Cleaner air emissions for 2019 10/06/19

Drivers of older diesel cars could be charged as much as £50 a day just to drive into central London as Westminster council are trying to create a £1million “clean air for schools” fund. The push on cleaner air emissions is long overdue and it’s good to be aware of the things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint.

Car Call are not only highly experienced in accident management, we also care about the environment. We looked into how we can advise our readers and customers to ensure that they are producing the smallest amount of emissions possible.

The simplest way to keep your carbon footprint low would be to scrap your diesel engine and buy an electric car, or better yet, take public transport, cycle or walk! However, for most of us a car in a necessity and not everyone can afford to buy a brand new electric car, so we have some other suggestions.

Any car made after 1992 will have a Euro Emissions standard, which lets you know the emissions it produces and in what quantities - however the actual emissions a car emits can vary according to the way you drive, the fuel you use and the maintenance of your car.

Below are little things you can do to reduce your emissions as much as possible to keep our air clean, and increase your fuel economy helping you save money as well.

Premium Fuels

The premium fuels you see at the pump, even though more expensive, contain cleaning agents that help remove any dirt from the engine, in turn this can improve fuel efficiency and reduce some emissions. These types of fuels also can improve the overall performance of your car - it is definitely worth trying a better fuel to treat your car and treat the air. In addition cleaning agents in your fuel systems help clean dirt out the engine and lower the emissions. Usually you can buy these cleaning agents at any petrol station and the bottle is just emptied into your fuel tank. You should try to use these every 3 to 6 months to keep your engine clean.

Your Driving

Using lower gears decreases fuel efficiency, in turn increasing emissions. Consider changing gear earlier and not letting the rev counter get too high as you drive. Braking earlier and slowing down will also reduce wear on your engine, tyres and brakes.

Aerodynamic Efficiency

Things like roof racks, roof boxes or even a really dirty car can increase wind resistance which means you will be producing more emissions. If you aren’t using these items you should consider taking them off.

Change your Oil

You should be checking your oil every few weeks and changed regularly, this helps massively for not just emissions but also to protect your engine. In addition you should be having annual services to replace oil and filters.

Air Filters

Change your air filters, when these get clogged up with dirt they stop the airflow within the engine. If an engine cannot get enough air to it then deposits will build up and this can cause wear and tear and force the engine to work harder, creating more emissions.

Tyres

It goes without saying you should be checking your tyres regularly; tyres play a huge role in keeping your emissions and fuel usage down. According to Michelin a tyre can lose up to 1psi a month. You should be checking your tyres monthly to make sure they are as full as they need to be. Low tyre pressure can increase fuel consumption up to 20%. If you are buying new tyres you should also consider that you can get tyres with low rolling resistance- this would also help reduce further emissions.

Air Conditioning / Windows

Using the air conditioning in your car can really take a toll on the engine’s emissions, even having windows open will increase wind resistance. Air conditioning makes the engine work harder and in turn uses more fuel, as does having the window open. It is recommended to try and use your air conditioning as little as possible. RAC recommend at least trying to turn your air conditioning off a few miles before you reach your destination so the system will allow cool air to continue circulating via the fans.

Reduce stationary time

Avoiding sitting with the engine running but not actually driving is an obvious but simple way to try and reduce emissions. Similar to ‘Start/Stop’ technology, it’s good to turn the engine off as often as you can, if you are waiting to pick somebody up or waiting for someone to go to the shop, make sure to turn the engine off while you wait. It is also recommended that you turn your engine off at level crossings or in traffic. Contrary to popular belief, sitting stationary for 10 seconds still wastes more fuel than restarting the engine after turning it off.




All information is believed to be correct at the time of publication.