If you’re looking for a carefree way to travel, look no further than cruise control! This method of transportation is perfect for those who want to sit back and enjoy the ride. With cruise control, you can set your speed and relax while the car does the work. You can even take a nap if you’d like! Just be sure to keep an eye on the road in case you need to make any sudden stops.
With gas prices on the rise, many people are looking for ways to cut back on their fuel consumption. One method that is often touted as a way to save gas is using cruise control when driving on the highway. But does cruise control actually save gas, especially when driving on hills? In this research article, we will cover the answer to the question “Does Cruise Control Save Gas” in a detailed way.
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Does Cruise Control Save Gas
If you drive in a non-flat area such as in streets, heavy traffic, or hilly areas that increases fuel consumption due to repeatedly accelerating and braking. Non-flat areas increase fuel consumption because the cruise control cannot read the road the way the driver can.
The cruise control cannot read the gradient changes. It means that a surface on which one end or side is at a higher level than another, as a result, your cruise control will keep the power on for a little longer as it is unable to see slopes.
It depends upon where you drive, if you drive in a flat area such as a motorway, then it can save gas. Conversely, if you drive in a non-flat area such as in hills or heavy traffic, then it might not save you the gas. Now stick with me to break this down for you more comprehensively.
Cruise control can help you use less gas by driving on a long straight road; on the other hand, driving on streets or stop-and-go traffic does not save gas. According to greencarreports.com, the study showed a 5 to 7 percent drop in fuel consumption for cars driving with adaptive cruise control compared with human drivers.
In general, having a constant speed can increase fuel mileage even if you are not using cruise control. However, away from using constant speed even if you use the cruise control on non-flat roads or in stop-and-go traffic, you are still using high fuel.
Constant speed increases fuel efficiency, whereas varying the speed repeatedly from low to high and high to low can increase fuel consumption. According to natural resource Canada, you use 20% more fuel by varying speeds up and down between 55mph (90km/h) to 75mph (120km/h) compared to constant speed.
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Some people drive very aggressively, they accelerate heavily and suddenly brake, such kind of driving is not fuel-efficient, and this aggressive driving cause more fuel consumption. The harder you accelerate the more fuel you use, it is better to drive smoothly by using appropriate acceleration and brake.
This aggressive type of driving can increase fuel consumption. Because if you rapidly accelerate, you consume a high amount of fuel, which can travel you a few meters more. But if you brake in middle, you might not reach the point the consumed fuel can. As a result, your fuel is wasted.
According to fueleconomy.org, aggressive driving (rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. Aggressive driving can lower your gas mileage by roughly 15% to 30% at highway speeds and 10% to 40% in stop-and-go traffic.
So, using cruise control on flat areas such as motorways can help you save gas. It saves gas by driving at a constant speed since the driver does not accelerate and brakes frequently.
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Old cruise control systems might not save you much money as compared to modern cruise control systems. Because the old cruise controls aggressively return to the Resume speed by consuming a little more gas, but the modern cruise control accelerates gently and smoothly saving you a little more money.
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By looking ahead at how the traffic is behaving; you can do good judgments in advance to slow down the car. So, you will consume less fuel by taking your foot off the accelerator pedal and saving more money. Try to maintain a steady speed and avoid unnecessary acceleration to save fuel.
Although, the latest version of adaptive cruise control will adapt the speed of the car by sensing the change in the car’s speed ahead of your car. According to research conducted in Europe, adaptive cruise control reduces fuel consumption by 2.8 percent on highways.
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In general, cruise control can be an extra drain on the battery of electric cars, which can reduce car traveling range. However, it will save the battery charge by keeping a steady speed compared to its uses.
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