Winter driving: how much more fuel are you using?

Winter driving is a given – after all, we live in Canada! There are many factors that make winter driving a challenge, especially for school bus drivers.

However, there are driving techniques and tips that you can use that will help you become more fuel efficient while winter driving. Let’s look at two of the key fuel burners.

Rolling Resistance

All moving vehicles encounter a certain amount of rolling resistance; some of your engine’s power needs to be used to overcome everything from the grip of your tires to the force of the wind. Weather can have quite an impact on safe and fuel-efficient driving when it increases this rolling resistance; for instance, your vehicle can consume 15 to 20 per cent more fuel when it needs to push through heavy snow. Heavy rain can increase fuel consumption by 10 per cent. A head wind of as little as eight km/hr can increase aerodynamic drag at highway speeds, causing your engine to work harder and thus reducing fuel economy by 10 per cent. Cross winds can have the same impact.

The following suggestions can help you manage rolling resistance and help you burn less fuel during winter: • Take the time to clear your vehicle of any wet snow, which can increase vehicle weight and reduce fuel efficiency. • If you’re driving into a strong head wind, reduce your speed by 10 km/hr to avoid wasting fuel. • When driving through deep snow, be sure to keep your wheels in any existing ruts, rather than plowing your own path. • When parking on ice, try to choose a slope that will allow you to move off in a forward direction. Since your tires will warm during the trip, they can melt holes in the ice when your vehicle comes to a rest. If you are pointing up hill, you may spin your wheels when you attempt to drive away, wasting fuel and time in the process. • Cold temperatures cause fluids such as engine oil, transmission fluids and

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axle lubricants to thicken. Use synthetic fluids to reduce these factors.

Unnecessary Idling

An idling school bus wastes both fuel and money. When idling, a typical school bus engine burns approximately two to three litres of fuel per hour (depending on engine size). School bus companies that eliminate unnecessary idling can save significant dollars in fuel costs each year.

“Idling” means running your vehicle engine when it’s parked or not in use. Common reasons for engine idling in the winter are warming up the vehicle; driver and passenger comfort; and convenience. However, there are many reasons NOT to idle. By reducing idling time you save fuel and money, reduce wear and tear on your engine, help protect your health as well as that of your passengers, and reduce potential climate-change impacts.

Idling is not an effective way of warming up your engine. As your vehicle is made up of many moving parts, to properly warm your vehicle’s transmission, tires, suspension, steering, and wheel bearings, you need to slowly drive off.

Children are dressed for winter conditions in snow suits, hats and mittens. They are quite comfortable getting on a bus that has not idled for 30 minutes to warm it up. Start the bus, allow the oil pressure to rise and the glow plugs or intake heaters to complete three full cycles; wait for the orange “wait to start” light to turn off. As long as the bus windows are clear of frost and snow, start driving slowly. Differentials, transmission oils and tires will warm up while you are driving (tires also become more fuel efficient as they become warmer). It takes 12 minutes of driving to warm

Frank Marasco, manager of transportation and safety at School District No. 83 (North Okanagan-Shuswap, B.C.), encourages other fleets to use SmartDriver for School Bus. “In my fleet, with the combination of training and the implementation of best practices, we have reduced fuel usage from 480,000 litres down to 370,000 in the past five years since we started initially piloting SmartDriver for School Bus,” Marasco says. “Last year (2009), we were the only school district in B.C. that came in under the funding we were froze at in 2002.”

coolant from -10oC to an operating temperature of 80oC, and 30 minutes of idling to reach that same temperature.

With today’s technology, idling can almost be eliminated with heaters that meet every demand of school boards and pupil transportation organizations across North America. These heating systems enable drivers to pre-heat their school buses by offering warm starts, defrosted windows and a safe and comfortable environment for students – all without engine idling. A number of different operating switches exist to meet individual demands and there are a number of heaters and heater configurations to heat school buses that operate in all kinds of climates. Timer controls can switch heaters on one to two hours prior to engine start up, allowing operators to go directly to work.

Small changes can have huge results! Every fleet has the potential to save thousands of dollars per year on fuel costs. The ecoENERGY for Fleets Program offered by Natural Resources Canada introduces fleets to energy-efficient practices that can reduce fuel consumption and emissions. FleetSmart is a component of this program that offers free practical advice on how energy-efficient vehicles and business practices can reduce fleet operating costs, improve productivity and increase your competitiveness. Along with the latest developments in fleet and fuel management, FleetSmart will also help ensure fleet vehicle owners and managers are aware of the fuel efficiency benefits of new and developing technologies.

Shift into gear by adopting the SmartDriving habits and acquire the benefits!

Register for SmartDriver for School Bus Training

EcoENERGY for Fleets is pleased to sponsor a series of SmartDriver for School Bus training sessions across Canada. If you are interested in hosting a training session or attending a training session, please contact us at: SmartDriver@Bronson.ca.

For more information, please call (613) 960-7416, or write to Natural Resource Canada Office of Energy Efficiency 885 Meadowlands, 3rd Floor Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E4 Fax: (613) 960-7340