Driving Habit = Influencing Fuel Consumption?

Yep! The right now issue is about the high price of fossil fuel that gets higher, or more and more and more expensive. It causes the whole world which consump oil, have to reduce the use of it, and also find the alternative ways to make the vehicles still move.

Any kind of fuel saver is on the market now, and the use of alternative fuel such as ethanol made of corn and sugar can, are beginning to be used. Moreover, the alternative such as hydrogen and other next to be invention, still keep done by scientists. However, there is a simple way for us, if we still want to use our vehicles for daily use to work, to college, or other usage. Every safety driving course now talk about driving habit.

Why driving habit? Because, according to some instructors of safety driving course, the way people move their vehicle, influence the fuel consumption. For example, if we gas our car aggresively when driving, the car will need more fuel to make extra power, so it can move as fast as we want. That kind of driving way make the consumption is more uneconomical. If we use automatic transmission car, more often we do a kick down, more fuel is used to burn to make the power to run faster.

That's why nowadays there are a lot of cars made by the vehicle factories, added with the indicator of economical drive. So, if we drive as the indicator show, we will get less fuel consumption but nice performance. Maybe we can't obtain the high speed we want, but by the time the oil from the land has reduced and about to empty, this kind of way is needed, at least to reduce the use of fuel in our vehicle.

Of course it needs patience to be able to do that. Moreover, the road is getting more crowded with cars and motorbikes, and not anyone can be so carefully drive as us. So, we can participate in reducing fuel consumption, beside we can use alternative things such as fuel saver and engine tune up regularly, by arranging our driving habit to be more patience, more calm, and more carefully, so we can obtain less fuel consumption, and surely safety in the road.

Have a nice drive....

Fuel Saver

Nowadays, the price of crude oil in the world has gone higher and higher. People on earth can't no more enjoy the cheap or "reasonable" price for fullfilling their vehicles with fossil fuel. The lower stocks on the market, triggered by the reducing stocks of the fossil fuel in earth, make the organization of exporting oil countries (OPEC) announced the reducing productions and distributions of oil around the world.

Because of that, beside the price is getting higher, the vehicles producer is challenged by the situation, to make a more efficient car, especially in consumpting fuel. Not only that. This situation is taken by some factories, to make what we know now as "fuel saver". The mission of this product is to make the usage of fuel reduced as low as possible, and also function to make the vehicle run faster and the torque can be higher.

There are several kinds of fuel saver in the market. Usually people know the liquid one, and the hard shape one. The liquid fuel saver usually also functions as octane booster, eventhough there is also a fuel saver that only makes the fuel quality better, without increasing the octane number. For this kind of fuel saver, people must read the instruction carefully, and don't be trapped with the promise of the increasing the octane number up to 5 RON, because it only increases the octane number up to 0,5. For example, if gasoline octane number is 88, by adding the octane booster with the promise increasing the octane up to 5 RON, it means that the octane number will be 88,5. There are several kinds of liquid fuel saver, but especially they are well known to reduce the gum and deposits, and the octane booster.

The other kind of fuel saver is the magnetic one. Usually it is compiled with cables to heat the gasoline or diesel fuel, to make it easy to burn in the combustion chamber. The function of the magnet is to homogenize the molecule of the fuel, so it can be easily sparked.

Next kind is the air induction. For this, the function of the equipment is like a turbo boost. It inducts the fresh air to the intake, so the amount of the air is richer. Some brands add the function of chemical process by its pipes, to make the oxygen richer, to help the combusting process. So, it's up to you know to choose which one of the fuel saver is suitable for your daily application. For details, you can consult with your dealer or your tuner

The Future of Hybrid Vehicles

Since global warming becomes the most famous issue on this planet, people hurrily start to think how to reduce the effect of gas emission, or green house effect. This kind of consciousness is also triggered by the fact, that the height of the ice on Arctic going reduced more and more, and also the earth temperature is getting higher. The impact of those kinda things, make the wheather unable to predict, and the amount of storms is increasing, and the power is also getting stronger.

From the automotive sector, all brands are competiting in making an environmentally friendly vehicle, especially cars. From Japan, we can see such as Honda with Insight, Toyota with Prius Hybrid, and so on. Then from Europe, nowadays the trend of engine usage has moved to diesel, because the commonrail technology can reduce the oppacity, and the gas emission. Some brands even make a car that can run with Hydrogen. The hybrid means a car can run with a gasoline fueled engine, or electric engine, and it can be combined both. When the gasoline engine runs, it also recharges the battery.

The stock of world oil now is getting low, so, it needs alternative ways to reduce the usage of the oil. However, the future of hybrid or even hydrogen cars, still need our careness in helping the earth not to be on fever. In Indonesia, the future of hybrid, or even fuelcell cars, still can easily enter the market, because the wisdom of the governement is still rounding about the engine capacity, and the shape of the vehicle, a minibus, MPV, SUV, or sedan. However, Wise man said, Wherever There's a Will, There Must Be a Way....

Alternative Fuel

The oil price in rencent times, hikes slowly but sure, and it ever touched 100 USD a barrel. The reason in the height of oil demand, is always the classic one. Supply and demand is not well balance, whereas the demand is much higher than the production capacity.

