Since the Denver and Colorado stay-at-home orders went into effect, traffic has decreased dramatically and the air quality has increased with 20% - 30% reductions in Nitrogen dioxide, Nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide. This will not last as Colorado reopens idled businesses; none the less, it would be nice to retain a little of the gain as the state transitions to safer-at-home and folks return to work. A significant number of workers may continue to work from home thus reducing traffic, but for the current fleet of vehicles, maintenance can make a big difference in how cleanly they operate.
It is also important to keep in mind that electric vehicles have their own carbon footprints, albeit different. With power transmission and charging losses of around 11%, it takes 112 kilowatt hours generated to charge the battery. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration every kilowatt generated creates .99 lbs of CO2. Based on those figures, the Model S charge creates 111 lbs of CO2 and it is rated to go 250 miles on a charge. One gallon of gasoline burned creates 20 lb of CO2, so a gas vehicle going 250 miles and getting 35mpg (like my 2008 Prius does) uses 7.14 gallons of gas and creates 143 lbs of CO2. A 2018 Prius XLE is rated at 50 mpg and uses 5 gallons of gas creating only 100 lbs of CO2. In general, if a vehicle is getting less than optimal fuel mileage, it is polluting more and creating more CO2.
The current market share of the U.S. market for electric vehicles is 2.2%, while most everything else is gas or gas electric hybrid. For the roughly 98% of car owners, here are some good rules to follow to keep our gas cars as clean as possible:
- Tire pressure maintenance. Low tire pressure can drop fuel economy by over 3 mpg. The low pressure monitor doesn’t come on until the tire is around 25% low.
- Maintain the cooling system. If the engine temperature is too cool, it is not running as efficiently as it should.
- Fill ups. Don’t top off the tank after the pump shuts off. The gas needs room to expand and if it doesn’t it can cause vapor to enter the atmosphere, creating ozone.
- Don’t haul extra weight. Get unnecessary things out and remove roof carriers when not in use.
- Change spark plugs and filters on time. Worn spark plugs can cause a misfire.
- Pay attention to the check engine light. Most things that cause that indicator to come on are an emission related problem.
- Drive smoothly. Don’t accelerate fast from a stop light. You aren’t going to beat that Tesla anyway.
- Follow your car maker’s maintenance schedule. Most in town driving and short trips are considered “severe conditions;” the severe maintenance schedule should be considered.
If you are unsure, you can look up your vehicle’s maintenance schedule on the car care council’s website or give us a call we will look up your history and see what, if anything, is due. We also will do a tire pressure check for you any time, just drop by!
Stay safe and green out there!
