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Idling Quiz – True or False?
- Statement: Idling uses more fuel than shutting off your passenger
car or light duty truck and restarting it.
Answer: True. Idling for more than
10 seconds burns more fuel than it takes to restart the engine.
- Statement: Prolonged idling
reduces the operating life of a vehicle’s engine
Answer: True. Excessive idling can damage engine
components, including your vehicle’s cylinders, spark plugs, and exhaust
system. A study comparing
idling versus restarting an engine found that the benefits of turning
off a car or light duty truck far outweigh the costs associated with
restarting it.
- Statement: You should warm up your engine before
driving your passenger car.
Answer: False. In most driving conditions,
reduce warm-up idling. You can start driving after no more than
30 seconds
of idling, assuming
your vehicle’s windows are clear.
- Statement: If you spend five minutes idling
each day, it can cost you an average of $38 a year in fuel.
Answer: True. Turning off your engine if idling
more than 10 seconds (except in traffic) saves fuel and reduces emissions.
- Statement: For every litre of gasoline burned,
2.4 kg of carbon dioxide enters our atmosphere. (Carbon dioxide is
one of the major “greenhouse
gases” that contributes to climate change).
Answer: True. (For diesel this would be 2.7 kg.
of carbon dioxide)
- Statement: Vehicle emissions contribute to health
problems.
Answer: True. Emissions from vehicle exhaust contribute
to asthma, chronic bronchitis, and other lung problems.
Student Handout #1
Idling Data Chart
Date and
Temperature outside |
Size and type of vehicle
(small truck, large car etc) |
Number of
minutes it idles |
Location |
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Student Handout #2
Sample Idling Data Chart
(Optional: data for students not doing survey)
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Date and
Temperature outside |
Size and type of vehicle
(small truck,
large car, etc.) |
Number of
minutes it idles |
Location |
Vehicle 1 |
Feb 20
34 below |
Small Car |
20 minutes |
At Northern Grocery |
Vehicle 2 |
Feb 20
34 below |
Large Truck |
18 minutes |
At Northern Grocery |
Vehicle 3 |
Feb 20
34 below |
Small Truck |
5 minutes |
At Northern Grocery |
Vehicle 4 |
Feb 21
40 below |
Small Truck |
25 minutes |
Neighbour home for lunch |
Vehicle 5 |
Feb 21
40 below |
Large Truck |
5 minutes |
Neighbour home for lunch |
Vehicle 6 |
Feb 21 |
Large Car |
30 seconds |
Neighbour in the morning |
Vehicle 7 |
Feb 21
40 below |
Small Car |
1 minute |
Neighbour in the morning |
Vehicle 8 |
Feb 21 |
Large Truck |
28 minutes |
Neighbour in the morning |
Vehicle 9 |
Feb 23
30 below |
Large Truck |
2 minutes |
Neighbour starting car in the morning |
Vehicle 10 |
Feb 23
30 below |
Large Car |
15 minutes |
At our home before we left for school in the morning |
Student Handout #3
Calculations for Determining GHG Emissions
(per minute of idling)
Vehicle Size |
CO2 emitted per minute of idling time |
Small compact car |
.05 kg or 50 grams per minute |
Mid-size car |
.07 kg or 72 grams per minute |
Large car |
.08 kg or 82 grams per minute |
Small truck |
.09 kg or 90 grams per minute |
Large truck |
.12 kg or 120 grams per minute |
SUV |
.13 kg or 130 grams per minute |
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