Sustainable Transport

We can each make a contribution to reducing air emission from transport through using alternative transport or getting smarter with our cars.

The issues

• Global warming. Because cars burn fossil fuels they produce Carbon Dioxide (CO2). CO2 is one of the green house gases that contribute to global warming. Emissions from cars are responsible for over half the greenhouse gas emissions in Waitakere City.
• Global warming and energy use are linked because fossil fuels are our main source of energy. By using less energy, including less energy for transport, we reduce the amount of CO2 released.
• Congestion costs us time and therefore has a large economic impact. It also means that many of us spend time sitting in traffic that we could be spending with our families.
• Air emissions from cars, especially carbon monoxide and particulate matter, have become a real issue in Auckland. Acceptable standards of emissions are regularly exceeded. Studies have shown that more people now die as a result of exposure to emissions than in car accidents.
• Pollution in streams are created through run-off from the road of oil, window cleaning fluid, transmission fluid, heavy metals from brake linings and tyre wear entering the storm water system.
• Roads take up a lot of urban space and often create barriers to walking.

Getting Out of Your Car

Rideline

Are you sick of sitting in traffic and looking at the buses or trains passing by, thinking ‘What am I doing just sitting here’?  Are you ready to think outside the square when it comes to travelling to work? Why not try Rideline and see what the alternatives are for you.

The Rideline website provides information for getting around the Auckland region by bus, train or ferry. By entering your address and the address you want to travel to and approximate leaving time, Rideline will provide you with alternative transport options for your journey.

View the Rideline website on www.maxx.co.nz and access the Journey Planner.

Driving your car less

While it can be hard for some of us to switch to public transport, it is relatively easy to drive less. Try combining trips or travel less often. This could mean going to the supermarket on your way home from work or deciding to work from home one day a week.

Choosing the Right Car

When deciding to purchase a car, consider the following points:

• What will I use the car for?
• Is there an alternative means of transport?
• How fuel efficient is the car?
• What will it really cost me?
• How safe is the car?

Matching requirements

When selecting the requirements for a new car consider how you use your current car, what you can’t do with your current car, and what you want the new car to do:

• Transport children to school (passenger space)
• Transport large items (flexible and accessible storage space)
• Travel around town or long distances (fuel efficiency)
• Towing heavy items around, eg boats, horse trailers (matching engine size)
• Ease of use (manual/automatic, ability to park)

Public transport

Before you consider buying a car or a second car consider why you want to purchase it and whether there are other means for you to meet those same needs. As shown above, Rideline provides great information to assist you plan your journey.

View the Rideline website on www.maxx.co.nz  and access the Journey Planner.

Fuel consumption information

The amount of information on vehicle fuel efficiency or economy is growing. Below are web-links to help you choose the most fuel-efficient vehicle for your needs. Fuel consumption information can provide a good indicator for fuel usage around town or on motorways/highways but your individual results will be impacted on by your driving and maintenance habits.

New Zealand 

• Fuel$aver Database

Australian Greenhouse Office:

• Green Vehicle Guide

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):

• Fuel Economy
• Green Vehicle Guide

Note: For the conversion for the US fuel information 1 gallon = 3.79 litres

True cost of your car

In many cases the purchase decision for a car is based on what the car looks like, how powerful it is (or feels) or the initial purchase price, without the day-to-day running costs taken into account.

To calculate the true cost of owning and running your car there are a number of costs to consider over the period you will own the car:

• Purchase cost
• Insurance
• Warrant of Fitness and Registration
• Tyres
• Oil
• Maintenance and Servicing (twice a year)
• Resale value of your car
• Fuel costs

Calculate the fuel efficiency of your car by using the following equation (cost of fuel x fuel efficiency (litres/100 km) divided by 100 x kilometres travelled each year).
Estimated fuel cost for a Holden Barina in city driving = (($1.10 x 7.6 L/100km)/100) x 15,000 km per year = $1,254

Through calculating all the costs associated with the cars you are considering you might be surprised in the difference in the true cost. The car that you thought might be too expensive to purchase may end up being the most fuel efficient with a lower true cost.

Car safety

When selecting your car consider the safety of the driver, passengers and pedestrians in the event of an accident.

The New Zealand Land Transport Safety Authority (LTSA) provides a range of information on what to look for when purchasing a car, including Crash Test Results for a number of new models from 1996.

