For decades, most Americans have considered fuel efficiency from the perspective of the number of miles a vehicle can travel on a single gallon of gas. Commonly known as “miles per gallon,” the number is displayed on car windows on thousands of dealerships across the country. But is this the best method for determining the effects of a vehicle’s fuel economy? As it turns out, no.

There is a better way, though it is seldom used by drivers. Rather than comparing the MPG numbers posed by two automobiles, the “new” method offers a completely different way to view the same data. The results are surprising.

In this article, we’ll explain why miles per gallon is a misleading statistic with which to gauge the fuel efficiency of a car. We’ll also present the new method, and offer an example for clarification.

Why The Current System Is Misleading

Suppose you visit a dealership, and compare the MPG numbers on three vehicles. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll assume Car A gets 10 miles per gallon; Car B gets 20 miles per gallon; and Car C gets 40 miles per gallon. Car B’s fuel efficiency is obviously twice that of Car A. Likewise, Car C is twice as fuel efficient as Car B. But moving from Car B to Car C will not save you as much money as moving from Car A to Car B. Here’s the reason:

Car A requires 10 gallons to drive 100 miles. Car B requires 5 gallons to drive 100 miles. Car C only requires 2.5 gallons to drive 100 miles. If you were to move from Car A to Car B, you would save 5 gallons of gas for each 100 miles you drive. If you were to move from Car B to Car C, however, you would only save 2.5 gallons of gas over the same distance.

Without determining the number of gallons per 100 miles (or, GPM) a vehicle gets, a casual observer might think both moves are equally advantageous. Clearly, however, this is not the case. The more fuel efficient two vehicles are, the less substantial the improvements.

Looking At Fuel Economy Through A New Lens

The method described above for identifying the fuel efficiency of a car is useful for comparing the approximate fuel costs posed by multiple vehicles. Consider that the formula is based on the number of gallons needed to travel 100 miles. Also, consider that the average driver travels 1,000 miles over the course of a month. Here’s an example:

Recall that Car A requires 10 gallons to travel 100 miles. Thus, it requires 100 gallons to travel 1,000 miles. At $4 per gallon, fuel costs will be $400 per month. Car B only requires 5 gallons to travel 100 miles, and therefore only 50 gallons to travel 1,000 miles. The monthly fuel cost would be $200. Finally, Car C only requires 2.5 gallons to travel 100 miles, and therefore only 25 gallons to travel 1,000 miles. Here, fuel costs will only be $100 per month.

The dollar savings in gasoline costs between vehicles become much clearer. You can then multiply the figures by twelve to determine fuel costs on an annual basis.

How Much Fuel Does Your Car Actually Consume?

The purpose of going through this exercise is to provide a more realistic view of any given car’s fuel economy. There are many people who are tempted to sell their current vehicles in order to transition to higher-mileage models. In some cases, the savings in fuel costs are substantial. Other times, they are less significant than people imagine. The new calculation offers a clearer comparison. While it may seem less intuitive than a “miles per gallon” rating, it reveals how much fuel your car actually consumes.

Did you know that there are actually two groups of air pollutants?  These are the primary and the secondary group. This may come as a surprise, but it would be beneficial if you become aware of them and be more cautious in your efforts to help mother earth live for a longer time.

Primary air pollution is composed of the chemicals released into the atmosphere from different sources like automobiles, factories, and refineries.  On the other hand, the secondary group of air pollution is the result of the chemical reactions between the emitted harmful substances and the earth’s atmosphere.

Automobiles are the main factor of air pollution everywhere in the world.  This is why one (especially the driver) should be aware of the indispensable relation between cars and the environment. Cars emit nitrogen oxide, non-methane organic gases, and hydrocarbons that contaminate the air worldwide.  Of course, the visible evidence air pollution is the smog, but bear in mind that gases are unseen and these substances can easily get into the body without our knowing it.  In this case, automobiles do not only post harm to the environment, they may also endanger your very own health.

