Cars and driving

Air quality standards in tunnels are generally met.
Image courtesy of the RTA

While air quality standards are generally being met around tunnels, you can reduce your exposure to vehicle emissions.

When travelling through tunnels, close all windows and vents and re-circulate air.

Visit the NSW Health website for information about tunnels and a 2002 study into personal exposure to air pollutants via different modes of urban transport.

If you would like more information on the effects of air pollution on asthma, contact NSW Health on 02 9816 0234 or the Asthma Foundation NSW on 1800 645 130.

Air quality standards in tunnels are generally met.
Image courtesy of the RTA

While air quality standards are generally being met around tunnels, you can reduce your exposure to vehicle emissions.

When travelling through tunnels, close all windows and vents and re-circulate air.

Visit the NSW Health website for information about tunnels and a 2002 study into personal exposure to air pollutants via different modes of urban transport.

If you would like more information on the effects of air pollution on asthma, contact NSW Health on 02 9816 0234 or the Asthma Foundation NSW on 1800 645 130.

Car pooling and car sharing is a great way to reduce the number of cars on the road.
Image courtesy of TravelSmart

Ever noticed how many cars on the road have only one person in them? Share rides with friends or set up a car pool for your workplace instead. It's a great way to take cars off the road – every person in your car is one less car on the road.

By alternating days with even one driver, you'll save quite a bit of money, not just in fuel but also in maintenance costs as the number of kilometres you travel each week more or less halves.

There is a wide range of commercial and free car pooling schemes operating across the state including.

Western Sydney Carpool – despite the name this service covers the whole of Sydney, with a focus on those commuting to the Western Suburbs. Clear the air is a financial supporter of this initative.

North of Sydney try:

Northern Rivers Carpool 

Mid North Coast Carpool 

If these do not cover your area enter the search terms "car pooling nsw" or "car pooling sydney" into your favourite search engine to find a scheme operating in your area.

The TravelSmart website has more on car pooling.

Car pooling and car sharing is a great way to reduce the number of cars on the road.
Image courtesy of TravelSmart

Ever noticed how many cars on the road have only one person in them? Share rides with friends or set up a car pool for your workplace instead. It's a great way to take cars off the road – every person in your car is one less car on the road.

By alternating days with even one driver, you'll save quite a bit of money, not just in fuel but also in maintenance costs as the number of kilometres you travel each week more or less halves.

There is a wide range of commercial and free car pooling schemes operating across the state including.

Western Sydney Carpool – despite the name this service covers the whole of Sydney, with a focus on those commuting to the Western Suburbs. Clear the air is a financial supporter of this initative.

North of Sydney try:

Northern Rivers Carpool 

Mid North Coast Carpool 

If these do not cover your area enter the search terms "car pooling nsw" or "car pooling sydney" into your favourite search engine to find a scheme operating in your area.

The TravelSmart website has more on car pooling.

A great alternative to owning a car is sharing one. Especially if you don't drive every day but need a car every now and then or just on weekends. Generally, car share schemes work like this:

• You pay a monthly fee to get access to the car network. This generally comes to less than what you'd pay in car repayments or for car rental.
• You reserve a car in advance either online or by phoning.
• Cars can be picked up from and returned to designated car spaces.
• You don't have to pay for petrol, insurance or maintenance and you never have to clean a car again!

It makes car sharing a great way to get into the habit of planning your trips and relying less on cars.

Having a car can cost anything from $120 - $415 a week, depending on the type of car you drive. That's a lot to pay, especially for light drivers. Save money and join a car share scheme. The City of Sydney website outlines the many benefits of car sharing.

Work out how much you're paying to have your own car with the NRMA calculator. It takes into account everything from capital costs to comprehensive insurance for more than 450 types of cars.

The Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts website has more information on the history and future of car share.

