Saving fuel while on a long trip

Anyone that has lived in Nigeria for a long time would have observed a partial fuel scarcity that happens around the ember months. This year could be an exception though, but you have to plan in any case.

The Petroleum Products Imports Statistics released recently by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that 7.8 billion litres of PMS worth N958.2 billion was imported between May and September. Also 2.1 billion litres of diesel worth N254.5 billion was imported between May and September. If we are to go by the numbers, there should be no fuel scarcity at least till January 2017.

Nevertheless if supply seems a fait accomplice price is another issue entirely. The NBS report on price distribution shows the variation in many states. While Plateau State accounts for the lowest average price of petrol at N143, Yobe at N150 has the highest petrol price. People heading towards Abia State should expect to pay up to N148. In other words, it now cost some serious money to complete a journey to any part of the country.

But there are steps you can take to reduce the cost and still arrive at your destination in time. To start with, if you have more than one car, you should carefully select the car in the best condition for such a journey. There is no point putting all of them on the road.

If you are going to be carrying a lot of bags and you own an SUV; that is the vehicle for the big loads because of its bigger capacity. You can let the family drive in a smaller car. Jamming everyone and everything into a too-small car can be just plain uncomfortable on a long trip and the point is to have fun, not start fights.

Hence, if you have a small car, consider sending the many luggages ahead and free up space for your family. Too much luggage burn your fuel faster than you can think. Pack as light as possible.

A lot of people are fond of wanting to buy everything in the city and carrying them back to the village. Whereas in this age and time, there is hardly any village without a town where you can buy the same thing you bought in the big city. If you do not find them in the town you can go online and place orders for them to be delivered.

Some online stores are offering logistics to any part of the country. In essence rather than buy a bag of rice and load on the roof of the vehicle, you can simply order online and have it delivered to your door step in the village at a price. You will save your car from damage and save some fuel in your tank. Packing stuff on the roof-top bins and racks cut fuel economy by about 21% according to a test conducted by Edmunds.com.

While on the journey, do not bother so much about whether the windows are rolled up or down. A test by Edmunds.com suggests that it depends on the vehicle and speed. At 65 mph, using the air conditioner was slightly more draining. At higher speeds it probably would not be. When the windows are down, the highway may seem noisy, distracting and possibly dangerous. The roads are not in top shape and news of armed robbery attacks come in every time. In view of that, it might make better sense to roll up and enjoy the cool air.

Avoiding traffic may appear nearly impossible when trying during the peak holiday periods, but really try not to get stuck. Idling and slow driving wastes a lot fuel, so plan to drive at times when few others are. In other words, avoid travelling in the peak periods from December 22 to 26. You may want to plan alternative routes ahead if you cannot avoid travelling on these days. Your Google Map could come in handy.

 

FRANK ELEANYA