Take it from Pilipinas Shell , when it comes to helping motorists find ways to save fuel , this oil giant knows what should be and what should not be, and this time, they went a step further by debunking a lot of fuel-saving myths of Filipino drivers.
After a nation-wide survey of 1000 respondents, Shell came out with some interesting results starting off with the finding that 92% of drivers think saving fuel is important but surprisingly, 75% say they do not know how to do it, it is ironic that 88% often switch off the lights when they leave the house but only 42% frequently remove excess weight from their vehicle to make it lighter.
Now what are some of these widely-accepted fuel-saving steps that local drivers take believing these will help but according to Shell fuel experts, most of these practices do not help at all in saving fuel?
Top of the list, 80% think warming up the car engine before driving will help, then, 58% fill only half the tank, 57% think filling up at night saves fuel, 53% feel that driving slowly will do the trick, while 45% are convinced that burping their car helps.
These interesting information came out in the Shell FuelSave Fact or Fiction Report and commenting on the findings, Anthony Lawrence Yam, VP for Retail, said, “ it shows how important saving fuel has become to motorists along with the incredible ways they try to be more fuel efficient, some of the beliefs revealed through the study were actually wasting fuel rather than helping to conserve it. “
The revelation was the culmination of Shell’s one day Fact or Fiction Driving Challenge recently from Manila to Clark in Pampanga with Shell’s celebrity driver Bianca Gonzales and her team of 5 chosen students going head to head with invited media people aboard brand new Honda cars.
It was a good opportunity for the students who will be among the local entries competing against visiting teams from Asia and the Middle East in the Shell Eco Marathon this February in Luneta where around 130 teams composed of college students are expected to show their engineering skills and creativity to design, build, and test ultra energy efficient vehicles of tomorrow.
Last year, Philippine teams made history when De La Salle University’s Eco-Car Team Electirc placed second in the Urban Concept Battery Electirc category with a consumption of 66.38 km. per KWH while the Technological Institute of the Philippines ( TIP ) took third place among 15 teams in the Urban Concept Diesel Category with a fuel consumption of 47.44 km. per liter.
The other participating students in this year’s Eco Marathon, which is the second time that the Philippnes is hosting it, were also invited at the H20 Hotel where the awarding of prizes for the driving challenge was held, and surprisingly, the media team beat Bianca and her team.
Going back to fuel-saving tips, the best ways to do it would be to use the correct oil for the car, by driving smoothly, ensuring car tires are at the right pressure, having regular car tune-ups, using higher gears, ( 80 to 85 KPH driving speed is supposed to be the most efficient ), avoid over-revving, planning trips to avoid rush hour and using best route for multiple destinations, avoiding high speeds and excessive idling, reducing unnecessary weight that a car carries, and using cruise control in highways., now these are the facts and not fiction.