It’s a well-known fact that driving aggressively can put a dent in your gas mileage, but it’s quite difficult to determine just how much gas this wastes.
Up until now that is, as researchers from the Department of Energy at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee have just quantified the impact that speeding and slamming on the brakes can have on fuel consumption and economy.
Their study found that aggressive behavior behind the wheel can decrease gas mileage in light-duty vehicles by around 10-40% in stop-and-go traffic, and around 15-30% at highway speeds. This equates to losing around $0.25 to $1 per gallon.
John Thomas, who led the study, states that “our findings added credence to the idea that an aggressive driving style does affect fuel economy probably more than people think.”
To address this complicated topic, the researchers examined previous studies, developed a new vehicle energy model, and applied it to two similar mid-sized sedans: a conventional gasoline vehicle and a hybrid electric one.
The researchers then put the two vehicles through driving experiments in order to compare the differences in fuel consumption. In particular, they assessed the HEV’s limitations when recapturing energy to replenish the battery during different levels of hard braking.
Thomas went on to state the “the new vehicle energy model we created focused on the limitations of regenerative braking along with varying levels of driving-style aggressiveness to show that this could account for greater fuel economy variation in an HEV compared to a similar conventional vehicle.”
The study’s findings appear on fueleconomy.gov, a website that helps consumers make informed fuel economy choices, alongside other simple fuel-saving measures such as avoiding excessive idling, carrying too much weight, obeying the speed limit, and using cruise control.
Source: sciencedaily
Images: depositphotos
