11 Jul, 2021
Idling 101: How is your vehicle causing pollution standing ‘idle’ at the traffic signal?
“Idling” refers to running a vehicle’s engine when it’s not moving, for example waiting at a red light or while being stuck in traffic. Idling is the wastage of huge amounts of fuel and the emission of tons of unnecessary particles in the environment.
Idling of a vehicle causes more damage to the engine in comparison to restarting the engine. Engine running at low speed (Idling) causes twice the wear on internal parts compared to driving at regular speed. ‘The American Trucking Association estimates that idling can increase maintenance costs by $2,000 per vehicle per year while also shortening the lifespan of an engine.
A higher amount of idling also causes the formation of carbon particle residue in the vehicle’s engine. While idling, the fuel does not fully combust. This leads to the building up of carbon residue formation due to the engine not being operated at its optimal temperature while idling. This not only damages the engine but also increases the maintenance cost. Idling the engine for more than 10 seconds consumes more fuel than restarting it.
Idling of the engine not only leads to fuel wastage but also generates a huge amount of greenhouse emissions. As the vehicle gets zero miles against the use of fuel, there is an unnecessary monetary expense on fuel. Letting your engine idle 30 minutes a day for two winter months burns a full tank of gas without ever moving a kilometer.
Today, the engines require much less fuel than starting engines. People highly believe that than keeping the engine on (Idling). But it turns out to be Myth. Instead, research states that idling for just 30 seconds wastes more fuel than restarting the engine. Frequent restarting causes only about $10 worth of wear-and-tear per year, whereas idling leaves fuel residues that damage engine components causing higher maintenance costs over time. Idling uses up to ½ gallon of fuel per hour depending on the type and size of the engine. It does not seem to be much, but it turns out to be a huge amount if calculated annually.
When the fuel is being wasted through vehicle idling, not only the money is being wasted, but also leaves behind excessive carbon footprints. Every 10 minutes when the engine is off instead of sitting idle, it prevents one pound of carbon dioxide from being released into the air. Idling fumes have been linked to major health concerns, such as asthma, lung and cardiac disease, and even cancer.
Idling of vehicles not only shortens engine life but also has an adverse impact on the environment. Idling engine emits carbon dioxide, tons of nitrogen oxides, and huge amounts of unwanted particles. Engine Idling leads to the creation of bad air quality and the ‘World Health Organization estimates that air pollution is responsible for nearly 4.2 million deaths every year. Emissions from engine idling are largely contributing to climate change and impacting air quality, which generates negative health risks for everyone.
With rising fuel prices, reducing the number of times vehicles are idling is the simplest way to maintain and increase fuel economy among fleet vehicles. For a better solution of saving on fuel cost, the world is now open to revolutionary sustainable choices. ‘Electric vehicles’ is indeed an option to reduce the burden on the environment which is caused due to vehicle emission.
Ref. https://ecomobile.gouv.qc.ca/en/ecomobilite/tips/idling_engine.php
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