One of the best things you can do for the environment is to reduce your car’s emissions. This is in addition to the fact that a greener vehicle also offers improved performance, increased fuel efficiency, and is cheaper to run and maintain in the long run.
You can reduce your car emissions in several ways. Continue reading this article to learn more about these.
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Have Your Car Serviced Regularly
Servicing your car (particularly the engine) regularly will help ensure that it always runs in tip-top condition while burning fuel as efficiently as possible. Follow the instructions stated in your owner’s manual and ensure you keep up with the scheduled oil changes and other maintenance procedures.
Note that newer vehicle models have more complicated emission systems to keep them running as green as possible. Should any of the parts or components of the system malfunction, your car will start to produce more emissions than it usually does. Check the engine light on the dashboard as it can tell if there’s something wrong with it. If it does, bring your car to a reputable automotive technician as soon as possible to get it fixed.
Likewise, don’t forget to keep the tires inflated properly because they can help your car run more effortlessly so it can burn less fuel. You may refer to your owner’s manual for the proper tire pressure procedure.
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Use Premium Fuel
Although premium fuel is more expensive, they are designed to reduce car emissions while keeping the engine clean and protected at the same time.
Premium fuel also has active cleaning agents that remove dirt from the engine, allowing it to improve your car’s fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. You may even notice improved performance in your car when using premium fuel. However, results usually depend on the vehicle’s make, model, mileage, and age. Try filling up your car with premium fuel three to four times and check if you can see any difference.
It’s easy to identify premium fuels as they usually come with names such as ‘premium,’ ‘ultimate,’ and others to go along with symbols like ‘+’. Although they may be more expensive, you sure get the quality you deserve from them.
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Reduce Vehicle Idling
Idling is when you leave a car’s engine on, even though it’s not moving. Doing this leads to unnecessary emissions and fuel consumption. If you reduce the time your vehicle sits in idle mode, you are doing a great job of cutting down hazardous emissions and improving air quality.
However, some motorists believe that turning the engine on and off can cause harm and hinder its performance even though they didn’t get the facts straight. As a result, they prefer to let it idle when warming up the engine, especially during colder days or when parked.
Turning off the car while waiting for someone may seem irrelevant or mundane, but it can impact your car’s emissions in a big way. Thus, avoid idling your vehicle, especially if the wait time is more than a minute.
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Change Your Driving Habits
Your driving style or habit is also responsible for car emissions. For instance, constant braking and acceleration cause the engine to consume more fuel unlike when cruising at a steady speed. Hence, you get more mileage when driving on highways than when you’re in heavy traffic. That’s why driving at steady speeds is essential at all times. Less fuel consumption means less emissions and pollution to the environment.
Besides, the more you accelerate, the more the engine burns fuel and more emissions. So, step on the accelerator lightly for a steady acceleration instead of stepping on the gas pedal aggressively every time you start moving.
You should also have a steady rather than abrupt braking. If you see a red light or any stop sign ahead, remove your foot from the pedal slowly and let the speed drop on its own before applying the brakes for a complete stop. This will allow you to cover more distance while minimising fuel consumption.
Bottom Line
With global warming becoming a growing concern each day, reducing car emissions is vital for our planet’s future. Keeping your car fuel-efficient and driving more slowly reduce emissions. A properly inflated tire can also reduce exhaust emissions by a significant amount. Additionally, drivers should avoid idling their cars when possible.
Car emissions are a major contributor to global warming. They are harmful to human health and produce greenhouse gases. By-products of fuel combustion include hydrocarbons, benzene, and formaldehyde, which are known to affect climate change.
