Why Is Fuel Economy So Important?

Everybody is concerned about the cost of oil. The terms "premium unleaded," "light sweet crude" and "hypermiling" are tossed around constantly. But have you ever stopped to think about why improving your fuel economy might be so important? There are some obvious answers, and some not quite so apparent.

The one reason everyone seems to want to improve their fuel efficiency is to save money. There are a variety of ways you can change your driving habits to save cash, including keeping up on maintenance, maintaining a cruising speed and idling less. You could also opt for a hybrid or water powered car, but the bottom line is you can keep cash in the bank. That's always going to be the primary reason.

Improving your fuel economy can also protect the environment. The obvious issue here is global warming. It's no longer simple conjecture as to whether mankind is warming the planet- it's a fact. Using less gasoline leads to less CO2 emissions, meaning less heat trapped by our atmosphere. Air pollution is an equally important issue, however. Smog created by excessive gasoline consumption has recently increased the number of chronic lung disorders in Americans such as asthma, lung cancer and emphysema. There are ancillary effects too, such as oil spills. More petroleum imported means a higher chance for such environmental disasters.

National security is affected by oil consumption as well. More than half the oil Americans use every day comes from foreign states. Because we are dependent on trade with these sometimes volatile countries, many times our politicians are unable to conduct diplomatic or military missions in our nation's best security interests. Additionally, we are putting almost 400 billion dollars into foreign countries as a direct result of importing their oil. Many of these countries are covertly hostile towards the U.S. and are free to use our money however they wish. The 7 billion dollars a week we give foreign countries in exchange for oil is money that could stay inside the U.S. if we were more fuel efficient.

A final reason to save gas is perhaps the most compelling. Simply put, there is not an unlimited amount of oil. While estimates range quite widely, all experts agree that the Earth will one day run out of oil completely. Until alternative fuels are developed and implemented to a large degree, it is very important that we conserve our oil resources. Nothing short of complete chaos and anarchy would result from a depletion of oil reserves.

The answer to "why is fuel economy so important" could literally fill volumes. But given just a few reasons, you should be motivated to begin conserving wherever possible. Whether that means driving more efficiently, driving less, or even converting your car to burn HHO gas, everyone needs to participate.

Article by Water Car Facts