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Idling and climate change go hand in hand

Climate change is a global problem, but a big part of the solution lies in the hands of individuals – including the millions of Canadians who drive vehicles every day.

What exactly is climate change? Scientists believe increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are trapping heat near the earth's surface. This is causing global temperatures to rise, which in turn is triggering changes in climate. We're already seeing the early impacts of climate change in Canada, with severe weather events in some parts of the country, but it could get much worse. Unless action is taken, climate change could put Canada's forests and water supply at risk, endanger plant and animal species, and harm human health.

Human activities, particularly the combustion of fossil fuels, are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. And Canadians' love affair with the car – we own more of them and drive them farther than ever before – is a big part of the problem. In fact, the transportation sector is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.

For every litre of gasoline used, the average car produces about 2.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide (<ACRONYM title="Carbon dioxide">CO<SUB class=small>2</SUB></ACRONYM>), the principal greenhouse gas. This is unavoidable with today's internal combustion engines. But we can avoid producing unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions by reducing or eliminating wasteful vehicle idling.

Emissions from idling vehicles are needless and can be easily prevented – all it takes is the turn of a key.

If every driver of a light-duty vehicle in Canada avoided idling for just five minutes a day, we would prevent more than 1 million tonnes of <ACRONYM title="Carbon dioxide">CO<SUB class=small>2</SUB></ACRONYM> from entering the atmosphere each year. That would represent a huge contribution to Canada's climate change efforts.

Health impacts of idling

Carbon dioxide is only one by-product of fuel combustion – the vehicles Canadians drive every day also generate other toxic substances that are fouling our air, contributing to urban smog and threatening our health.

Studies by Health Canada and community health departments and agencies have shown a direct link between contaminants in vehicle emissions and significant respiratory health effects. These studies have concluded that poor air quality and smog – caused in part by vehicle exhaust – are resulting in increased hospital admissions, respiratory illnesses and premature deaths, particularly in urban areas.

In fact, Health Canada estimates that more than 5000 Canadians die prematurely each year because of air pollution, and thousands more become unnecessarily ill. Children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution because they breathe faster than adults and inhale more air per kilogram of body weight. Air pollution also causes unnecessary difficulty for elderly people and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

These health problems could become even more common and pronounced as climate change progresses. That's because climate change results in more frequent and severe heat waves, which tend to make smog and air pollution worse. One way to head off the problem is to stop unnecessary idling. Our air would be cleaner, and respiratory health would improve in our communities.

For more information on health and climate change, visit the Web site of Health Canada's Climate Change and Health Office. Information about respiratory issues is available from the Canadian Lung Association.

Idling wastes fuel and money

One of the most powerful arguments in favour of reduced idling is an economic one. Unnecessary idling wastes fuel – after all, idling gets us nowhere – and wasted fuel is wasted money.

Many Canadian fleet operators have implemented idling policies to reduce their fuel costs and improve their competitiveness. (In some heavy-duty vehicles, electronic engines can be programmed to shut down after a certain period of idling.) With today's high fuel prices, individual Canadians might be well-advised to consider adopting a personal idling policy.

Idling a vehicle for 10 minutes a day uses an average of 100 litres of gas a year. At 70 cents a litre, a driver could save $70 a year in gasoline costs just by turning off the engine. If every driver of a light-duty vehicle in Canada were to avoid idling for just five minutes a day, we would collectively save 1.6 million litres of fuel and more than $1 million!

There is lots of opportunity to achieve that goal. Research indicates that Canadian motorists idle their vehicles an average of 5 to 10 minutes a day. One 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 – equivalent to one vehicle idling for 144 years! We idle about 40 percent less in summer, but it still amounts to an enormous waste of fuel and money.

There's another issue to consider. Gasoline is derived from crude oil, a non-renewable resource. We're not in danger of running out in the near future, but crude oil reserves in Canada and around the world are dwindling – why waste this precious resource?

To sum up, gasoline is costly, its use has significant environmental impacts, and there's not an endless supply – three good reasons not to waste fuel through unnecessary vehicle idling.

We've developed a model Personal Five-Step Action Plan to help Canadians change their vehicle idling habits. Individuals can make a difference, especially when they act together.

