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Tips for Economical and Efficient Driving in Cities
When we talk about fuel-efficient driving, it usually comes down to tips and tricks for saving fuel on long stretches of highway. What is rarely talked about is urban driving and the role a driver can play here to drive economically in irregular urban traffic. A missed opportunity, because by optimizing speed, anticipating and planning ahead, a driver can significantly reduce fuel costs without compromising average speed. Here are 5 tips for saving fuel in the city.
How to Create an optimal braking strategy?
We all know that one of the biggest obstacles to economical driving in cities is the need to brake every now and then. This is exhausting and not very economical, but unavoidable. So the best thing you can do is come up with a good braking strategy. What follows are five tips based on examples from the most common situations a driver encounters while driving in a city. The tips are supported by video examples showing both the optimal (marked with green) and the sub-optimal (marked with a yellow cross) driving style.
- Approaching traffic lights
The most economical way to pass a traffic light is, of course, without braking. But that’s not always possible. So if there’s the temptation to speed up to be able to drive through greenery, think again about your goal: to save fuel. why? If you accelerate and the traffic light turns red, you just injected more fuel to increase your speed, but you still lose everything by braking hard. Instead, you should keep a steady speed and check if there are more traffic lights ahead of you or if there is anything else that could slow you down, such as pedestrians or oncoming traffic. If you think you need to brake, do it as early as possible and stretch it for a long distance. The best way to adjust your braking power,
By optimizing your braking performance, you will be in a kind of moving queue faster. Driving like this may feel a bit slow, but it isn’t; traffic always moves at a speed determined by the traffic lights and early braking does not lead to a difference in average speed.
- Approaching roundabouts
The roundabout is the perfect place to save fuel. Again it is about anticipating and having enough time to observe and react. During my training sessions, I always advise drivers to drive at least 20 meters at walking pace when approaching a roundabout. This gives you extra time to observe what is happening and when it is your turn to enter the roundabout. If you’re too fast, you’ll lose valuable time to observe and react, potentially bringing you to a halt.
In addition, my advice is to brake before a roundabout – not in it. This allows you to adjust the speed when cornering with the accelerator pedal and not with the brake pedal. It also helps the I-Shift to hold higher gears and you’ll get out of the roundabout faster without too much shifting.
- Turn left
Making a left turn is fairly easy, but with a few simple tricks you can save both fuel and time. What is important is that you focus completely on the road and minimize distractions such as from cell phones. This is obviously important in any driving situation, but especially when turning left or right, as you have to pay attention to both the vehicles in front of you and the oncoming traffic. Another important point is speed management; slowing down as you approach the intersection and letting others (especially other trucks) pass clears the way and gives you a better view of what’s happening. Once everyone has exited the intersection, you can focus on the oncoming traffic and make the turn without stopping. By slowing down,
- Turn right
As with the left turn, making a good and fuel efficient right turn is all about focus and deceleration. This is especially important in cities where you run the risk of not seeing pedestrians and cyclists in the blind spot of the truck. If you’re texting or on the phone, chances are you’re not paying enough attention to your mirrors. As you approach a right turn, adjust your speed to match the speed of cyclists. Keep the cyclists in front of you and pay attention to the mirrors so that no one ends up in the blind spot without your knowledge. Let the cyclists pass and when it’s your time to take the bend you can do so without abrupt stops (and therefore more economical).
- Traffic jams
In busy traffic, going with the flow is the most important. why? If you continue to brake, you will waste fuel that has just been injected. So the question is, how do you avoid braking? First of all, keep in mind that engine braking also counts as braking. To minimize this, set the auxiliary brake to position A and adjust your speed using only the accelerator pedal. If you must use the brake pedal, try to spread it over a large distance. Adaptive Cruise Control is a great tool, but remember that if the vehicle in front of you is very close, the ACC will brake constantly. So leave enough space for the system to adjust the speed and only brake in critical situations.
I see a lot of drivers who don’t keep their distance because they think someone else will cut and slow for them. But the fact is that when you’re driving in traffic jams, you pretty much go with the flow and people switching lanes don’t really affect the speed of that flow. If you close the gap, you will have to brake more because your vehicle in front reacts to those who change lanes in front of it.
Planning, slowing down and extending your braking distance – that’s the core of the game to drive as economically as possible in cities. By paying attention and anticipating, you have full control over the braking power. This is so important because hard braking – be it service brakes, engine braking or retarder – is the way to waste energy and fuel. So avoid it at all costs.