A great alternative to owning a car is sharing one. Especially if you don't drive every day but need a car every now and then or just on weekends. Generally, car share schemes work like this:

• You pay a monthly fee to get access to the car network. This generally comes to less than what you'd pay in car repayments or for car rental.
• You reserve a car in advance either online or by phoning.
• Cars can be picked up from and returned to designated car spaces.
• You don't have to pay for petrol, insurance or maintenance and you never have to clean a car again!

It makes car sharing a great way to get into the habit of planning your trips and relying less on cars.

Having a car can cost anything from $120 - $415 a week, depending on the type of car you drive. That's a lot to pay, especially for light drivers. Save money and join a car share scheme. The City of Sydney website outlines the many benefits of car sharing.

Work out how much you're paying to have your own car with the NRMA calculator. It takes into account everything from capital costs to comprehensive insurance for more than 450 types of cars.

The Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts website has more information on the history and future of car share.

There are 'anti-tampering' rules which make it an offence to disconnect emissions reduction equipment in a vehicle. The rules are enforced by police and council officers through random inspections operations.

If you're replacing one type of equipment with another, make sure your vehicle still complies with its original emissions limits (i.e. for that particular year model).

There are 'anti-tampering' rules which make it an offence to disconnect emissions reduction equipment in a vehicle. The rules are enforced by police and council officers through random inspections operations.

If you're replacing one type of equipment with another, make sure your vehicle still complies with its original emissions limits (i.e. for that particular year model).

Cars have come a long way. Emissions from new cars have been reduced by 32-67 per cent through tighter standards. New standards for car and truck emissions introduced in 2008-09, cut emissions even more.

Just think - a car manufactured between 2003-2007 has almost a third of the carbon monoxide and NOx emissions as a car manufactured 10 years earlier.

Cars have come a long way. Emissions from new cars have been reduced by 32-67 per cent through tighter standards. New standards for car and truck emissions introduced in 2008-09, cut emissions even more.

Just think - a car manufactured between 2003-2007 has almost a third of the carbon monoxide and NOx emissions as a car manufactured 10 years earlier.

Image courtesy of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Green Vehicle Guide, 2008

Given the price of petrol these days, it's little wonder smaller, more fuel efficient cars are becoming increasingly popular. They can cost much less to run and re-fuel.

For example, if you travel the national average distance of 15,000 km per year and replace your big car (e.g. fuel consumption of about 10-15 L/100 km) with a smaller one (e.g. 5-8 L/100 km), you can save up to $40 a week in fuel costs ($2,080 per year) and $300 a week in running costs ($15,600 per year).

Look for the fuel consumption label on the windscreen of new vehicles - all new passenger cars, off road vehicles and light commercial vehicles sold in Australia must display these on the front windscreen. You can find out how many litres of fuel a vehicle will use to travel 100 kilometres and how many grams of carbon dioxide the vehicle would emit for each kilometre. There can be a 30% difference even between similar sized cars so it is important to check this. The lower the numbers, the better the vehicle.

Since October 2008, fuel labels on new model vehicles have shown both the urban and open road consumption figures. This applies to all new cars sold from April 2009. If you do most of your driving in the city, pay closer attention to the urban fuel consumption figure.

If you can't upgrade to a newer or more fuel-efficient vehicle or a hybrid consider using your car less, especially if it uses a lot of fuel or was manufactured before 1997 and is therefore more polluting.

Image courtesy of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Green Vehicle Guide, 2008

Given the price of petrol these days, it's little wonder smaller, more fuel efficient cars are becoming increasingly popular. They can cost much less to run and re-fuel.

For example, if you travel the national average distance of 15,000 km per year and replace your big car (e.g. fuel consumption of about 10-15 L/100 km) with a smaller one (e.g. 5-8 L/100 km), you can save up to $40 a week in fuel costs ($2,080 per year) and $300 a week in running costs ($15,600 per year).

