A winner on efficiency and low emissions

The Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion Manual has won the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) Environmental Car Award presented at the 2009 AA Motoring Excellence Awards in Auckland tonight.

The VW Polo BlueMotion scooped the Award for the best fuel consumption and lowest CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre. The nominees were all participants in the 2008 AA ENERGYWISE Rally held last November and organised by the AA, EECA and Gull Petroleum.

The AA Motoring Excellence Awards aim to identify and reward excellence amongst new vehicles and in areas of concern to motorists. They also provide New Zealand motorists with an independent assessment to assist with their car purchases.

Congratulating the winner, EECA's Chief Executive Mike Underhill said: "This Award highlights that your choice of vehicle has a really big effect on the amount of fuel you use and in turn your carbon dioxide emissions - even across cars of a similar size. And cars that do the right thing by the environment don't sacrifice on style and comfort."

It's the second time in recent months that the VW Polo BlueMotion Manual has been awarded an environmental accolade. Last year it won the Environment Award at the 2008 AA ENERGYWISE Rally when it recorded 95.58 grams of CO2 per kilometre - the lowest among the Rally's 59 entrants over a challenging 1,626 kilometre course.

"The AA ENERGYWISE Rally clearly demonstrated how Kiwi motorists can get around for less and cut the environmental costs of their driving," said Mr Underhill.

"It highlighted not only is it important to purchase well but also to drive well. Choosing a fuel efficient vehicle will have a significant impact on fuel bills. And by changing driving habits, savings of up to 20% less fuel are possible. If every New Zealand motorist used 10% less fuel through efficient driving practices, it would be like taking over 250,000 vehicles off the road."

Mr Underhill said that in challenging economic times, both consumers and businesses are looking for ways they can manage costs and save money. And thinking about how they can economise on the road can have significant benefits.

New Zealand's transport sector is responsible for 45% of New Zealand's energy related greenhouse gas emissions. For every litre of fuel used by an average sized car 2.5 kg of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. A typical Kiwi car will produce around twice the car's weight in emissions every year - multiply that by the 2.5 million light passenger vehicles in New Zealand and it's a staggering amount of emissions.

Tips to travel more energy efficiently

EECA encourages businesses and consumers to consider the environmental impacts of each vehicle journey and to make purchasing choices based on efficiency and utility to save fuel, emissions and costs. You can cut your car's fuel bills by as much as 20% simply by changing your driving style and keeping your car well tuned. This effectively gives you over two months' worth of free fuel a year.

These 12 top tips can help you to reduce travel costs:

1. Consider fuel efficiency of vehicles when making your purchasing choice. Look for the Vehicle Fuel Economy Label on all new cars for sale, to help you compare between vehicles
2. Choose the smallest vehicle for your needs. Consider the typical load and terrain you'll be traveling on most frequently, when choosing engine capacity
3. Slow down. Driving over the speed limit on the open road increases fuel costs by up to 10%
4. Drive smoothly and look ahead. Maintain a safe following distance and you'll keep at a more constant speed. This uses less fuel than accelerating and braking all the time
5. Watch your air con use. Having the air-conditioning on uses up to 10% more fuel
6. Keep the load down. Each 50kg of extra weight increases fuel consumption by around 2%
7. Combine trips to reduce mileage, where possible
8. Plan journey routes and times to minimise fuel use
9. Turn your vehicle engine off to reduce fuel used in idling and carbon emissions
10. Consider car pooling, when possible
11. Consider bio-fuels instead of petrol or diesel, where it's available
12. Regular maintenance. Check tyre pressure, wheel alignment, engine timing, air filter and spark plugs. If your tyre pressure is too low you could be wasting 5% of your fuel.