After driving to a destination, you leave your vehicle and go take your belongings with you. However some of the items in your car are staying in the car. Perhaps your hands are too full and you can't make a second trip back to the car. Whatever the reason is, the stuff in the car is staying put.
If it is possible, you should take the extra cargo out. According to the US Department of Energy, there is an approximate loss of 2 percent of your vehicle's miles per gallon for every 100 pounds of extra weight in your car.
This may not sound like a big deal. My old car gets about 22 miles per gallon of gasoline in city driving. 100 excessive pounds in my car reduces my mpg by .44 mpg and now I'm only getting 21.56 miles per gallon. I lose just under half a mile of driving on that gallon of gasoline. If I leave that stuff in the car and keep driving, I waste more gasoline, spend more money, and pollute more.
Normal 22 MPG vs. 21.56 MPG due to 100 extra pounds
I can go 220 miles on 10 gallons of gas. I can go 215.6 miles on 10 gallons of gas.
With 100 gallons of gas, I can go 2200 miles. With 100 gallons of gas, I can go 2156 miles
With 200 gallons of gas, I can go 4400 miles. With 200 gallons of gas, I can go 4312 miles.
While the difference is not great, even considering driving for longer periods, it is still important to reduce our energy consumption. The next time you exit your vehicle, consider taking everything out with you. If many, many people reduce the extra weight in their car, the effect would truly become beneficial.
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