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MYTH #1: In the winter, vehicles must be warmed up for a few minutes before they are driven.
FACT: Modern vehicle engines do not need to be warmed in the winter before they are driven. Ever since electronics were introduced to control engines, the need to warm up a vehicle before driving it has been eliminated. So now, sitting in your car in the winter waiting for it to warm up is a waste of time and gas, increases pollution, and does not protect your engine at all. To make matters worse, emissions from an idling vehicle in winter conditions are more than double the normal level immediately after a "cold start".
MYTH #2: It takes more gas to stop and restart an engine than it does to idle it.
FACT: Ten seconds of idling uses more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting it. So if you are stopping for more than 10 seconds – except in traffic, turn off the engine.
MYTH #3: Idling the engine for a few minutes warms up the vehicle.
FACT: Warming up the vehicle means more than warming the engine. The tires, transmission, wheel bearings and other moving parts also need to be warm for the vehicle to perform well. Most of these parts don't begin to warm up until you drive the vehicle away. The catalytic converter – the device that cleans pollutants from the vehicle's exhaust – doesn't function at its peak until it reaches between 400°C and 800°C. The best way to warm the converter is to drive the vehicle. Driving a vehicle cuts warm-up times in half. This reduces fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
MYTH #4: Restarting a vehicle is hard on the engine and starter.
FACT: Restarting a car many times has little impact on engine components such as the battery and the starter motor. The wear on parts that restarting the engine causes adds about $10 a year to the cost of driving – money that you'll likely recover several times over in fuel savings.
MORE IDLING FACTS:
- It's important to drive away as soon as possible after a cold start, but ensure your winshields and mirrors are clear and it is safe to drive. Avoid high speeds and rapid acceleration for the first five kilometres. This lets the whole vehicle reach peak operating temperature as quickly as possible without paying a fuel penalty.
- If your vehicle has a diesel engine, idling actually lowers the coolant temperature faster than shutting off the engine. In other words, switching off the engine keeps the engine warm longer.
- A poorly tuned engine uses up to 15 percent more energy when idling than a well-tuned vehicle. Keeping your vehicle in good condition is a key to fuel efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
- Using a block heater is a more efficient and effective way to warm the engine than idling. A block heater warms the engine block and lubricants, which makes the engine start more easily and reach its peak operating temperature faster.
- You don't need to leave a block heater plugged in overnight to warm the engine – two hours is more than enough. Many people use an automatic timer to switch on the block heater at the right time.
- Idling your vehicle with the air conditioner on (to keep the interior cool) can increase emissions by 13 percent.
- A recent study suggests that in the peak of winter, Canadians voluntarily idle their vehicles for a combined total of more than 75 million minutes a day – equal to one vehicle idling for 144 years. We idle about 40 percent less in summer, but still waste an enormous amount of fuel and emit unnecessary pollution.
- Warming up a vehicle is the most common reason given for idling – in both winter and summer! Canadians also say that they often idle while sitting in the drive-through lane of a fast-food restaurant or while waiting for someone.
Much of this information was provided by Natural Resources Canada’s Idle-Free Zone website, which can be visited at:
http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/communities-government/transportation.cfm
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