Ecodriving

From the moment I started driving cars, I made it a sport to find ways to get as many kilometers/miles per tank of fuel. This page lists how far various cars got, and lists 10 tips to get similar results.

Year	Car	Result	Comments
2013	Renault Megane III SW, 1.5 DCI	3.5 l/100km 29 km/l 68 MPG	Cold engine start Over a stretch of 120 km / 70 miles of B roads Start and end point at same elevation
2007	Renault Megane I Hatchback, 1.9 DCI	4.5 l/100km 22 km/l 53 MPG	Full tank emptied driving on B roads
2003	Peugeot 206, 1.9 D	5.5 l/100km 18 km/l 43 MPG	Full tank emptied driving on A & B roads

Needless to say, I am very much impressed with the latest developments! This performance was achieved using these behaviors:

1) Avoid using your breaks. Breaking transforms kinetic energy to heat and is wasted.
2) Keep distance. When the person in front of you slows down, release throttle only.
3) Look ahead. Anticipate traffic lights and release throttle or keep speed accordingly.
4) Limit speed. Air drag is quadratic with speed.
5) Shift gears up early, but not too early: below 1500 RPM in higher gears is too low.
6) Cruising at 1750 RPM works best for me. (Note that these are diesels. Not sure if this RPM applies to petrol cars.)
7) Use computer's current consumption as feedback to see if throttle is pressed too much.
8) Keep tyres at correct pressure.
9) Maintain car. Refresh oil at regular intervals.
10) Use air conditioning on warm days to keep sharp.


Of course, safety comes first always. Using these behaviors should not jeopardise others.