Look for the fuel consumption label on the windscreen of new vehicles - all new passenger cars, off road vehicles and light commercial vehicles sold in Australia must display these on the front windscreen. You can find out how many litres of fuel a vehicle will use to travel 100 kilometres and how many grams of carbon dioxide the vehicle would emit for each kilometre. There can be a 30% difference even between similar sized cars so it is important to check this. The lower the numbers, the better the vehicle.

Since October 2008, fuel labels on new model vehicles have shown both the urban and open road consumption figures. This applies to all new cars sold from April 2009. If you do most of your driving in the city, pay closer attention to the urban fuel consumption figure.

If you can't upgrade to a newer or more fuel-efficient vehicle or a hybrid consider using your car less, especially if it uses a lot of fuel or was manufactured before 1997 and is therefore more polluting.

Burning fossil fuels like coal for electricity and oil for transport is responsible for a great deal of air pollution and greenhouse gases.

Where transport is concerned, there are some exciting new alternatives now available and even more being developed to reduce our dependence on oil. The greater the demand for these, the more investment they’ll attract and more feasible and affordable they’ll become.

• Hybrid cars

  The most readily available of the emerging new breed of cars are hybrids. These use electricity and petrol to power the motor: petrol when it’s accelerating, electricity when it’s slowing or idling. Unlike electric cars, they don’t need to be plugged in - their batteries are recharged by the petrol engine.

  While hybrids generally cost more to buy, they are likely to save you money in the long run as they can use up to 50 per cent less fuel than petrol only vehicles and produce up to 80 per cent fewer emissions.

  Of course, this depends on the load being carried and the sort of driving being done. Hybrids are ideal for commuting in urban areas where they’re generally driven at relatively low speeds. Travelling on the open road at high speeds, however, means the relatively small petrol engine has to work extra hard which reduces fuel efficiency.

• Electric cars

  While the technology for electric cars has been around for a while, they’re slowly making a comeback overseas. Designs range from high performance vehicles to stackable mini-cars that can be recharged at public recharging stations. All can be recharged using a standard power point.

  There are plenty of pros and cons with electric cars. In terms of air quality, they might not burn petrol but they still require coal to be burned in order to run on electricity and that still generates large amounts of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Then again, they could be run using electricity generated by renewable energy. The debate continues.

• Plug-in hydrogen electric vehicles (PHEVs)

  These are like normal hybrids except they have larger batteries and can be recharged from a regular power outlet.

  To find out more, visit the California Cars Initiative website and the US Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website.

• Hydrogen cars

  Hydrogen electric cars can work in two ways:

   

  • One runs on a hydrogen cell with converts hydrogen and oxygen into pure water and electricity which fuels the car. This generates no air pollution.
  • The other has a modified car engine which burns hydrogen to produce mostly water plus small amounts of NO_x and hydrocarbons.

  An ABC online fact sheet elaborates on this in very simple terms.

  The Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism website provides details on a Hydrogen Technology Roadmap being developed for the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) which will explore the potential to develop a hydrogen economy in Australia.

• Biofuels

  Biodiesel and ethanol are the most common forms of biofuels.

  • Biodiesel can be made from oilseed crops, recycled cooking oil or waste animal fat and is available at some service stations in NSW. To see if you can use it in your car, check with your car dealership as well as the fuel supplier to make sure it meets national fuel standards. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries website has more information.
  • Ethanol can be made from sugar or grain. A 10 per cent ethanol/petrol blend (E10) is available at most service stations but as it increases fuel consumption by about 3.5 per cent, make sure you pay around 3.5 per cent less for it. To see if your car can run on ethanol blended petrol, visit the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries website. One of the benefits associated with ethanol blended fuels is reduced PM_2.5 emissions. You can read about the health benefits associated with ethanol use in the Commonwealth Government report: Evaluating the Health Impacts of Ethanol Blend Petrol.

Burning fossil fuels like coal for electricity and oil for transport is responsible for a great deal of air pollution and greenhouse gases.

