GAS SAVER: DO THEY REALLY WORK? - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The gasoline or fuel saver is a device that is sold in secondary markets on the premise that it can reduce the exhaust emissions of any vehicle. Currently there are different types of devices and most of these seek to optimize ignition, fuel flow or air flow.

One of the first devices developed for the purpose of saving fuel was designed by Charles Nelson Pogue, a Canadian inventor who built a 200 mpg carburetor; this device consumed a liter of gasoline after the vehicle had passed 100 kilometers and was nicknamed by its inventor as a “catalytic carburetor”.

Devices that are sold as fuel savers can directly affect the fuel flow, ignition, or airflow of the vehicle. Source: pixabay.com

Despite the good intentions of these saving devices, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (located in the United States) has been able to verify that in most cases the devices have not contributed to the improvement of the economy of gasoline at an appreciable level.

In addition, the tests carried out by the magazine also managed to determine that these savers have not achieved strong improvements in terms of power or gasoline consumption. In some cases, it was even possible to corroborate that they actually produce a decrease in this power.

Other organizations that have reached the same results and that have a respectable reputation have been Consumer reports and the American Automobile Association, which shows that these devices still require many adjustments and improvements to convince users of their advantages.

Despite their bad reputation, fuel savers are very popular due to the difficulty in accurately calculating changes related to a car's gas economy, due to the high variations in fuel consumption: This implies that there was an improvement that does not really exist.

In fact, if there is an improvement after the placement of the device, this is usually due to the adjustment procedure that must be performed on the vehicle as part of the installation steps. This means that the mechanical adjustments caused the slight improvement; however, this is not a true fuel economy.

Assumed operation

The fundamental objective of gasoline savers is to reduce fuel consumption; however, its performance may vary depending on the type of device. Below are some of the energy-saving appliances and their supposed operation:

Specialized transmission accessories

These accessories modify the transmission system through sub-brand pulleys, which somewhat alter the amount of engine power that can be extracted by the device. These alterations in the systems of the compressors or alternators can be harmful to the vehicle, but do not modify its safety.

Magnetic Type Fuel Saver

The manufacturers of these types of energy saving devices claim that, to save fuel, hydrocarbons can pass through a magnetic field. This causes them to change their magnetic orientation: it organizes and aligns them, thus improving combustion.

According to information from PROFECO (Federal Consumer Prosecutor's Office), the molecules present in gasoline do not have magnetism, so they cannot be aligned by any magnetic field that is placed externally.

Furthermore, magnetic polarization processes require a magnetic field that can digest high levels of energy, and these small devices do not have those capabilities.

Oil and fuel additives

These liquid compounds are supposedly intended to improve fuel flow and are placed in the oil spaces of the vehicle. Generally speaking, the purpose of these compounds is to optimize the energy density of the fuel.

However, these additives sold as "engine treatments" can contain zinc, chlorine compounds or Teflon, elements that are neither useful nor appropriate for the engine, and therefore can cause severe damage to the vehicle.

Consequently, the Federal Trade Commission of the United States has aggressively targeted these additive sellers, who claim that their compounds optimize gasoline economy.

Vaporizer devices

Some vendors have stated that certain appliances can optimize gasoline economy efficiency by converting liquid fuel to vapor.

Consequently, these inventors claim that their product functions as a heater or device that increases or decreases turbulence within the intake manifold.

This system does not work, since the principle of transforming the liquid into vapor is already applied in the engine (that is, the engine itself has the ability to carry out this process).

Furthermore, the flow dynamics of each vehicle is very specific to each engine, so there is no universal device that can be applied to more than one type of engine.

Other electronic devices

There are certain electronic devices that are marketed as gasoline savers. For example, there is a device called the Fuel Doctor FD La-47 that works by connecting it to the vehicle's cigarette lighter, where it displays a series of LEDs.

The sellers of this device claim that it increases the vehicle's fuel economy by up to 25%, by conditioning the power of the vehicle's electrical system.

This sounds great in theory; However, the Consumer Reports company assured that the product has not generated any difference in the economy or in power.

To test this, the company analyzed ten different vehicle types and none showed significant changes. In conclusion, the North American branch assured that this electronic device "did nothing else, except illuminate."

The important magazine Car and driver also assured that the product consists of a circuit composed of LED lights that does not produce any kind of economic optimization. Because of this, the manufacturer had to face a series of lawsuits claiming that the device had no effect.

Have they been proven to work?

The idea of ​​saving fuel is very tempting for most users, since the cost of gasoline is generally very high. Also, due to the problems we face regarding global warming, many people and organizations want to reduce polluting emissions.

For this reason, it is not unreasonable to bet on the operation of these savers. Taking into account some regulations, it is considered that a gasoline saver works properly when it meets the following requirements:

- The device must guarantee fuel savings of at least 8%.

- It must be safe for the vehicle's engine, without generating collateral damage that affects the operation of the machine.

- It must necessarily comply with the regulations on polluting emissions.

- It should not be toxic to humans.

Negative results

However, most research has shown negative data on fuel savers. According to a study conducted by PROFECO, the following conclusions can be drawn about fuel savers:

- Most of the fuel savers did not generate any type of savings nor did they reduce polluting emissions; they also did not generate more power for the engine.

- Only one device managed to reduce pollutant emissions and increased fuel efficiency. However, this was achieved by a remarkably low percentage and through a highly toxic procedure.

- A case was presented in which a machine managed to save fuel; however, it did so in a very slight percentage that in the end does not make any significant difference.

- This machine mentioned in the previous point consisted of a system for washing the vehicle's engine internally, which does generate some fuel savings since a cleaner engine is more efficient.

Real ways / other ways to save gas

There are some ways to save gasoline that are not the product of devices or machines, but rather a series of precautions or recommendations that users can take into account when driving their vehicle. Some of these data are the following:

Maintain a moderate speed

An effective way to save fuel is to maintain a speed of no more than 80 kilometers per hour, as stipulated in traffic regulations.

By increasing speed and exceeding 100 kilometers per hour, the vehicle must consume more gasoline.

Avoid excessive use of air conditioning

Air conditioning can cause an unnecessary increase in gas costs. For this reason it is recommended to maintain a climate between 22 and 18 degrees Celsius, because by turning on the air, fuel consumption can increase up to 20%.

However, it is advisable to use the air conditioning when it is raining or on the road, to avoid fogging up the windshield or to prevent some particles from entering through the window that cause discomfort to the driver.

Avoid sudden acceleration or braking

Users are advised not to accelerate unexpectedly, as well as to brake gently. This means that the driver must maintain a delicate driving, avoiding sudden starts or braking.

References

1. González, B. (2018) Do fuel additives really work? Retrieved on July 30, 2019 from Pulpomatic: blog.pulpomatic.com
2. Name, P. (2018) 7 effective ways to save gas. Retrieved on July 30, 2019 from Entrepreneur: entrepreneur.com
3. SA (2018) Gas Saver: Does It Really Work? Retrieved on July 30, 2019 from Progas: progas.com.mx
4. SA (sf) 10 fuel savings tips. Retrieved on July 31, 2019 from Shell United Kingdom: Shell.co.uk
5. SA (sf) Fuel saver. Retrieved on July 30, 2019 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org
6. SA (sf) Fuel savings in small fishing vessels. Retrieved on July 30, 2019 from FAO: fao.org
7. SA (sf) How to know fuel when driving. Retrieved July 30 from Money Advice Service: moneyadviceservice.org.uk