How does not using your vehicle increase MPG?

[SwiftAnon]

i read this and people say to bicycle or walk more, but how does this increase mileage on the cars?

[Frank Lee]

Are you serious?

[RedDevil]

If I take my car to go shopping I will typically get 8 l/100 km or about 30 mpg over the 2 km or so. Cold start, slow speed, parking crawl etc.

My commute sees 3 times that economy.
I see my tank average FE drop every time I do something local.
Even though those trips to the shop are short and don't waste much fuel overall, they do add up.

So if weather/family allows I walk to the shops; less miles, better FE.

If it does not I take my car.
If I took my wife's car instead I'd improve on the average FE for her car as well as my own, but it would be a false gain as it still would use more fuel than mine does.
The FE for the two cars combined would be lower while each car apart would get better FE...!
This seems impossible, but is just the implication of putting more miles on the car with bad FE and less on the one with good FE.

[deejaaa]

Originally Posted by 1marcelfilms

i read this and people say to bicycle or walk more, but how does this increase mileage on the cars?

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Are you serious?

my thought exactly. sounds like a troll.

[Fat Charlie]

I'll bite.

It's because you're travelling more miles and not burning any gas. More miles with less gas = more mpg.

[Hersbird]

Short trips where walking or biking would be possible, are the trips where your car gets the worst MPG. It takes a little while to warm up and then you orbit a parking lot or look for a street space just to shut it off and do it all over again. It's also good to plan and group a day of errands or shopping for the same reason. One 10 mile outing in Wednesday is better for FE then 5, 2 mile outings every single weekday.

[SwiftAnon]

Originally Posted by RedDevil

If I take my car to go shopping I will typically get 8 l/100 km or about 30 mpg over the 2 km or so. Cold start, slow speed, parking crawl etc.

My commute sees 3 times that economy.
I see my tank average FE drop every time I do something local.
Even though those trips to the shop are short and don't waste much fuel overall, they do add up.

So if weather/family allows I walk to the shops; less miles, better FE.

If it does not I take my car.
If I took my wife's car instead I'd improve on the average FE for her car as well as my own, but it would be a false gain as it still would use more fuel than mine does.
The FE for the two cars combined would be lower while each car apart would get better FE...!
This seems impossible, but is just the implication of putting more miles on the car with bad FE and less on the one with good FE.

Thanks. it kinda makes sense now

[RedDevil]

Originally Posted by 1marcelfilms

Thanks. it kinda makes sense now

I bet you can take the Spartamet to 300 mpg if you just do long trips on it

[freebeard]

i read this and people say to bicycle or walk more, but how does this increase mileage on the cars?

I'd have to see a link to understand the context. Mileage or MPG?

[sheepdog 44]

Practical explanation. if i want to go to the lake, i park half a mile away at the base of the steep hill, then walk uphill to the lake. This way i can cutout all the parts of driving that give bad mpg. My car is then only averaging the nice flatland areas and keeping the mpg higher.