How much oil can be found in Americans' cars -- through more efficient driving and better vehicle maintenance? Using current numbers from the Bush DOE and EPA, the answer appears to be some 2.5 to 3 million barrels a day -- 20 times what could be found if we ended the congressional moratorium on offshore drilling (see "The cruel offshore-drilling hoax") and three times the oil we are likely to find in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (see "Opening ANWR cuts gas prices two cents in 2025").
These savings would quickly lower Americans' annual fuel bills perhaps $700 a year, whereas drilling might save them about $12 a year in 20 years.
But let me begin at the beginning. Obama, as everyone knows, has presented detailed national strategies to reduce oil consumption as part of his climate plan months ago. Now the right wing is all agog at some remarks Obama made yesterday about what individuals can do:
We could save all the oil that they're talking about getting off drilling if everybody was just inflating their tires and getting regular tune-ups. You could save just as much.
Limbaugh said:
This is unbelievable! My friends, this is laughable of course, but it's stupid! It is stupid! … Avoid jackrabbit starts, keep your tires properly inflated, there's a list of about ten or twelve these things. I said if I follow each one of these things I'll have to stop the car every five miles, siphon some fuel out, for all the fuel I'm going to be saving. This is ridiculous…. Who has filled his head with this stuff?
Actually, it is probably the Bush administration's own Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency that has filled him with that stuff. Let's do the math.
First, America consumes about 22 million barrels of oil a day. According to a recent EPA report, "light-duty vehicles account for approximately 40 percent of all U.S. oil consumption," or about 9 million barrels of oil a day.
Strange as it may seem, the Bush/Cheney DOE and EPA jointly run a website, fueleconomy.gov, that provides recommendations to consumers for saving fuel. And it quantifies the savings. First, we have the recommendations for:
- Keep Your Engine Properly Tuned: Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve its gas mileage by an average of 4 percent, though results vary based on the kind of repair and how well it is done. Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, can improve your mileage by as much as 40 percent.
- Check & Replace Air Filters Regularly: Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car's gas mileage by as much as 10 percent. Your car's air filter keeps impurities from damaging the inside of your engine. Not only will replacing a dirty air filter save gas, it will protect your engine.
- Keep Tires Properly Inflated: You can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.4 percent for every 1 psi drop in pressure of all four tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.
- Use the Recommended Grade of Motor Oil: You can improve your gas mileage by 1-2 percent by using the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use 5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by 1-2 percent. Using 5W-30 in an engine designed for 5W-20 can lower your gas mileage by 1-1.5 percent. Also, look for motor oil that says "Energy Conserving" on the API performance symbol to be sure it contains friction-reducing additives.
Okay, let's say we had a real president who actually cared about ending our addiction to oil during a time we are at war in the Persian Gulf. Let's say he made a major effort to work with the governors and the mayor is to educate the public and perhaps had an economic stimulus package that included vouchers for low income people to get their car tuned up.
How much could we save? Let's be conservative here and just say 10%. That's 900,000 barrels a day. That's ANWR. That's six times what is currently blocked by the congressional moratorium on coastal drilling.
But that's not all. Limbaugh noted that the recommendations he has been ignoring all of these years include "avoid jackrabbits starts." Turns out the DOE has also quantified the benefits of:
- Drive Sensibly: Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.
- Observe the Speed Limit: While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.30 per gallon for gas. Observing the speed limit is also safer. Fuel economy benefit: 7-23%.
- Remove Excess Weight: Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2%. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle's weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.
So let's say we had a president who could inspire the nation to drive safer while saving money and reducing oil consumption and pollution.
How much could we save? Let's be conservative here and just say 20% -- after all, I'm sure Limbaugh's dittoheads will keep driving dangerously and inefficiently no matter what anyone says. That's 1,800,000 barrels a day. That's two ANWRs. That's twelve times what is currently blocked by the Congressional moratorium on coastal drilling.
So being conservative -- or at least, being someone who cares about human life and the nation's economic health and well-being -- the nation could save some 2.5 to 3 million barrels a day through better automotive maintenance and smarter driving.
Looks like Obama is right and Limbaugh is wrong. What a shock.
If only we could find a visionary president who could inspire Americans during these troubled times.
