Energy-Efficient and Eco-Driving Tips

Brought to you by Avis.

As an international corporation, Avis is committed to both corporate and employee involvement in civic as well as charitable activities. Our corporate responsibility extends beyond philanthropy and volunteerism to include consistent adherence to business practices that are friendly to customers, employees, and or course, the environment.

Avis in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, has introduced numerous measures to ensure a greener fleet is available to our customers. Globally, we have introduced a rigorous check between rentals to ensure vehicles run at peak efficiency. To ensure fuel efficiency, the fleet is rapidly replaced which ensures the use of the newest and most fuel-efficient engines.

Our fleet includes hundreds of new, environmentally-friendly cars that run on fuels other than petrol or diesel. We continue to work with car manufacturers so that our customers can choose the cleanest vehicles around, including the Mercedes-Benz Blue EFFICIENCY vehicles across Europe and more than 400 Flexifuel/BioPower vehicles in Scandinavia.

We are happy to share energy-efficient and eco-driving tips with you and your customers to ensure that we all play a part to protect our Planet Earth. In addition, how we drive not only helps us get the best out of the existing car but it is also good for our back pockets too!

1. Avoid Quick Acceleration and Aggressive Driving When we step on the accelerator, our car is expending energy as heat and noise. It produces high pollution rates and wastes fuel. According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, one second of high-powered driving can produce nearly the same volume of carbon monoxide emissions as a half hour of normal driving.

2. Stick to the Speed Limit Drive within the speed limit. Higher speed means more energy spent on overcoming friction and maintaining the momentum. Instead of driving at 120 km/h (75 mph), if we drive at 105 km/h (65 mph), our fuel economy will improve by about 10% and tailpipe pollution will decrease. Cruise control will help maintain a steady, constant speed, which will reduce the need for acceleration and braking.

3. Avoid Rush Hour The stop-and-go driving of rush hour burns fuel and increases emissions of smog-forming pollutants – not to mention the effects of road rage on our health. It would be worthwhile to plan our schedule to avoid driving during peak traffic times or use a GPS to find a less busy route.

4. Avoid Hard Braking Anticipate rather than breaking hard! This will prevent increased pollution, wasted gas and wear on the breaks. This is especially true for congested, high traffic areas. 5. Do Not idle for more than a minute The philosophy of managing the engine extends to idle time too. An idle but turned-on engine generates more pollution than driving, and it wastes fuel too.

6. Use an Electronic Toll Collection System, where available Avis e-TollTM avoids cash payment lines at toll booths in the USA and Canada. Studies have found that paying tolls electronically reduces hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide emissions by 40%-63% and reduces emissions by 16%.

7. Benefit from a GPS Navigation System The GPS navigation from Avis, provides real-time traffic alerts to help avoid traffic jams and road construction. It also guides drivers to their destination without getting lost, eliminating the extra driving that could result when they do get lost. Besides saving on fuel, money and driving time, anxiety and stress levels are reduced too!

So, be a Green Driver and make the most of the mileage for the money spent, save on fuel and reduce the overall environmental impact!

Extracted from avis.com Photo Sources: Avis, Getty Images, Pixabay

About Avis Avis Car Rental and its subsidiaries operate one of the world’s best-known car rental brands with approximately 5,500 locations in more than 170 countries. Avis has a long history of innovation in the car rental industry and is one of the world’s top brands for customer loyalty.