Monday June 16, 2008

Slow Down For Peak Oil : Airplanes, ships, cars ease off throttle to save fuel

As we approach global peak oil production, with crude oil prices hitting new record highs above $130 per barrel and gasoline, diesel and jet fuel prices rising in tandem, the idea of slowing down to conserve fuel is coming back into fashion - pressdemocrat.com reports that the idea of the 55-mph speed limit is resurfacing :

Want to save money in the face of spiraling gasoline prices? Slow down. A national 55-mph speed limit helped America weather the Arab oil embargo of 1973. Gasoline consumption stopped growing the next year and remained nearly flat for the next decade. But it was never popular and political pressure prompted its undoing in the late 1980s. Now, with gasoline at $4.50 a gallon in California and people forced to make sacrifices, some officials are suggesting a similar strategy. The California Energy Commission, for example, notes that vehicles lose roughly 1% in fuel economy for every mile per hour driven above 55 mph. A car that averages 30 mpg [12.8 km/l] at 55 mph [88 km/h] typically gets 25.5 mpg [10.8 km/l] at 70 mph [112 km/h], the commission said.

Slowing down ought to be a rather obvious solution as air resistance, or drag, increases as a factor of the square of the velocity, but you can't really expect your average Joe Six-Pack to be thinking about the drag equation as he barrels down the highway cursing conservative drivers and hypermilers in his way - they are all road hogs to him. It would take higher prices still, and a much bigger hole in the wallet, to convince (bludgeon might be a better word) the average driver into slowing down voluntarily.

It is the same story everywhere. People generally buy cars to go places fast first, and save the planet second. Or third. Or dead last - if they ever think about that at all. If I drive at the typical expressway speed limit here in Singapore at 90 km/h (56 mph) or just slightly above that at 95 km/h (59 mph), I get honked at, flashed at, and people generally acting as though I am hogging the road like some darned farm truck. Anyone who is going faster than I am is both flouting the law and wasting fuel, but like I said, it would take higher prices, perhaps $200 oil, to really significantly change behaviour.

There are some hopeful signs, however. As oil prices hit $130 and over since May 2008, hybrid sales have been taking off here in Singapore. I've jumped on board the bandwagon myself, and I've ordered a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid (FD3), due to arrive in a couple of months or so. The sales agent told me that these have been selling like hotcakes in recent weeks and that the order backlog is piling up, and the local Civic forums are abuzz with new owners proudly proclaiming that they have taken delivery or are sending in orders for their own copies of the Civic Hybrid. The real-time mileage meters are a great help - you can see for yourself the effect that your driving has on your mileage. So change is starting to happen with oil prices at these levels - slowly at first but surely.

And the practice of slowing down to save fuel is not limited to cars either. The Guardian has reported that cargo ships can also save marine diesel fuel and cut CO2 emissions by slowing down : The role of cargo ships in exacerbating climate change is about to come under scrutiny. The solution? Slow down. Speed limits in the world's shipping lanes will be proposed today [15 Jun 2008] by Ruth Kelly, the transport secretary. Studies suggest that, although ships use less fuel than planes or lorries to carry a tonne of cargo, the industry is so big that it accounts for up to 4.5% of global emissions of carbon dioxide. Norwegian-based Wilh Wilhelmsen, the world's biggest car shipper, has already asked customers to accept slower deliveries. CEO Ingar Skaug said that dropping average speeds of 18-19 knots by just 2 knots could save 5% of fuel use and emissions alone.

Airlines, already being bludgeoned (that's a good word isn't it?) by sky-high jet fuel prices, have responded by both cutting flights and cutting jobs. In addition, nowadays they are also flying slower to conserve fuel, as reported on MSNBC : Airlines are adding a few minutes to flights to save millions on fuel. Southwest Airlines started flying slower about two months ago, and projects it will save $42 million in fuel this year by extending each flight by one to three minutes. Several smaller airlines have filed for bankruptcy protection in recent weeks, many citing high fuel costs. Fuel costs have also resulted in sharp first-quarter losses by some airlines. But slowing down to conserve fuel can only be pushed so far: Below a certain speed - which varies depending on the plane - an aircraft's fuel usage can actually rise. Airlines must strike a delicate balance, seeking an aircraft's "sweet spot" on fuel use without slowing down so much that other costs, and flight delays, rise.

As correctly pointed out, slowing down by itself is only part of the story. Below a certain speed, which depends on the vehicle, internal mechanical resistance rises to the point where it becomes more significant than drag resistance and fuel consumption rises again. For cars, the sweet spot can be found typically somewhere between 60-90 km/h [37-56 mph], and for most transmissions it's best to keep the tachometer at 2000 rpm or slightly below.

We could slow down, and we could try all kinds of technological measures, but above all, we also need less demand. Skip a flight and save 100% on your air ticket cost as well as 100% of the CO2 emissions and fuel you would otherwise have consumed. Plan your routes carefully to combine multiple chores and you will be driving less to achieve more. Things like that add up.

See also :

1. Peak Oil, Peak Airlines - as oil prices go up, airlines cut flights and jobs
2. Two major Chinese airlines including China Southern Airlines to cut flights over jet fuel costs
3. Angry citizens protest as Malaysia eliminates subsidies, raising petrol prices 40% overnight
4. Malaysia petrol and diesel price hike to bite Singapore hard, worsening record inflation rate

(2008-06-16 09:13:27 SGT) [Energy] Permalink

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