Profile of oil industry and fuel saving tips
- Part 2 -

SI Singh *

A Petrol pump in Imphal on July 20 2013 :: Pix - Deepak Oinam

10. GIVE IT UP

· Domestic LPG is heavily subsidized by the Government of India and every cylinder that we use in our kitchen carries a substantial subsidy. This translates to a huge annual subsidy burden on the Government, draining precious resources which otherwise could have been used in developmental activities. Subsidy on domestic LPG instead of being universal needs to meet the needs of the truly needy citizens.

Fortunately, many able and aware citizens are not in favour of subsidies and would rather pay the full price for the products and, thereby they also make a personal contribution towards nation building. There is a need to spread this message. Accordingly, the Government has launched 'Give It Up' campaign which is aimed at motivating LPG users who can afford to pay the market price for LPG to voluntarily surrender their LPG subsidy.

· Hon'ble Prime Minister has launched nationwide campaign in continuation of launch of 'Pahal' Scheme for direct transfer of benefit i.e. subsidy in LPG on 27.3.2015. The call of Hon'ble Prime Minister to voluntarily give up LPG subsidy was further carried forward through print and electronic media as well as the social media. The conscientious citizens of the country volunteered in the noble cause and give up their subsidy. As on 21.12.2015, more than 55 lakh LPG consumers became part of the `GiveItUp' campaign across the country.

· The subsidy given up is in turn utilized in giving LPG connection to needy BPL families. The names of individuals give up the subsidy are displayed in scroll of honour and also, details of connection given to a BPL family are messaged to the consumer who had given it up.

· The Give It Up has become a social movement in the country, whereby the act of individuals has helped in saving substantial outgo and same time, enabling the government to extend LPG connections to BPL families.

11. SWACHHA BHARAT MISSION

OMCs have initiated a campaign to provide clean toilet at all the Retail Outlets (ROs). The Government had advised Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to revise the existing provision of Marketing Discipline Guidelines (MDG) – 2012 pertaining to provision of facilities including clean toilet (Male & Female) at ROs.

Accordingly, the revised provision pertaining to availability of clean toilets has been classified under "major irregularity" and the penalty provisions have also been suitably amended by the OMCs. As on 31.08.2015 OMCs have a total number of 51,202 ROs across the country, out of 49,817 ROs have toilet facility which includes separate toilet facilities for gents and ladies at 17,443 ROs. OMCs have informed that they will provide toilet facilities at remaining ROs by 31.03.2016.

12. ETHANOL BLENDED PETROL PROGRAMME

In order to improve the availability of ethanol, the Government on 10.12.2014, inter-alia, decided to fix the delivered price of ethanol in the range of Rs.48.50 per litre to 49.50 per litre, depending upon the distance of distillery from the depot/installation of the OMCs, inclusive of all central and statutory levies, transportation cost etc, which would be borne by the ethanol suppliers. Further, ethanol produced from other non-food feedstocks besides molasses, like cellulosic and ligno cellulosic materials including petrochemical route, has also been allowed to be procured subject to meeting the relevant BIS Standards.

13. BIO-DIESEL

The Government has issued notification on 10th August, 2015 to allow the sale of Bio-diesel (B100) by private manufacturers to bulk consumers like Railways, State Transport Corporations and other bulk consumers.

NOW LET US CONSIDER SOME GOOD DRIVING HABITS WHICH WILL ENABLE US TO SAVE FUEL IN OUR DAY TO DAY DRIVING-

1) Drive between 45-55 Km/H: Drive slow and steady. The faster you go, the more wind resistance your vehicle will face. If you go at speeds above 60 Km/H, you will waste petrol. Tests on Indian cars prove that you can get up to 40 % extra mileage at 45-55 Km/H as against 80 Km/H.

2) Avoid accelerating or decelerating unnecessarily. Avoid banking by anticipating stops and curves well in advance. Tests show that a reduction in speed leads to no appreciable rise in commuting time. Much less than what most people think.

3) Keep your engine healthy: Tests on a large number of cars prove that you can save as much as 6% by tuning your car regularly. If your engine emits black smoke, has poor pulling power or consumes large quantities of oil, get it checked immediately at a reputed garage. A delay, may prove more expensive in terms of petrol and oil as compared to the cost of an overhaul.

Use of bi-metallic spark plugs saves over 1.5% fuel and reduces exhaust emissions too. Get your car serviced at every 5000 kms.

4) Drive in the Correct Gear: Incorrect gear shifting can lead to as much as 20% increase in fuel consumption. Start your car in the 1st gear only, except if you are in a muddy patch or going downhill then engage the 2nd gear. For city driving, change to a higher gear when you are sure the engine will not struggle. Get into top gear as soon as possible. Use same gear for uphill and downhill journey.

5) Don't wait for your car to warm up: Instead, drive in low gear till the engine warms up. Use choke briefly only when necessary. At 10°C and below, your fuel consumption per kilometer doubles when you make trips of 5 kms or less. So combine trips. Do not park a car so that you have to reverse with a cold engine This will consume more fuel. Install engine-heating system (in cold regions) in your car if it does not have one.

6) Good Braking Habits: Stop-and-go driving wastes fuel. When you slam on the brakes, a lot of useful energy is wasted in the form of heat. A good driver always anticipates stops.Test wheels for free rotation when your car is being serviced. Binding of brakes restricts free wheel movement and the engine consumes more petrol in order to overcome resistance. Check wheel alignment at regular intervals.

7) Keep your Foot off the Clutch: Use clutch only when you change gears. Riding the clutch causes loss of energy and damages clutch-linings. Use your handbrake when stopped on an upgrade and don't forget to release it when restarting. Don't manipulate the clutch and accelerator to stay stationary because it wastes fuel.

8) Clean Air Filter Regularly: Air filter prevents dust from Fouling the engine. Dust causes rapid wear of engine components and increases fuel consumption. Cylinder bores wear out 45 times faster in engines without air-cleaners. Clean air filters at every time-up.

9) Watch Your Tyre Pressure: Under inflated tyres increase rolling resistance, which leads to higher petrol consumption. Tests show that a 25% decrease in tyre pressure can cost you 5-10% more on petrol and 25% on tyre life. Use radial tyres for 3-7% fuel economy, longer tyre life and greater riding comfort.

10) When you stop your car, stop engine:Always keep your car ready to start. Keep the battery, dynamo, self-starter and fan-belt in good condition. This will ensure a quick start whenever you need it.

11) Use the Recommended grade of oil: Check the car manual and oil manufacturer's recommendations, before using any particular grade of oil. Always use multi-grade oil equivalent to SPCC/SGCC type for added benefits.Engine oil that is thicker than the recommended oil can cause 2% increase in fuel consumption. Change oil filter along with engine oil.

12) Plan Your Route: Rush hour, or stop-and-go traffic, can waste fuel excessively. You will get more mileage from each litre if you take a less congested route, even though it is slightly longer. Fuel consumption in a highly congested road can be double the normal.

13) Reduce Loads: Unnecessary loads increase fuel consumption. A reduction of weight by 50 kg can lead up to 2% saving in fuel, when driving in the city. Remember that overhead racks increase wind resistance leading to higher fuel consumption.

14) Share Your car-for car pools: Look for people who go in the same direction as you. You can share your car and the costs.

Let us remember "Clean Fuel".

INDHAN HO SWACHH JAN GAN RAHEIN SWASTH"

Concluded ...