Make Cars Green Our aim is to reduce the impact of motoring on our planet.


Bridgestone together with the FIA, who represent more than 100 million consumers worldwide, have launched an international campaign, with the aim to reduce the impact of motoring on the environment.

Make Cars Green acts as a voice to present consumers’ ecological concerns to various governments and manufacturers. The campaign outlines how policy makers, industry and consumers can all play a constructive role in the future.
 
Make Cars Green is also designed to encourage motorists to drive ‘greener’ and to show them simple ways to achieve this.
 
 
 
  
10 points for greener motoring
 
 
1. Buy Green.
 
When purchasing a car you should always take into consideration its environmental performance.
 
·         Buy an appropriate sized car for your needs.
·         A more efficient car will cost less to run.
 
 
2. Plan your journey.
 
A well-planned journey will allow you to get to your destination in the quickest and easiest way, saving on unnecessary fuel emissions.
 
·         Consider that ten minutes of unnecessary driving in a one-hour trip results in a 14 percent decrease in fuel efficiency.
·         For short journeys see if it is possible to cycle, use public transport or walk.
·         Fitting a Global Positioning System (GPS) in your car can allow you to know in advance the easiest route to a set destination.
 
 
3. Check tyre pressures frequently.
 
A well-inflated tyre decreases the rolling resistance and thereby increases efficiency.
 
·         Driving on tyres with air pressure at 50kPA (0.5kg/cm²) lower than it should be, decreases fuel efficiency by 2 percent and 4 percent respectively in urban and suburban areas.
·         Consider fitting your car with tyre pressure monitoring systems that allow you to know when you need to refill your tyres.
·         A correctly inflated tyre increases the grip on the road;therefore it’s not only greener, but safer too.
 
 
4. Reduce loads and avoid the need for roof racks.
 
Extra weight increases the consumption of fuel, as does increased air resistance.
 
·         Driving with 100kg of unnecessary onboard weight, leads to a significant decrease in fuel efficiency of around 6 percent on a medium sized car.
·         Check for unnecessary items in the boot of the car, such as luggage or overly large goods.
·         Modern cars are built with aerodynamics in mind, a ski carrier on top of a car can increase consumption by 20 percent.
 
 
5. Don’t warm up your engine before starting off.
 
Modern cars no longer need to be warmed up before starting off, only in extremely cold conditions.
 
·         Slow running may be required after starting the engine; this style of driving will also increase fuel efficiency.
·         Modern cars constructed with a fuel injection engine no longer require the accelerator to be pushed when starting up. Doing so will only confuse the on-board systems and increase fuel consumption.
 
 
6. Use air conditioning only when necessary.
 
Avoid setting AC to low, as AC uses a lot of power from the car.
 
·         When the outdoor temperature is 25°C, AC decreases fuel efficiency by 12 percent.
·         When it is safe to do so, opening the windows in urban (low speed) zones is more efficient than using AC. However, the opposite is true when driving at high speed due to air resistance.
·         Other in-car devices, such as sound systems, also increase consumption.
 
 
7. Accelerate gently and keep your speed constant.
 
Gentle driving uses less fuel, is safer and will allow you and your passengers to reach your destination in more comfort.
 
·         Start off gently (20km/h in 5 seconds, for an 11 percent increase in fuel economy) and avoid abrupt, heavy accelerations while driving.
·         Avoid tailgating as it causes unnecessary acceleration/deceleration, which costs 2 percent and 6 percent less fuel efficiency respectively in urban and suburban areas.
·         Use the highest gears possible in any given situation.
 
 
8. Use engine braking.
 
Using the natural braking power of engines saves on fuel economy.
 
·         Releasing the accelerator when recognising the need to slow down stops the fuel supply, leading to a 2 percent increase in fuel efficiency.
·         Engine braking also has the added bonus of reducing wear and tear on the brakes.
 
 
9. Don’t idle your engine.
 
When you are not using the car’s engine, it is still using fuel.
 
·         Idling for more than a minute uses more fuels than is needed to restart the engine.
·         Ten minutes of engine idling (in neutral, with the AC off) wastes 130cc of fuel.
 
 
10. Offset your CO2 emissions.
 
CO2 production as a result of transport is often unavoidable; if you do drive you can still contribute to CO2 reduction by offsetting emissions.
 
·         The FIA has been at the pioneering end of offsetting with its carbon sequestration project commissioned in Mexico over ten years ago.
 
 
 
 
 
For more information, please visit the official Make Cars Green website. Click here >