Because of that, people around the world start thinking about how to reduce the use of fossil fuel. People start experimenting anything that can reduce, or maybe free us from the fossil fuel. In around 80's, researchers try to make fuel from plants, such as coconut, corn, or jatropakurkas, in Indonesia is well known as Jarak Pagar.

Now, when oil starts to run out, people re-see the use of these kind of plants, to substitute the fossil fuel. The cornfields suddenly grow anywhere, in any land, any village, any country. The green environment become the most interesting topic, and the blue sky program is the nowadays people talk about.

Biofuel, the name of the alternative fuel now, is made from the extract of corn, or coconut, known as ethanol as the result of the extract. In some gas station, you'll find the direction B5 or it can be higher or lower. The number after B, explains the precentage of the plant made fuel content. Because of the euphoria of biofuel, people nowadays, especially farmers, change their choice of planting. From food to be energy plantation, even the source is the same.

In one side, the use of bioufel, is predicted by the scientists can reduce the harm of exhaust gas such as Carbon Monoxide, and Carbon Dioxide, known as CO2. However, because more people plant corn, the forests are widely changed into crops, inspite that it can resist the impact of hard rain. The seed is the same, but the destination to plant the corn, or coconut, now is very much different, because it won't be used for food, but for energy...

Vehicles Limitation...Is That Possible?

Sometimes...just try to look around, you will find that in any road, any street, any highway, there are vehicles. Motorbikes, cars, trucks, buses, in any size and shape. Actually, considering the global warming, people around the world now are panicly trying everything, to reduce the effect of Carbon Monoxide, and also Carbon Dioxide. Any discoveries to find another way, to run the vehicles we produce everytime is being done. Government in any countries announce the rule about limitation of the emition of the gas running out from the vehicles' exhaust system, and ask the denizen to plant trees as much as possible.

Another way to reduce the greenhouse effects, is to limit the cycle of vehicles. In Japan for example, the government make it compulsory for the people, to have a car only in 5 years. After that, they must sell it. Or if they still want to have a car, they can exchange it, by adding 4 percents of the sale value of the car. But still it's not the best solution, coz we still have to face the polluted air.

In Surabaya Indonesia, there is a suggestion to limit the use of vehicles on the road. DR. Haryo Sulistiarso, Head of Town Planning Lab of ITS said that, the growth of the roads in Surabaya recently is 0%. Yess...zero percent... If it's not be solved immediately, in 5 years Surabaya roads will be fullfilled with vehicles, and the people won't go anywhere because of traffic jam. Very difficult to move on. Haryo said that the growth of cars recently is about 4 percents, and the motorbike is about 7 percents. So, there will be 350 thousand private cars, and about 2 million motorbikes on the street everyday. One of Indonesia's organisation of vehicles (Gaikindo) said that, limitation of vehicles is nonsense here. Well... now it depends on us, and also the government....

Sleepy When Driving?

Ever feel asleep when driving? Or your eyes are soooo sticky that you can't open it, then you are close to the accident that even can bring death on you. According to Jasa Marga, the goverment institution that manages the toll road, 60% of all accident on the street are caused by sleepy driver. This problem of falling asleep when driving, usually happens to the driver who work from the night untill the morning comes, such as truck driver, cab or taxi driver, and some of working people who just come home from work.

Actually, according to the physiotherapyst (I hope my spelling of that profession is already right :) ), when you start feeling sleepy, or maybe you fall asleep for a moment on the street, the best way to reduce or remove it, is by sleeping. Just find the nice and safe place to rest, and you can close your eyes for a moment - usually for about 15 minutes untill an hour - then you can continue your journey to the destination safely, because your physic is already made rest.

Some research said that, drinking an energy drink can help you reduce the fatigue, as human ability to drive continouosly is only for 4 hours. However, other research said that, energy drink is only an instant way, and it's not the solution for your sleepines or tiredness. Drinking coffee maybe also the other way to reduce sleeping in driving. But it will be much wiser, if you take some rest in the rest area, when you start feeling dizzy, lost of reflection on paying attention on road, or something like that. Also the main and the most important thing next time is, just replan your route of journey, so you can reduce the measure of your trip, and it will help you to reduce tiredness.

Have a nice trip....

Accident. God's Purpose? Or....

It's true that our life is in God's hand. He arranges everything in this universe, including death, and wealth of human beings. Talking about the life, especially the death, there are two factors causing it. The first is by design, and the second is because of His will.

According to the Surabaya Police headquarter, until now (January 2008), there have been more than 1200 accidents. The area of Surabaya Police headquarter includes Gresik and Sidoarjo. From the 1200 above accidents, more than 550 are dead, and the rest are serious wound and light wound.

Some of police officers from the Traffic Unit (Satlantas) said, there are some factors causing the accident, human errors, the vehicle factor, and the road quality factor. However, they said that human errors dominate most of the accidents happen anywhere. Usually, people get hurried for not wanting to be late for school or for work, and because of that, they drive or ride feverishly, and often break the traffic rules, or traffic beacons. That's why they alwyas suggest civillians to alwyas be careful while driving or riding, and especially not affected by the careless people who always want to reach their arrival as soon as possible, without considering the other people on the street. So readers, be careful and always obey the traffic rules and beacons. If you don't to be late, just manage your time to go earlier.