Frequently asked questions

The most common questions and answers. Also you can ask about matters related to environmentally friendly driving. You can send your questions by e-mail to the address: contact. 

 

1. How can one litre of petrol or diesel turn into more than two kg carbon dioxide?
Reply: Carbon dioxide is a result of combustion. For the combustion of one litre of petrol a very large amount of air (15-16 kg) is used. We get carbon dioxide as a result of combustion. 1 litre of petrol produces 2350 g of carbon dioxide when it burns. 1 litre of diesel produces 2660 g of carbon dioxide when it burns.
 
2. What is meant by “the greenhouse effect”?
Reply: The greenhouse effect is a climate change, and many different greenhouse gases have an impact on its development. The most important one is CO2. The warming up of the atmosphere causes different changes to the weather and it can even result in the melting of the polar caps. As a consequence of the phenomenon, the climatic temperature is rising on the earth.
 
3. What is the share of the carbon dioxide production generated by motor traffic?
Reply: The share of the carbon dioxide production generated by motor traffic in Finland is a little more than one fifth. Passenger cars account for about 10 % of all of the carbon dioxide emissions in Finland.

4. How does a catalytic converter work?
Reply: The catalytic converter heavily reduces the levels of nitrogen, oxides, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. Hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide (CO) are transformed in the catalytic converter into carbon dioxide and water and nitrogen oxides are turned into harmless nitrogen. A car equipped with a catalytic converter is not to be filled with leaded petrol. In Finland the sale of leaded fuel has stopped completely.

5. Will there be a carbon build-up in the motor as a consequence of economical driving?
Driving in a high gear and at suitably low revolutions does not cause carbon build-up of the motor. Modern motors are carefully fed the correct amount of fuel, which burns as completely as possible. In addition, the new and clean fuels contain so-called cleansing components which promote the cleaning of the motor.
 
6. Questions from the readers and those who have taken the course?
 Anybody can ask questions related to economical driving in this column. Send your question by using the contact form and follow the FAQ column.
The importance of using the car sensibly is highlighted from year to year with the steadily increasing fuel prices. Companies with motor vehicles can save energy, the environment and remarkable sums of money by training their staff to use an economical driving style.         

An EcoDriving course is a good way to start saving. It’s a training package that contains the most up-to-date information on the factors affecting energy saving and fuel consumption. The first EcoDriving course was held in Finland in the spring of 1997. In 1998 the training was started in Sweden and in 2000 in Norway.