大象传媒

In recent weeks, the fuel crisis and the credit crunch have combined to make life very difficult for anyone on tight margins - but all of us are feeling the pinch in one way or another.

We've covered a number of stories with the fuel crisis as their heart. Here are a few of them...

Air Ambulance's woes

It's not just car drivers who're feeling the effects of rising oil prices - the Staffordshire Air Ambulance says it's hitting them hard too, with it's fuel bills expected to go up by 60 percent. Managers say it could cost them an extra 拢130,000 a year to run their three helicopters.

The County Air Ambulance needs 拢5.5 million a year to run its life-saving service. But managers say the increase in oil prices could leave the charity looking for thousands of pounds in additional funds.

They say the air ambulance burns 245 litres of jet fuel every hour, with the helicopters flying over 2,000 hours every year. Its hourly fuel bill is currently 拢104, but from October 2008, when their fixed price deal ends, it could go up by 60% to around 拢170 an hour.

Energy costs rise for the pottery industry

A Stoke-on-Trent pottery company says it's facing a one million pound rise in its electricity bill, because of rising fuel prices.

Churchill China make dinner ware in Tunstall. At the moment they spend 拢2.2 million on energy, but Paul Smith, who is the production director, says they were expecting it to go up sharply. He explains the issue in our interview - click the link below for more...

Bus routes

As the credit crunch begins to bite, one Stoke on Trent bus company will have decide in the coming months to either cut routes or raise fares.

Dave Reeves owns D&G buses based in Adderley Green which has been running ten years. He explains the issue in our interview - click the link below for more...

Hi-tech haulage

A haulage firm in Stoke-on-Trent's developed a piece of computer software to work out how much pollution its lorries are putting into the air.

Haultech in Tunstall wants to show its customers the carbon footprint of the journeys it makes for them. The hope is it'll encourage them to fill their trailers as much as possible so they have to make fewer journeys and use less fuel. Hear our interview - click the link below for more...

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Guide To Economical Driving

Motorists are wasting thousands of pounds on fuel because they think going fast is economical.听听 A survey for "What Car?" shows 62% of motorists reckon they're driving most efficiently between 50mph and 60mph.听 Not true. Tests by What Car? show the economical reality is that the slower you go, in as high a gear as possible, the more you'll save.

So if we slow down, we'll save cash. And if we stick to 70mph on the motorway we could save 拢1.20 every eight minutes. And if we change up from fourth to sixth and we could cut bills by 25%

The slower you go, the more you could save. The research also shows that a car driven at 100mph uses roughly five times as much fuel as one travelling at 50mph.

Here, 大象传媒 Radio Stoke takes a look at the various ways you can drive more ecnomically and alternatives to the petrol/diesel engine...

ADVICE

Where possible drive with the windows up to reduce drag and make your fuel consumption more efficient.

Try not to be in a hurry. Stressed driving can be erratic and is uneconomical. Simply relax and try to enjoy the trip.

Try not to beat the lights. The chances are that if you hit a red light and then try to beat all the following lights, you will rush but miss them anyway. If you drive at a more sedate speed you will usually find that by the time you reach the next light it will have turned green again.

Air conditioning should be limited as it uses more fuel.

Keep your speed down as driving at 50-60 mph means your emissions will be lowest. Driving over 70mph will rapidly increase your emissions. It can cost you up to 25% more in fuel to drive at 70mph compared to 50mph.

Avoid unnecessary revving or idling of the engine as this uses more fuel.

Harsh acceleration and braking can use up to 30% more fuel and can cause increased wear and tear on the vehicle.

Control your speed Speed limits are there to be observed, but did you know that travelling at less than 15mph creates the most pollution? As your speed increases up to 60mph, your level of pollution decreases. Travelling over 60mph increases your level of pollution again.

Careful motorway driving will improve safety and traffic flow. The concertina effect caused by one motorist breaking sharply often results in traffic slowing to a near stop due to the delayed reaction of drivers behind. If we try to observe the car three or four ahead and give ourselves some distance from the car in front we can anticipate and judge the necessary speed.

When you see a car brake up ahead, simply remove your foot off the accelerator. By the time you get close to the car in front the chances are that they will have speeded up. You can almost make yourself responsible for stopping the concertina.

Switch off the engine if you think you will stationary for more than two minutes.