When owning a motorized vehicle, how to drive is one of the factors that can affect vehicle exhaust emissions. Exhaust gas is what affects the environmental conditions. To reduce the negative impact, the driver can apply one of the driving techniques, namely Eco Driving. This technique is a way of driving with the aim of optimizing fuel consumption to make it more efficient and play a role in reducing the risk of accidents. Eco Driving is considered capable of saving time and money, safe and environmentally friendly.
According to Hariadi, Asst. to Service Dept. Head of PT SIS, in addition to fuel efficiency, the Eco Driving technique is also one of the efforts to extend the service life of the vehicle because its performance is not forced. There are three factors that affect the Eco Driving technique, namely the driver, the condition of the car, and the environment. To maximize fuel use, there are several ways that can be done by the driver, namely:
Travel time, route and destination
Calculate the estimated driving time taking into account the travel route in order to avoid traffic jams. If you are stuck in a traffic jam, the car will often stop and go, a condition where the car has to stop and start again according to the traffic density, which results in wasted fuel. However, apart from avoiding traffic jams, in calculating the estimated driving time, the driver must also provide more time when facing unexpected events on the way.
How to drive
As much as possible avoid driving aggressively because it can lead to wasteful use of fuel. In driving with the Eco Driving technique, to reach the maximum speed, the driver must press the gas pedal slowly and immediately move to a higher acceleration gear position. The driver should ideally keep the engine speed at 2,000 to 3,000 rpm. If you move gears beyond this number, the engine speed will be too high and fuel consumption will be far more wasteful.
Take advantage of the acceleration momentum when encountering an uphill terrain and use engine break when meeting a descending terrain. High acceleration in driving will only cause excessive fuel consumption. Likewise, when braking, the driver must calculate the braking distance of about 3 seconds by gently pressing the brake pedal and using the engine break for braking. In addition, use the ideal vehicle speed with a constant around 60-70 kilometers per hour to produce fuel efficiency.
Use of appropriate car fuel
Another important thing that must be considered is the use of recommended fuel, namely unleaded fuel. Unleaded fuel will minimize pollution from vehicle exhaust gas, making it more friendly to the surrounding environment.
The choice of car tires is also an important factor in supporting the Eco Driving technique. One of them is by using tires with low rolling resistance. Tires with less air pressure can slow down the rolling wheel so that it requires more power to the axle. In addition to fuel and car tires, the use of air conditioning is also one of the factors that waste fuel. For that, avoid using air conditioning with maximum temperature and use the ideal cabin temperature around 20-23 degrees Celsius.
Vehicle maintenance
Perform periodic maintenance at an authorized workshop to maintain the performance of the engine and its components so that they are always in top condition when used. In addition, carrying out periodic maintenance at an official repair shop can maintain the car's warranty. So that the warranty doesn't expire, follow the free service schedule for 1,000 km - 5,000 km at an official repair shop.
