Car Mileage Thoughts For Preppers
Do not be short-sighted about the importance of Car Mileage, thinking beforehand before, after, or during a crippling crisis that deprives you of the energy needed to run your vehicle. How valuable would that energy be after the gas stations are shut down due to lack of electricity or supply?
With some common sense fuel-saving techniques and new vehicle technology available today, you may find yourself on the move while your neighbors are stuck in their driveways. And you will help the environment with your new awareness.
With no sign of our reliance on or need for the car as a transportation choice waning, the race is on to find new technology to replace the polluting gas-driven vehicles in cities worldwide.
Let me start with alternative automobile power solutions for obtaining car mileage efficiency.
Greenest Vehicles For Car Mileage Gains
The current working alternatives are bio-diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), ethanol, electric power, hydrogen, and hybrid combinations of two or more of these fuels.
The problem with most of these is that they have environmental impacts that aren’t always apparent at first sight.
CNG is rapidly becoming exhausted and has the associated pollution problems of carbon-based fuels.
Bio-diesel and ethanol are cleaner-burning options, and the technology has been tried and tested for decades to the point where it is efficient and increasingly available.
The downside is that the investment in corn production, to produce ethanol in particular, has caused farmers to switch focus from growing food to growing fuel in many cases.
Ethanol production may also have played a part in price spikes for corn in the early 2010s, and there were concerns about situations such as farms in Mexico replacing blue agave with maize.
In addition, large-scale plants in Europe using soybeans to produce bio-diesel have taken products from third-world food supplies and created a demand for more and more deforestation in such countries.
This is hardly the green result we should aim for to help the future!
Green Power via Electric Vehicles
This technology has been around for decades, and rapid improvements in battery systems make this increasingly more viable for short-trip travel needs.
However, this is only a green choice if non-polluting and renewable energy plants generate electricity.
These batteries are a potential hazard to the environment when they are disposed of, and they require large amounts of energy in production.
Progress in chemical battery design using lithium-ion technology has already been developed to the stage where these cars are available but cheaply.
Luckily, the prices have begun falling, and this may become an affordable option in time.
The environmental benefit is that the latest batteries have no heavy metals or toxic environmental impact. Certainly a much better option than burning gallons of fossil fuels!
As a side issue to the above, research into super-capacitors (devices capable of storing energy like batteries but without the short life of a battery) may produce breakthroughs in vehicle power as a large amount of research continues in this field.
Hydrogen For Better Car Mileage
Hydrogen has the best outlook as a green energy alternative, as the only byproduct is water!
There are problems, though, as to get hydrogen, you need lots of energy extracted from water in the process of electrolysis.
As a new technology, this will also benefit from the underway research, and distribution is improving. However, fuel cells are still hard to find in many parts of the country.
So, after considering all the alternatives, no clear winner emerges except perhaps for hybrid cars using a combination of electrical and bio-diesel from renewable energy sources, seeing as they are widely available.
These are certainly less polluting than any of the fossil fuel vehicles.
Environmentally Friendly Energy For The Car
More promising fuel alternatives are on the horizon. New developments in plant research show that quick-growing grasses may be a better source of bio-diesel, and as new batteries are created, the problems with disposal and toxins may be solved.
The greenest alternatives are a little harder to imagine adopting full-time.
Walking, public transport, and even carpooling continue to be the easiest and best alternatives to driving a car.
If you’d like to do your part for the environment and save some money simultaneously, recondition your old car batteries (and keep more dollars in your pocket).
10 Tips On Beating Gas Prices
Did you know you can save fuel the next time you turn on your car or truck without having to do anything other than change the way you drive?
A few extra ways involve nothing more than ensuring your vehicle maintenance is up-to-date, and attention is paid to these basics.
Following these top tips could reduce your current fuel bill by 15-20%.
Gas is not an infinite resource. To satisfy demand, the search for oil in the wilderness continues.
The air polluted for every drop burned in a vehicle, and the limited success of alternatives are big reasons to reduce our consumption.
The savings are an excellent motivation, too! And do not forget that the extra gas you have saved for that generator is best used in that generator. Not in your under-filled automobile tank.
So here are ten tips to help you decrease your fuel dependence, even by just one gallon per month. Every little bit counts!
1. Watch your speed.
The difference of 10 mph can drop your car’s demand by 10% or more over a long trip.
2. Due to starting and stopping frequently, short trips make it difficult to reduce consumption.
Ever considered walking to the convenience store just a block away?
3. When traveling, maintain an even speed
And resist the urge to smash the pedal to hear the engine roar.
4. Keep your car tuned regularly, and check your exhaust to see how clean the smoke is.
It should not be black and oily; this means you are not burning fuel efficiently.
5. Keep your tires inflated at the correct pressure.
The effect of drag can increase fuel consumption by 10%! The increased wear will also cost you extra money in more frequent replacement costs.
6. Cut down the weight you carry in the trunk.
Store the golf clubs, the portable grill, or extra tools at home or work. If you load up to go to the lake, take everything out when you get there. Don’t drive around using your vehicle as a closet! However, never discount survival supplies.
7. If you carry skis or other sports gear on a roof rack.
Consider getting an aerodynamic case to put them in to reduce drag on the trip to your holiday spot.
8. Choose the type of vehicle that meets your needs and your family’s.
A high-performance SUV may look great in the driveway, but if you never intend to go into the wild, you are wasting fuel going to and from work.
9. Consider carpooling
For getting the kids to school or practice. Talk to your co-workers, and maybe you’ll find that carpooling/sharing is an option. On top of the reduced fuel costs, fewer cars on the road lead to quicker transit times and less time spent by all of us in gridlock during peak hours!
10. Check out the other transportation opportunities
For you and your family, public transportation will bring you to your destination fresh and ready for work without the hassle of negotiating that rush-hour mania. You can spend the time traveling, relaxing, or checking on your email with a laptop or cell phone. It saves parking fees, too!
You don’t have to do this every day, but if you try, your daily commute may become a fun daily ritual instead of a battle on the highway.
Another thing to consider is getting a bicycle for short trips. No fuel is needed for this option – the cleanest, greenest choice. You may even lose a few pounds and save on gym fees.
Car Mileage And Emergency Preparedness
Being properly prepared these days goes beyond having enough batteries and food in the house.
Getting the best car mileage will not only save you some money but it will also be a great relief when you have what it takes to get out of town when all hell breaks loose around you and the neighbors.
Thinking well ahead of crisis situations is the best solution for emergency preparedness.
