Ready to Use Facts

1. Idling gets you nowhere – and it can be costly. Excessive idling wastes an enormous amount of fuel and money and generates needless greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
   
   
2. If every driver of a light-duty vehicle in Canada stopped idling for just five minutes a day‚ collectively we would save 680 million litres of fuel per year. We would also prevent more than 1.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide – the main GHG – from entering the atmosphere annually.
   
   
3. In winter conditions‚ emissions from an idling vehicle are more than double the normal level immediately after a «cold start».
   
   
4. Warming up the vehicle means more than warming the engine. The tires‚ transmission‚ wheel bearings and other moving parts also need to be warmed up for the vehicle to perform well. Most of these parts don’t begin to warm up until you drive the vehicle.
   
   
5. With computer-controlled‚ fuel-injected engines‚ you need no more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days before driving away. Contrary to popular belief‚ the best way to warm up your vehicle is to drive it.
   
   
6. The catalytic converter – the device that cleans pollutants from the vehicle’s exhaust – doesn’t function at its peak until it reaches between 400°C and 800°C. Again‚ the best way to warm the converter is to drive the vehicle.
   
   
7. Idling emits more pollution if the vehicle’s catalytic converter isn’t working properly. Ask your technician to check the system the next time your car is being serviced.
   
   
8. Driving a vehicle cuts warm-up times in half. This reduces fuel consumption and GHG emissions.
   
   
9. Ten seconds of idling can use more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting it. If you’re stopped for more than 10 seconds – except in traffic – turn off the engine.
   
   
10. Every 10 minutes of idling costs you at least one fifth of a litre in wasted fuel – and up to two fifths of a litre if your vehicle has an eight-cylinder engine. Keep in mind that every litre of gasoline you use produces 2.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide.
    
    
11. Excessive idling can be hard on your engine. Because the engine isn’t working at peak operating temperature‚ fuel doesn’t undergo complete combustion. This leaves fuel residues that contaminate engine oil and make spark plugs dirty.
    
    
12. Restarting a car many times has little impact on engine components such as the battery and the starter motor. The wear on parts that restarting the engine causes adds about $10 a year to the cost of driving – money you can recover several times over in fuel savings.
    
    
13. It’s important to drive away as soon as possible after a cold start‚ while avoiding high speeds and rapid acceleration for the first five kilometres. This allows the whole vehicle to reach peak operating temperature as quickly as possible without paying a fuel penalty.
    
    
14. If your vehicle has a diesel engine‚ idling actually lowers the coolant temperature faster than shutting off the engine. In other words‚ switching off the engine keeps the engine warm longer.
    
    
15. A poorly tuned engine uses up to 15 percent more energy when idling than a well-tuned vehicle. Keeping your vehicle in good condition is a key to fuel efficiency and reduced GHG emissions.
    
    
16. Using a block heater is a more efficient and effective way to warm the engine than idling. A block heater warms the engine block and lubricants‚ which makes the engine start more easily and reach its peak operating temperature faster.
    
    
17. You don’t need to leave a block heater plugged in overnight to warm the engine – two hours is more than enough. In fact‚ you can use an automatic timer to switch on the block heater two hours before you leave.
    
    
18. Idling your vehicle with the air conditioner on (to keep the interior cool) can increase emissions by 13 percent.
    
    
19. A recent study suggests that in the peak of winter‚ Canadians voluntarily idle their vehicles for a combined total of more than 75 million minutes a day – equal to one vehicle idling for 144 years. We idle about 40 percent less in summer‚ but still waste an enormous amount of fuel and emit unnecessary pollution.
    
    
20. Warming up a vehicle is the most common reason given for idling – in both winter and summer! Canadians also say that they often idle while sitting in the drive-through lane of a fast-food restaurant or while waiting for someone.