Chuck Norris on Copenhagen
The U.S.-India climate ‘partnership’
Comments
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timbuktu Posted 7:22 pm
31 Jul 2008
Besides the tips mentioned in this post, there are some theories that you can save gas by changing how you buy it. A fair amount of each filling of gas is lost to evaporation, but this amount can be reduced if you avoid buying gas when it's very hot out and by always keeping your tank as full as possible. Some more tips: Simple Fuel Efficiency.
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eheath1000 Posted 11:43 pm
31 Jul 2008
The problem is we need to do all we are doing and more, to conserve enough for our children to make the transition to using even less oil.
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John former Marine Posted 12:46 am
01 Aug 2008
I started putting synthetic 5W-30 and later, 0W-30 in my '98 Civic about six months after I bought it (used with 25K miles on it). I saw an immediate jump in mpg from about 37 mpg (driving carefully, cruise control 60 mph) to 42 mpg under the same conditions. The other benefit is that the oil change interval is every 25,000 miles instead of every 3,000. It also protects your engine better than conventional motor oil.
Using AmsOil in my little Civic has saved me a lot of gas over the past eight years. Had I been driving a bigger vehicle, it probably would've saved me even more.
Il faut cultiver notre jardin.
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Gustavion Posted 2:56 am
01 Aug 2008
Simplestop.net - Stop postal junk mail, Protect the environment, Protect your identity.
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Delay And Deny Posted 3:35 am
01 Aug 2008
People lose something like 14% of all their gasoline because of evaporation because they don't tighten their gas caps or the seals are worn.
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KenG Posted 3:39 am
01 Aug 2008
I'm also bothered by Joe's casual logic in the amount of savings available. It seems to assume that all cars can save the % suggested when these are clearly the worst case items. I know I can't save anything with a tuneup, proper inflation, correct oil, etc because that's already been done on my cars. Some savings are possible but the real paybacks only come from driving less and more fuel efficient cars.
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aieageoff Posted 4:50 am
01 Aug 2008
Tire Agent The Tire Agent visits approved parking lots: at shopping malls, offices, condos, gas stations, etc. He has a portable tire inflator. If the car has the Tire Agent Sticker on it (e.g. "TAS 38 PSI"), he checks/inflates the tires. Let's see how that might work: 250 M cars in the US. Do half every year = 125 M. Each Agent does 20 cars an hour, 6 hrs a day = 30,000 cars/year. Therefore, we need 4,500 Tire Agents. Mileage improvement = 3% max, 1% average @ 10,000 miles/year @ 15 mpg @ $ 4/gal = $ 26 savings per car. Net savings = $ 750,000/year/agent! Speaking as an engineer, that's a pretty good cost/benefit ratio. Gas stations won't like it, but how many times have you dropped $ 0.50 into their air machine and only managed to inflate two of your four tires?
Car Agent These agents would work at the approved gas stations. When a car pulls in for gas, the agent offers a FREE performance test. He hooks up portable exhaust analyzer, and in only 60 seconds, hands the driver a printout: "You need a tune-up; you need a new air filter; you need new spark plugs.....If you do this, you can save $ 500 a year in gasoline!". Let's see: 250 M cars in the US. Do half every year = 125 M. Each agent does 10 cars an hour, 6 hrs a day = 15,000 cars/year. We need 9,000 Car Agents. Mileage improvement = 40% max, 10% average @ 10,000 miles/year @ 15 mpg @ $ 4/gal = $ 250/car. Net savings = $ 3.8 M/year/agent! While the customer pumps his gas, the Car Agent discusses good driving techniques. Here's one I like: "Always drive as if you have a raw egg under your foot. Press lightly on the gas and brake!" The Agent gives the driver a white plastic egg to hang on his rear-view mirror.
Business Agent Visits businesses, especially the large energy users. Looks over their energy use and recommends improvements. Once ain't enough. Visit again to review progress. Wait six months, go back again for follow up. The Energy Consultants won't like this one, so the Govmint pays them for their initial visit, and maybe they get a contract to implement the recommendations? Could cost millions, but would save billions.
House Agent Visits residences. Examines ways to save. Has a box of CFL's (only $ 1/each!). Wan't to cut shower costs in half? Install a quick on/off valve at the shower head (Agent has several with him ... only $10). Check out 101 ways to save Energy. Could cost millions, but would save billions.
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alanw Posted 9:14 am
06 Aug 2008
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