Automotive fuel economy

In simple terms, fuel economy is the number of kilometres per litre or gallon worth of fuel.
A cars mileage or average is the number of kilometres or miles it travels on a litre or a
gallon of fuel as the case may be. However, in the real world scenario, the fuel economy of
a vehicle is calculated based on the number of kilometres travelled on a full tank of fuel.
For e.g. 15.0 Km/L for a car or 60 Km/L for a bike on an average.

Fuel economy is measured in terms of number of litres of fuel consumed per 100 kilometres
for e.g. 8 litres / 100 Km in case of a car or 2.5L / 100 Kms in case of a motorcycle on an
average.

How to calculate your cars mileage / fuel economy? Full-Tank Method:

Fuel economy can be calculated with the formula: Distance travelled Fuel used
For e.g. A car travels 300 kms on 20 litres of fuel, then the cars mileage can be said to be
= 300 20 = 15 Km/L

Similarly,
If a car consumes 20 litres of fuel to travel a distance of 300 kms, then the cars mileage
can be said to be = [(100 kms X 20 Litres) 300] = 6.66 L/Kms.
Thus, the cars mileage would be 6.66 Litres / 100 Kms.

In both the cases, you must fill the tank to the fullest and set the trip-meter to 0. Then
after travelling at-least 100 kilometers, again refill the tank to determine the fuel average
correctly. Here, you will have to also make sure that the tank is full when refilled. Repeat
this exercise 3-4 times to get the mean / average result. However, this method can be
erroneous as one cannot correctly determine whether that tank is really full or not. As a
result, this method can give an error in calculation of upto +/- 1 to 3%.

How to calculate your bikes average / fuel economy? Reserve Method:

Most Indian bikes have a reserve tap which uses reserve fuel when the bikes fuel tank
runs out of its main storage. When you get to reserve and turn the tap to the reserve
position, just note the odometer reading (Say 15,000 kms). Then, fill the tank with say 3
litres of fuel. Now, ride the bike till it again reaches the reserve point.
As soon as it comes to the reserve, note down the odometer reading again (Say 15,200
kms). Now subtract the earlier odometer reading from the new one. Assuming that your
bike travelled, say, 200 kilometres after it reached the reserve position, then its fuel
economy is = Kilometres covered / Number of litres of fuel consumed which is
= 200 kms 3 Litres = 66.66 Km/L

This simply means, your bike is giving a fuel economy of 66.66 Km/L. Repeat this exercise
3-4 times to get the mean / average result. This is more reliable method as it reduces the
possibility of error in calculation.

How to calculate your vehicles mileage / fuel economy? Bottle method:

The correct way to check the vehicles mileage is using a 1 litre bottle. This is a special
bottle of exact 1 litre capacity (usually available at dealerships).
Fill the bottle with 1 litre petrol and attach the tube end to the carburettor inlet of bike or
car. Set the trip-meter to 0. Then, run the car or bike till the fuel in the bottle runs out or
finishes. Note the reading on the trip-meter. The number of kilometres you travelled
indicates your car or bikes actual average or fuel economy. This is most reliable of the
three methods as there is no chance of error, if any.
Factors that badly affect fuel economy are:
1. Vehicle road-worthiness
2. Engine condition
3. Tyre condition
4. Road conditions (e.g. bad, loose gravel, icy, uphill, winding, narrow etc.)
5. Stop-and-go traffic
6. High speed or aggressive driving
7. Cold temperatures
8. AC and other accessory load
9. Number of passengers
10. Amount of cargo / load
How to get best mileage / average from your car or bike: 10 points check-list for better
fuel economy
1. Keep your vehicles engine in healthy condition. A poorly maintained engine creates
too much friction and seriously affects the fuel economy.
2. Service your vehicle regularly so all the systems work at optimum temperatures and
pressures. Use manufacturer recommended engine oil to get the best performance
from your engine.
3. Never modify your vehicle in a manner which affects its performance. Putting up
parts such as crash-guards / protruding decals / visors / modified exhausts or any
other unauthorized modification can reduce the aero-dynamic performance of the
vehicle; resulting in low fuel economy / poor mileage.
4. Dont overload the vehicle or put the cargo on vehicles roof. Reduce load / weight
when necessary. Keep tyres inflated to recommended pressures. Low tyre
pressure can cause more surface friction, resulting in low fuel economy.
5. Dont idle your vehicle too much. If you stop at traffic lights, then turn off the
engine as idling gives 0 Km/L. Use cruise control to save fuel.
6. Use vehicles with more advanced technologies such as start-stop systems, micro-
hybrids, mild or full hybrids or i3s which saves the fuel.
7. Drive safely and in correct gear. Never rev the engine too much as doing so only
burns more fuel. Dont raise the throttle to reach the red-line, unless you are driving
in a race.
8. Drive steadily at the speed of 60 to 70 Km/h in the top gear to get the best fuel
economy / mileage / average from your vehicle. Any speed above or below this will
not deliver the desired results. You must anticipate the traffic and use gears, instead
of brakes, to slow down by taking the foot off the accelerator (coasting). Avoid both
rapid braking and / or rapid acceleration at all costs.
9. Dont press / keep foot on clutch / brake pedal while driving as the clutch slips you
lose the power to the wheels. Dont use 44 when not needed. Driving the vehicle
in 44 mode reduces the mileage by about 1 Km/L.
10. Turn off the air conditioner and roll down the windows (while driving at slow
speeds) when not needed (especially in winters) as the A/c draws power from the
engine and turning it on consumes more fuel. Dont use warmers / heaters,
defrosters more than needed.