Interesting BBC article: Can a petrolhead be an eco-driver?

[KillerByte]

Just read an interesting article on the BBC website about fuel economy. As a weekend experiment, Rob Corp tried to become a more economical driver. As he drives a MINI, I thought it would be of interest to people on here.

Quote:

As the price of petrol edges ever higher, can a change in driving habits use less fuel - and salve a car fan's conscience?

I'm a keen recycler, buyer of energy-saving lightbulbs and user of public transport, but when it comes to cars all my green efforts go out the window (rolled down, sunroof open). Until it started to cost an eye-watering £54 to fill my car with fuel.

With petrol now well over £1 a litre, even my relatively "green" Mini is fast becoming an expensive luxury rather than a convenient mode of transport.

You can read the rest of the article here.

[Paul]

Can a petrolhead be an eco-driver?

Yes.










To be honest though, he didn't really elaborate on his "petrol head" credentials did he?

[KillerByte]

Very true!

Also, didn't the 1st gen MINI Cooper have a 50 litre tank?

[jimmyt]

Yep it did. Or if it didn't where have those extra 10 litres I've been putting in over the years?
Plus if it cost him £54 to fill up the full 40 litres that works out at £1.35/litre

[jimmyt]

But back to the original question. I'd say yes you can. If your on the daily commute and in heavy traffic, you can plan ahead so you hit the next set of traffic lights as they turn green etc, saving fuel for when you're on the open road and want a little more 'fun'

Coming home from work on the M1 you usually hit almost stationary traffic at J33, so its not worth bombing down the outside lane at 70+ as its quicker to just to sit in the left hand lane doing 40-50 (with the flow of traffic) until you hit the tail back

[Marty_58]

Read the article and believe that eco driving and petrolheadedness are not mutually exclusive. A keen driver will be aware not only of driving skill, inputs, feedback, speed etc but also of fuel consumption relative to driving conditions and style. I frequently opt for economy mode when simply getting from A to B on the motorway and through town but switch my brain to sport mode when on more exciting A and B roads. With high fuel costs I have got my average MPG from 31 to 36+ in my Alfa Romeo 147 - sorry, its what I have while awaitying delivery of my Minii JCW (which will, apart from being quicker offer greater fuel economy - win/win!!)