News flash! Idling is not good for your engine

Perhaps the greatest myth about idling is that it's good for the engine. The truth is that excessive idling can actually damage a vehicle's engine.

Contrary to popular belief, idling is not an effective way to warm up a vehicle, even in cold weather. The best way to do this is to drive the vehicle. Today's electronically controlled engines allow you to drive away after only 30 seconds of idling, even on the coldest winter days.

Excessive idling can be a problem for a few reasons:

• First, since an idling engine is not operating at its peak temperature, fuel combustion is incomplete.
  
• As a result, fuel residues can condense on cylinder walls, contaminate oil and damage engine components. For example, these residues tend to deposit on spark plugs. With more engine idling there is a drop in the average plug temperature and accelerated plug fouling. This can increase fuel consumption by 4 to 5 percent.
  
• Excessive idling can cause water to condense in the vehicle's exhaust. This can lead to corrosion and reduce the life of the exhaust system.
  

There's another good reason for motorists to drive away soon after starting a vehicle. The engine is only one component of a vehicle. Other parts, such as the wheel bearings, steering, suspension, transmission and tires, also need to be warmed up, and the only way to do that is to get the vehicle moving.

Another common misconception is that it's better to let an engine idle than to continually shut off and restart the vehicle. Research has shown that frequent restarting has little impact on engine components such as the battery and starter motor. Component wear caused by restarting is estimated to add $10 per year to the cost of driving, money that can be recovered several times over in fuel savings from reduced idling.

<TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width=450 bgcolor=#cccccc summary="A good rule of thumb for smart, idle-free driving is this:"><TBODY><TR><TD>A good rule of thumb for smart, idle-free driving is this:

• If you are going to be parked for more than 10 seconds, turn off the engine. Ten seconds of idling can use more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting it
  

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


Block heaters save fuel and help the environment

Starting a vehicle on a cold winter day can be hard on the engine and the environment. The best way to get around this problem is to use a block heater when the temperature drops below 0°<ACRONYM title=Celcius>C</ACRONYM>.

Here's the problem

When an engine starts up, it pumps oil through the engine block to lubricate moving parts. In a cold engine, the oil is thick and resists flow, so the engine has to work harder to overcome internal friction. As a result, the engine uses more fuel and creates more pollution in the first minutes after a cold start than when it reaches normal operating temperatures.

Fuel combustion is also less efficient in a cold engine, and the air-fuel mixture is richer – in other words, there is more fuel than needed in the mixture, and less air. The combined effect is a sharp increase in pollutants. Since a vehicle's catalytic converter doesn't work when it is cold, all of the engine's emissions pass through the exhaust untreated.

Here's the solution

A block heater is an inexpensive device that warms the coolant, which in turn warms the engine block and lubricants. The engine will start more easily, reach its peak operating temperature faster and won't have to work as hard to pump oil through the block.

At –20°<ACRONYM title=Celcius>C</ACRONYM>, block heaters can improve overall fuel economy by as much as 10 percent. For a single short trip on a cold day, fuel savings could be in the order of 20 percent.

An automatic timer can be used to turn on the block heater a couple of hours before the vehicle is to be started.




Well, what is block heater? Is there anybody who can give more instructions?

MonNan

Then one question, please

How to fix BLOCK HEATER (ENGINE HEATER) with the engine? Thanks!

davidpal

请教各位，你的车在冬天需要热车多久暖气才暖呢？谢谢！

Post by ymcse
不考虑温度因素，汽车启动后最初的一段时间是耗油量最大的时候，通常情况下：启动后即开出，头一公里的百公里油耗约100升（没错！是100升每百公里），第二、三公里约为20升左右，第四公里及以后，水箱温度才会上升到比较正常的工作温度，油耗相应也才降到正常值。

所以专家得出的结论是：冬天热车，最多一分钟即可开出，但速度不能快，慢慢给油门走，30即可，等走出三四公里，水箱温度上到三分之一后再加速走。否则原地热车时，发动机转速一直上不去，温度也就很难上去，由此造成的油耗和空气污染也是奇大，且对发动机没有什么好处。但也不能走入另一个极端，就是一发动就加油门冲出去，原因大家都知道就不说了。