Holiday Travelers Can Cut Gasoline Costs With Tips From Alliance to Save Energy’s Drive $marter Challenge

WASHINGTON, July 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — U.S. consumers planning a
“staycation” at home instead of a vacation away during the upcoming Fourth
of July weekend may reconsider when they learn how to be more fuel
efficient by taking the Drive $marter Challenge at
http://www.drivesmarterchallenge.org.

Today’s rising gasoline costs have caused U.S. drivers to reduce their
“vehicle miles traveled” by 2 percent so far this year compared to a year
ago - the steepest decline since such record-keeping began in 1942,
according to the Federal Highway Administration. But while drivers cannot
control gas prices, they can take simple steps to increase their fuel
efficiency and reduce their gasoline costs.

The Drive $marter Challenge campaign by the Alliance to Save Energy,
The Wal-Mart Foundation, and 16 other diverse public- and private-sector
partners features a timely and unique interactive website to help drivers
lower gasoline use and costs through more fuel-efficient driving and proper
vehicle maintenance.

In addition to offering nearly two dozen money-saving gas tips, the
website features extensive resources that cover such questions as: Where
can I rent a hybrid or fuel-efficient vehicle? What public transportation
options are available at my vacation destination? Where can I find cheap
gas along my vacation route?

So whether you are headed to the big city or the great outdoors this
holiday weekend - or sticking close to home - how you drive and how you
maintain your vehicle can significantly affect its fuel efficiency and your
gas costs.

With a little planning and basic maintenance steps, you can start
saving money on gas even before you hit the road:

Planning Your Vacation

— Choose the Right Vehicle. If you own more than one vehicle, drive the
one that gets better gas mileage whenever possible. If you drive 12,500
miles a year, switching 10 percent of your trips from driving a car that
gets 20 mpg to one that gets 30 mpg will save you almost $80 per year.
— Request the Right Rental. Request a vehicle that gets better fuel
economy, and remember to fill up the tank before returning the car to
the rental company, which charges much higher gas prices - and perhaps
even an extra gas surcharge.
— Are we there yet? Getting lost while driving in unfamiliar areas could
lead to an expensive waste of gas. Resources on the Drive $marter
Challenge website can help your family print a customized vacation map
that highlights low-cost gas stations along your route.
— Rise and Shine! Although it may not be possible for your family to
drive during off-peak hours, it could save on gas costs and stress by
avoiding stop-and-go or bumper-to-bumper traffic conditions.
— Consider other transportation options. Investigate alternative ways to
get to your vacation destination such as buses or trains. And look into
public transit, biking, walking, and car sharing at your destination.
Check the American Public Transportation Association’s website for
local information (http://www.apta.com/links/state_local/).
— Motorcycling. Motorcycles average 56 mpg - and motor scooters do even
better. For one person or even two, motorcycles or scooters clearly use
far less energy than a car with one or two people. But if four people
need to go somewhere, they are better off in a vehicle that gets 30 mpg
than on two motorcycles that each gets 56 mpg.
Before You Leave: Maintenance Tips

— Inflate Your Tires. Keeping your tires properly inflated is simple and
improves gas mileage by around 3 percent, saving up to 20 gallons of
gasoline, or about $75.
— Check and replace air filters regularly. Replacing a clogged or dirty
air filter can improve your car’s gas mileage, and a clean filter
keeps impurities from damaging the inside of your engine.
— Select the Right Oil. Using the manufacturer’s recommended grade
of motor oil, including re-refined motor oil, improves gas mileage by 1
to 2 percent, resulting in annual savings of up to $45. Motor oil that
says “Energy Conserving” on the API performance symbol
contains friction-reducing additives. Also, change your oil as
recommended to extend the life of your vehicle; and remember to recycle
the used oil which can be re-refined, saving even more energy.
While on the Road: Driving Tips

— Decrease Your Speed. Speeding costs! Gas mileage usually decreases
rapidly above 60 mph. Each five miles per hour over 60 mph is like
paying an additional 20 cents per gallon for gas.
— Use Cruise Control. Cruise control cuts fuel consumption by maintaining
a steady speed during highway driving.
— It’s a “drag.” Avoid carrying items on your
vehicle’s roof. A loaded roof rack or carrier increases weight and
aerodynamic drag, which can cut mileage by 5 percent. Place items inside
the trunk whenever possible to improve your fuel economy.
— Ditch “junk in the trunk.” An extra 100 pounds in the trunk
cuts a typical vehicle’s fuel economy by up to 2 percent. By
removing that extra weight, you can save up to 12 gallons of gasoline
per year - about $45.
— Turn Down the Air. Operating the air conditioner on “Max” can
reduce mpg by 5-25 percent compared to not using it. Hidden List
— Avoid idling, which gets 0 mpg. Cars with larger engines typically waste
even more gas while idling than cars with smaller engines.
(Tips are calculated as annual savings, driving the national average of
12,500 miles per year in a vehicle with a fuel economy of 20.1 mpg using
regular grade gasoline at $3.78 per gallon — the projected 2008 annual
average by the Energy Information Administration’s June Short Term Energy
Outlook.)

“Taking the Drive $marter Challenge” means pledging to take up to six
smart driving and/or vehicle maintenance actions that will produce
measurable reductions in gas, money, and CO2 emissions. The website
demonstrates that taking small steps can add up to big savings by adding
each individual visitor’s savings to a running tally of savings by everyone
who has “taken the Challenge” at http://www.drivesmarterchallenge.org.

The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business,
government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient
and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment,
the economy, and national security.

http://www.ase.org/
http://www.drivesmarterchallenge.org