Visit the following websites for vehicle safety results:

Land Transport Safety Authority Crash Test Results 

European New Car Assessment Programme

Australian National Roads and Motorists' Association

Calculating Actual Fuel Efficiency and Air Emissions

Calculating actual fuel efficiency

A method to calculate the fuel efficiency of your car is to:

1. Fill the fuel tank until the petrol pump stops automatically (don’t top it up further than this)
2. Set the trip odometer on your dashboard to zero.
3. Next time your fill up (and it does not really matter how empty/full your petrol tank is), make sure you full the fuel tank again as in Step 1 and keep the receipt with the quantity of litres used.
4. Take a note of the trip odometer reading.
5. Do the following calculation:
   Fuel Efficiency L/100km = Divide the quantity of litres used by the kilometres travelled and multiply by 100.

Compare this to the fuel consumption information gained from the above calculation, to check your car’s actual Km’s per litre. Compare this with what the manufacturers’ estimate. If the actual is less than the manufacturer’s estimate , it is possible is under-performing due to lack of maintenance or driving habits. The bigger the gap, the bigger the problem.

Calculating air emissions

The New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development (NZBCSD) have developed a methodology for calculating carbon emissions for a number of sources including petrol, diesel, electricity, gas, coal, and air travel.

Through selecting and entering the litres of fuel used by different vehicles for the same distance travelled (L/100km/100) x total km per year) into the calculator you can see the difference tonnes of carbon emitted from different vehicles.

View the emissions calculator at the NZBCSD website on  www.nzbcsd.org.nz, "How To Calculate and Report GHG Emissions" and then select the "Emissions Calculator".

Reducing air emissions

Try using public transport, cycling or walking to your destination.

• Buy a fuel efficient car.
• Have your car serviced every six months – or to the manufacturer’s recommendations (whichever is less).
• Ask for an air emissions test when getting your Warrant of Fitness and the Waitakere City Vehicle Testing Station.
• Drive smartly, avoid excessive acceleration, and heavy breaking. Avoid driving during congested times if you can.
• Get rid of unnecessary loads, such as golf clubs or kids prams in the boot, when you don’t need them that day. Fuel use is related to weight. Removing roof racks will also reduce fuel use.
• Turn your air-con off if its not needed

Case Study: Smarter Vehicles

The Council is trialling a Honda Jazz and Toyota Hybrid in its fleet to learn more about the potential of energy efficient cars.

Honda Jazz

Toyota Hybrid

Case Study: Fleet Check Audit

Waitakere City Council conducted a Fleet Check Audit with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) in June 2004 to benchmarks its existing car fleet to identify opportunities to increase efficiency.

The table below shows some of the results for fuel consumption from the Fleet Check Audit:

The trend of the Audit Results being higher in value to the City L/100km was consistent for most vehicle types in the Fleet Check Audit.

Through the Fleet Check Audit the Council has gained much more of an insight into the management of its fleet and opportunities to increase the efficiency of the fleet through the type of vehicles it purchases.

AA EnergyWise Rally 2006

EnergyWise Rally is a public demonstration of the fuel efficiency and environmental friendliness of new cars, conducted over a challenging mixture of roads from one end of the North Island to the other.

The event is designed to find the most efficient new cars in each size class, as well as overall, and it will also reward the driver who can demonstrate the most effective fuel-saving driving technique.

To find out more about the EnergyWise Rally visit their website on www.energywiserally.org.nz.

Fuel$aver - NZ's fuel consumption database has now been launched!

Is your car costing you a lot more with the higher fuel prices? Or are you thinking about buying a more fuel efficient car?

Check out the litres/100 kilometres for your current or potential new car at www.fuelsaver.govt.nz.

Fuel$aver calculates your fuel costs using your car model, the distance you drive, the cost of fuel, and your habits.

Calculating actual fuel efficiency (litres/100km)

A method to calculate the ongoing fuel efficiency of your car is to:

1. Fill the fuel tank until the petrol pump stops automatically (don’t top it up further than this)
2. Set the trip odometer on your dashboard to zero.
3. Next time your fill up (and it does not really matter how empty/full your petrol tank is), make sure you full the fuel tank again as in Step 1 and keep the receipt with the quantity of litres used.
4. Take a note of the trip odometer reading.
5. Do the following calculation:
   Fuel Efficiency L/100km = Divide the quantity of litres purchased by the kilometres travelled and multiply by 100.