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Auto Transport Tips: Reduce Unnecessary Weight Caused By Gasoline

The day has finally arrived. The big move is here. All of your boxes and bags are packed and loaded up, ready to be re-located to your new residency. All that remains to be shipped are your own personal means of transportation- your automobiles. Finding a proper company to take care of shipping your car is a decision that should be researched. Rates and other such information should be gathered and compared. Once a decision has been made and a company has been chosen it is time to prep your automobile for the actual trip.

When shipping your car there are many questions which may arise. Do I need to drop the vehicle off or will it be picked up? Is it possible to transport personal belongings in the car while it is being transported? Is it cheaper for me to drive it as opposed to having it professionally transported? These questions are endless and can easily be researched and answered by respected auto transporting companies. There are also certain “tips” which if taken into consideration can help with the efficiency in which the transportation takes place. One request which many transportation companies make is that before shipping a car, no more than 1/4 of a tank of gasoline should be present in the tank at the time of the move.

The reason for this is to assist in the fuel efficiency of the truck which is actually transporting the other vehicles. One gallon of gasoline weighs approximately 5.93lbs to 6.42lbs per gallon depending on type, temperature, and blend. Blends containing methanol as opposed to water or benzene will vary in weight per gallon. Obviously, the maximum capacity of the tank will vary depending on the size and make of the vehicle. Assuming that the trucks car load consisted of ten vehicles, averaging eighteen gallon tanks- all of which were filled up to maximum capacity, the truck would be carrying 1155.6 lbs of gasoline added on to the weight of the gasoline in the trucks tank.

Now, using the same scenario, we will calculate the weight of gasoline when the autos tanks are filled only 1/4 of maximum capacity. If there are only 4.5 gallons of gas in each of the tanks, the weight is reduced to a combined 288.9 lbs. This is a significant drop in weight and can contribute to the overall efficiency of the transport. The less weight the truck is hauling in cars, the more resourcefully it travels per gallon. So when you're prepping your car for cross country transportation, remember, in this case less is better!

We've all heard them at some point in time. Whether it was that ear piercing racket that wrestled you out of a deep sleep, or the irritating annoyance pestering you while you’re working at the office, car alarms are all around us. These alarms are meant to protect our vehicles by providing an alert system in an attempt to prevent break-ins and other damages. Also, just some minor visible evidence of a car alarm acts as a great deterrent against vandalism and other such acts. A sticker depicting an alarm system or a “fake alarm” which consists of an LED light inside the drivers side door which flashes when the vehicle is off are two examples of visible evidence. However, it is important for those with car alarms to understand the proper process in which to turn the alarm off.

Let's say you're getting out of your car and for whatever reason your alarm starts to go off. Immediately people start to scowl and stare. There is a way to get this insanity to stop! Rather than panicking yourself, try and remain as calm as possible. In doing so you will enable yourself to make clear, concise decisions as opposed to becoming frantic and fumbling around. If you are within a reasonable distance from the vehicle, utilize the electronic key-chain control to turn off the alarm. If you’re inside of or close to the vehicle when the alarm sounds simply get into the car and turn the vehicle on, as this will turn the alarm off.

Also, familiarize yourself with the sound your alarm makes. By successfully being able to identify the sound, it will save time in disabling it. Also, if another alarm is going off, you won’t activate yours trying to “turn it off.” There are certain situations where these steps will, for whatever reason, not disable the alarm. If this should occur there are a few options which can be utilized. Locate the vehicles fuse box and remove the alarm fuse. No damage can be done if the wrong fuse is removed, so if it isn’t clearly labeled try removing it. If the alarm continues to sound replace the fuse and try removing another. Once this has failed there is one additional option. Disconnecting the negative connection to the battery will silence the alarm, but will also prevent the vehicle from starting.

It is important to identify with your vehicles owner/operator manual. This will assist in educating you on the specific features of your vehicle.

One of our auto transport tips is to turn off your car alarm before shipping. The method suggested above of removing the fuse is one way to ensure that your alarm doesn't "irritate" the drive during transportation.

Because of the nature of auto shipping, it’s important to know how early in advance you need to book your shipment. Shipping companies will need ample time to find a trucking company to ship your vehicle with, so typically the earlier you book your transport the better. You don’t need to book six months in advance or anything like that; rather, a week or two is the preferred time. This will allow the company that is shipping your vehicle plenty of time to find a truck and get your vehicle assigned to it.

If you’re in a rush, some companies offer 24-hour pickup or ten-day expedited service; however, this isn’t true of all companies, so make sure you find one that will do it before you book your transport. As always, you should do your homework before booking with a company, and be aware that it will be more expensive to utilize 24-hour pickup or ten day expedited service; keeping this in mind, it’s best to arrange your transport well in advance.

Now, I know we've spoken about the Aptera before, but now you can really see it in action, and the great thing is that the vehicle is set to go into mass production later this year for sale within the United States, despite the US government's lack of interest in it. As stated before, it's fully electric, and can typically range around 100 miles per charge and can actually be recharged by simply plugging it into a regular electric outlet at your home.

There's even a gasoline-powered version, which is stated to receive up to 100 miles per gallon, due to its low weight and small amounts of drag. The vehicle already has 4,000 orders, and the California-based company has plans to make around 10,000 initially, with a price tag of between $25,000 - $40,000, depending on which version the consumer wants: fully electric, hybrid, or traditional power train.

We can't wait until someone calls needing auto transport for one of these!

References:
Wheeled car of the near future
Interview with Aptera