicles can be made more fuel efficient simply by lowering their weight. It seems that American cars, like many Americans, could stand to lose a few pounds.

Green Energy News explains that “for every 10-percent in weight reduction there’s an 8-percent increase in fuel economy.” From a physics perspective this makes a lot of sense: the greater the mass of the vehicle, the more energy is needed to accelerate and decelerate. Therefore a heavier car will be less fuel efficient and have a lower MPG rating. This is one of the most obvious reasons why the tiny cars so popular in Europe are far more fuel efficient than your average SUV.

To their credit, auto manufacturers have been slimming down cars and trucks over time. Parts that were once crafted from heavier steel have been steadily replaced by plastic and aluminum parts. But despite the effort to lighten the load at the component level, manufacturers are still fashioning steel bodies for the vast majority of vehicles.

The hesitation to move away from steel frames stems from a difficulty in determining which material would best serve as the replacement. As Green Energy News notes, the replacement materials needs to be all of the following: rapidly made, easily attachable, structurally sound, low-cost, recyclable, and of course possess a low carbon footprint. Aluminum fits many of these criteria but has a high carbon foot print. Carbon fiber is extremely light weight, but also requires large amounts energy for production.

Even with the uncertainty among auto makers in finding the next big material, citizens can still choose smaller cars and do some personal slimming down. One of the easiest means of lightening your car's load is by removing excess weight from your backseat and trunk (no pun intended!) By taking out that extra tennis racket or the odd bag of cat food that usually rides with you, you can easily improve your gas mileage. The United States Department of Energy even lists "removing excess weight" from your vehicle as one of its top tips for improving gas mileage and driving more efficiently.

But many Americans could also lose a little weight in order to increase their vehicle’s efficiency. USA Today reported last year that “some motorists may be too big for their cars” according to government-mandated warning labels aimed at tire safety. According to the story, many American passenger and driver combinations exceed the maximum weight that it is safe for a vehicle to carry. This points to a troubling growth in average weight among Americans which directly impacts fuel efficiency.

At the end of the day, car manufacturers should be looking into steel alternatives, but in the mean time we can all be trimming the fat and not using our trunks for storage in order to save at the pump.

Comments

[oilfield equipment]

these are some great tips