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| Thursday, October 18, 2007 |
| Does It Save Fuel to Shut Off The Engine at a Stoplight? |
The Wall Street Journal article: Does It Save Fuel to Shut Off The Engine at a Stoplight? provides an energy saving tidbit. Q: I drive a 2005 Cadillac CTS, and I'm trying to save fuel and minimize pollution by turning off the engine when stopped at red lights at major intersections which are often quite long. My husband says that's a mistake, because when I start the car, according to him, there's a big release of fuel. My answer is that even if I'm not saving money on fuel, at least I'm not spewing pollution into the air while idling. Who's right?
-- Muriel Pinkus,
Dallas
A: You're right -- though your husband has a point. While starting a cold engine typically requires an extra measure of fuel and produces more pollution, these effects fade once the engine reaches operating temperature. Turning the engine off while stopped does save fuel and reduce pollution, and has long been standard procedure in some European countries. Of course, the savings are slight, and if doing so is driving your husband crazy and causing arguments, you'll have to judge whether it's a battle worth picking.
Starting the engine more often also increases wear on the starter motor and the gears. The practice may not wind up having an adverse effect, but if the starter fails prematurely, your husband may never let you live it down. While this is nice to know, I don't think I will be following this practice around Boston. Appearing to "park" in front of a traffic light on a city street brings out the angry in fellow Hub drivers.
- King of the hypermilersLabels: Saving Energy |
| posted by Boston Gal @ 9:40 AM *
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| 3 Comments: |
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Most hybrid cars (at least the ones with a real hybrid drive, like the Prius, Camry, & Highlander) turn off the engine after you've been stopped for a few minutes, or if you're just creeping along at < 10mph. That's one of the reasons why hybrids get better gas mileage in the city than they do on the highway.
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Regarding the hybrids comment.. That's true, but hybrids' also start much more easily than non-hybrids.
My car burns about 0.2 gallons per hour when idling, or .003 gallons per minute.
That means if I turn the car off for two minutes at a stoplight, I save about .006 gallons of gas or a couple pennies.
Meanwhile I increase load on the starter, battery, and alternator. Sounds like a foolish tradeoff to me.
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I am all for car-induced guilt about polluting and being wasteful. But I think the real answer is parking the car and going on foot, by bike or public transit.
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Most hybrid cars (at least the ones with a real hybrid drive, like the Prius, Camry, & Highlander) turn off the engine after you've been stopped for a few minutes, or if you're just creeping along at < 10mph. That's one of the reasons why hybrids get better gas mileage in the city than they do on the highway.