It’s not just New Years’ when you can set yourself resolutions – you know – those little (or indeed big) challenges that you set yourself. I decided to challenge myself prior to Christmas to see if I could add around £15 worth of fuel (I think it might have been just slightly more than that if the truth be told) to the tank to last over the festive period.
This year, I didn’t have to do that much driving according to the Christmas schedule, which meant that meeting the challenge should be possible, though still extremely difficult. One reason for this being a challenge is that most of my driving is over a shorter distance. Secondly, I wasn’t guaranteed any unexpected taxi duty – which would of course mean I’d need/use more fuel. Lastly, the big challenge is of course my driving style. I’m not one for driving in excess of the speed limit, but I like to get there with reasonable acceleration.
The challenge began back on the 18th of December. So far, I’ve completed in excess of 60 miles and I’m down to just over ¼ of the tank remaining. The car seems to be coping pretty well – though I am not with my adjusted ‘galactic miler’ driving style. It is true what they say, you have to be much more aware of how you’re using the car to max out the potential mpg on offer.
It’s the little, subtle things that make a difference. For instance, if you’ve seen that the lights have been on green for quite a while; don’t roar up to the them. The likelihood is that they will change as you get there anyway. Remember, the kinetic energy you’re using to travel is all converted to heat and noise when you put on your brakes.
I’d say that my challenge has gone quite well so far. Or it was going well, until today. I’ve been quite ill over the past couple of days (I think I picked up that Norovirus) yet I had to go shopping. I ended up accelerating more harshly (it’s my car but I’m not going to be sick in it!) than my more recent sedate efforts and the fuel my car consumed rose naturally as a result!
Of course, getting there quicker is a false economy – it will cost you more in the long run. I’m going to continue my challenge and see exactly how many miles I can get for my £15 or so – with a hope for it to be well over 100. Will this be the case? Well that all depends on whether my light right foot can ‘overtake’ the needs of my thrill-seeking caveman brain!
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