Where transport is concerned, there are some exciting new alternatives now available and even more being developed to reduce our dependence on oil. The greater the demand for these, the more investment they’ll attract and more feasible and affordable they’ll become.

• Hybrid cars

  The most readily available of the emerging new breed of cars are hybrids. These use electricity and petrol to power the motor: petrol when it’s accelerating, electricity when it’s slowing or idling. Unlike electric cars, they don’t need to be plugged in - their batteries are recharged by the petrol engine.

  While hybrids generally cost more to buy, they are likely to save you money in the long run as they can use up to 50 per cent less fuel than petrol only vehicles and produce up to 80 per cent fewer emissions.

  Of course, this depends on the load being carried and the sort of driving being done. Hybrids are ideal for commuting in urban areas where they’re generally driven at relatively low speeds. Travelling on the open road at high speeds, however, means the relatively small petrol engine has to work extra hard which reduces fuel efficiency.

• Electric cars

  While the technology for electric cars has been around for a while, they’re slowly making a comeback overseas. Designs range from high performance vehicles to stackable mini-cars that can be recharged at public recharging stations. All can be recharged using a standard power point.

  There are plenty of pros and cons with electric cars. In terms of air quality, they might not burn petrol but they still require coal to be burned in order to run on electricity and that still generates large amounts of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Then again, they could be run using electricity generated by renewable energy. The debate continues.

• Plug-in hydrogen electric vehicles (PHEVs)

  These are like normal hybrids except they have larger batteries and can be recharged from a regular power outlet.

  To find out more, visit the California Cars Initiative website and the US Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website.

• Hydrogen cars

  Hydrogen electric cars can work in two ways:

   

  • One runs on a hydrogen cell with converts hydrogen and oxygen into pure water and electricity which fuels the car. This generates no air pollution.
  • The other has a modified car engine which burns hydrogen to produce mostly water plus small amounts of NO_x and hydrocarbons.

  An ABC online fact sheet elaborates on this in very simple terms.

  The Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism website provides details on a Hydrogen Technology Roadmap being developed for the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) which will explore the potential to develop a hydrogen economy in Australia.

• Biofuels

  Biodiesel and ethanol are the most common forms of biofuels.

  • Biodiesel can be made from oilseed crops, recycled cooking oil or waste animal fat and is available at some service stations in NSW. To see if you can use it in your car, check with your car dealership as well as the fuel supplier to make sure it meets national fuel standards. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries website has more information.
  • Ethanol can be made from sugar or grain. A 10 per cent ethanol/petrol blend (E10) is available at most service stations but as it increases fuel consumption by about 3.5 per cent, make sure you pay around 3.5 per cent less for it. To see if your car can run on ethanol blended petrol, visit the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries website. One of the benefits associated with ethanol blended fuels is reduced PM_2.5 emissions. You can read about the health benefits associated with ethanol use in the Commonwealth Government report: Evaluating the Health Impacts of Ethanol Blend Petrol.

The Green Vehicle Guide rates all new Australian passenger, four-wheel drive and light commercial vehicles based on fuel consumption, and greenhouse and air pollution emissions.

You can look up the fuel consumption of cars made after 1986 listed by the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.

Check the cars on your shortlist for how well they perform in terms of fuel efficiency and air pollution emissions through the Car Ecometer on the Victoria EPA site.

The NRMA website lists all types of fuels available and the difference between them.

Learn more about biofuels on the CSIRO website.

The Green Vehicle Guide rates all new Australian passenger, four-wheel drive and light commercial vehicles based on fuel consumption, and greenhouse and air pollution emissions.

You can look up the fuel consumption of cars made after 1986 listed by the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.

Check the cars on your shortlist for how well they perform in terms of fuel efficiency and air pollution emissions through the Car Ecometer on the Victoria EPA site.

The NRMA website lists all types of fuels available and the difference between them.

Learn more about biofuels on the CSIRO website.