Blur Bunny, 27-06-2008

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Petrol... Checked

The Implication of Petrol price increase

Most of the people I know are caught off guard by the recent increase in petrol price. Many of us feel the pinch (more like a slap on the face) when we need to fill up our gas tank. It used to cost RM65 for a full tank of petrol but now I need to top RM30 more. My car’s fuel consumption it’s not too bad, just around 22cents per kilometer.

I still remember the day before it happened. It’s just like any other Wednesday, I knocked off work early to catch a movie with my mom after dinner. The traffic was bad when I hit Jalan Tun Razak, I thought it’s just the usual traffic congestion but boy… I was wrong. I got stuck for an hour at Jalan Tun Razak, another hour at Jalan Kinabalu heading to Jalan Istana and one more hour to reach home. I was frustrated, bummed and pissed. I have one word to all the people who had caused the unnecessary jam by rushing to the petrol station for a last minute fill up, FUCDIOT! (f#@king idiot). You’ve wasted 1-2 hours queuing up for petrol which is going to save you a one time only… what… RM50?! But did you calculate the time and fuel wasted while waiting, and also the traffic congestion that you caused? Silly people…

Inhale… exhale… feel much better now… please pardon my potty mouth :P

Normally, I can go around 380km with one full tank but by applying a few changes to my driving habit, I’ve managed to increase it to around 450km. That’s 70km extra per full tank and 280km extra per month. Isn’t it wonderful :)

Driving tips:

1. Only switch on the air-cond when it’s necessary. I usually drive to work and back without switching on the air-cond. It’s still cold in the morning, therefore I can make do without it and the weather in the evening it’s not too warm either, the most I’ll just sweat a little which I don’t mind at all because I’ll be taking a shower once I reach home.
2. Keep to the speed limit. Speed devil please be kind to the accelerator. It’s proven that you’ll save 20-30% fuel traveling on 80kmph on a highway rather than 110kmph. So please adhere to the speed limit, drive smart and safe!
3. Check you tyre pressures regularly. I used to check my tyre pressures once every month or whenever I feel something is not right. But now I do them fortnightly. An under inflated tyre can increase your fuel consumption.
4. Drive smoothly. Minimize aggressive accelerating and braking which will save up to 40% of fuel!.
5. Don’t need to warm up the engine in the morning. I used to do that every morning, revving my engine until the temperature needle goes up. It’s a waste of fuel and time. Just start the engine, make sure everything is working and drive straight off. There’s no winter in Malaysia, so warming up is unnecessary.

On an unrelated note, this is a new commercial directed by Yasmin Ahmad (i'm a big fan!) for Singapore Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. Love the bra joke... quirky and heartwarming.