Drive Less and Drive Clean

Transportation is California's largest source of carbon dioxide gas, the primary contributor to climate change. Cars and trucks that transport goods and people create approximately 38% of total climate change emissions. Driving green saves money and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

No-Cost Steps to Drive Less & Drive Clean

Drive your vehicle less

• Encourage employees to use transit, bicycles, and walk to work, meetings and events. Consider providing incentives to promote less driving!
• Increase the use of email, video conferencing, and telephones to eliminate travel time.

Optimize vehicle use

• Schedule travel so that multiple tasks can be accomplished with one trip.
• Use available software to optimize fleet vehicle route to achieve reductions in fuel use and emissions.

Simple, Low-Cost Investments to Drive Less & Drive Clean

Maximize efficiency

• Keep your tires properly inflated. Maintaining correct tire pressure and a tuned engine can save over a ton of greenhouse gases per year.
• Establish a policy against idling vehicles.
• Use cruise control on long trips and overdrive gears (if available).
• Remove excess weight from your trunk, and if you have a removable roof rack and aren't using it, take it off.
• Replace your air filter regularly. A clogged air filter can significantly reduce fuel economy.
• Provide employees with driver training and incentives for driving efficiently. Providing training in "eco-driving" behavior may result in average fuel savings of 5-10%.
• Change the oil according to the manufacturer's recommendations.
• Perform regular maintenance on all vehicles.

Longer Term Investments to Drive Less & Drive Clean

Use smaller, more efficient vehicles

• Downsize by matching duty requirements of staff to the smallest possible vehicle for the task. Smaller vehicles should be substituted for larger vehicle; phase in more fuel efficient vehicles as older vehicles are retired. Do not use 4-wheel drive or all-wheel drive vehicles unless absolutely necessary.
• Include fuel efficiency standards in bid specifications to ensure the most efficient vehicles are purchased. Bid specifications can be written based on minimum engine power to ensure only the smallest, most efficient vehicles necessary are purchased.
• If lifecycle costing is used when purchasing vehicles, include the cost of fuel in the calculations.

Consider using alternative fuel vehicles

Alternative fuels are compressed natural gas, ethanol, liquid natural gas, and propane. These fuels do not offer the same level of greenhouse gas benefits as electric-drive technologies, but they can provide a wide range of air quality benefits. Visit the Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center to find an alternative fueling station near you.

Consider purchasing electric drive vehicles

Electric vehicles powered by batteries and gasoline-powered generators (hybrids) save fuel costs and greatly reduce vehicle emissions (including local smog). They are appropriate for many tasks and, especially in the case of battery-powered electric vehicles, have much lower greenhouse gas emissions than standard internal combustion engine vehicles. Fuel-cell vehicles powered by hydrogen are even better and are increasingly becoming available.