The pollution that automobiles cause contributes a lot in the increase of greenhouse effect.  The greenhouse effect, in turn, causes the melting of the polar icecaps.  This is the same culprit for the rising of the seas that cause erosion of the shorelines and beaches. The extreme weather condition and storms all around the world are also believed to be results of the greenhouse effect.

Just to make it clear though, car smog isn’t the only contributor to air pollution caused by automobiles.  A number of pollutants directly come from their manufacturing.  Even the refining of oil they need to operate aggravates air contamination.  All in all, using a car can actually contribute quite a lot in polluting the environment. For instance, the colorless and odorless substance called carbon monoxide is produced whenever your engine runs.  This does not only make the air dirty, constant exposure to this may also result to brain damage. To some extent, death may even come.  Sulfur dioxide, on the other hand, comes from the sulfur burning in fuels.  This is equally dangerous to air and one’s health.

What Can You Do to Help Lessen Air Pollution

You may be but a small voice, but never underestimate what you can contribute in mitigating the harmful effects of pollution.   If you do not do your own part and depend on just what the conservationists would do, then you are simply pushing mother earth to its sooner doom.  Remember that a simple step to preserve the environment can help a lot if everyone would just do the same.

One of the things you can adapt is the use of carpooling or public transport.  This way, you will only need to use a singular vehicle and it would only be the one to emit harmful substances instead of all of you inside using your own car.  Another thing you can do is to make use of used auto parts in replacing some broken parts of your car.  This will not only save you money, you will also help Mother Nature in the long run.

Global warming is now a big issue and is being talked about in all parts of the world. There are a lot of people who are looking into being able to help reduce the carbon footprint that is left by the burning of fuel. A lot of people have realized that everyone needs to take part in saving the environment.

One of the biggest problems and contributors to the rapid deterioration of the environment is air pollution. The smoke that comes from combustion systems in vehicles, homes and other facilities release irritants and other pollutants in the air. These include but are not limited to carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides that can be harmful to the environment including your health. So a lot of people have been setting up talks about cars and the environment. They are determined to be able to help increase awareness when it comes to cars & the environment and how you can be able to help decrease the carbon footprint you leave with your car. There are some groups who are pushing for more eco-friendly cars to be manufactured and released into the market.

If you are wondering what the connection is with cars and the environment, well, you have to know that the pollutants that are released from the smoke that comes from the burning of gas greatly affects the ozone layer. The ozone layer protects you from the scorching rays from the sun that bring ultraviolet rays. Ultraviolet rays can cause skin cancer. The destruction of the ozone layer could also lead to the rapid increase of the temperature in the atmosphere.

Since a lot more people have been aware about the dangers that concern cars and the environment, more and more consumers turn to using eco friendly vehicles. These vehicles do away with the use of fossil fuels and use other forms of fuel. These alternative power sources are bio-diesel, ethanol, electricity, fuel cells, natural gas and hybrid. Some of these options may cost a little more than regular cars. And the balance between efficiency and financial costs depend on where you actually live in. If you live in an area where there is high production of corn, barley or wheat, you can choose to use ethanol powered vehicles. The plants mentioned are used to manufacture ethanol.

Bio-diesel is another increasingly popular alternatives promoted by those who are concerned about their cars & the environment. The fuel is manufactured from vegetable oil. This fuel works best for places that have a constant temperature to work with the whole year round. This is because when the temperature drops, the oil will solidify and therefore, could not be burned properly.

Lastly, hybrid vehicles are those cars with two power sources: batteries and gas. The system will help you save a lot of money when it comes to fuel consumption and expenses as you can switch to battery power when you are stuck in traffic or when you are running on low speeds. The idea here is to be able to increase the efficiency of the engine while reducing the carbon emissions from the vehicle. However, you can expect to spend a pretty penny for the car since the technology requires a huge amount of money.