How To Save Electric Power And - Toyota RAV4 2000 Owner's Manual

How to save electric power
and make your vehicle last
longer, too
Getting more mileage per full charge is
easy just take it easy. It will help make
your vehicle last longer, too. Here are
some specific tips on how to save money
on both power and repairs:
D
Keep your tires inflated at the cor-
rect pressure. Underinflation causes
tire wear and wastes power. See Sec-
tion 8−2 for instructions.
D
Do not carry unneeded weight in
your vehicle. Excess weight puts a
heavier load on the traction motor,
causing greater electric power
sumption.
D
Accelerate slowly and
Avoid jackrabbit starts.
D
Avoid continuous speeding up and
slowing down. Stop−and−go
wastes power.
D
Avoid unnecessary stopping
braking. Maintain a steady pace. Try
to time the traffic signals so you only
need to stop as little as possible or
take advantage of through streets to
avoid traffic lights. Keep a proper dis-
tance from other vehicles to avoid sud-
den braking. This will also reduce wear
on your brakes.
D
Avoid heavy traffic or traffic jams
whenever possible.
140
D
Do not rest your foot on brake ped-
al. This causes premature wear, over-
heating and poor power saving.
D
Maintain a moderate speed on high-
ways. The faster you drive, the greater
the electric power consumption. By re-
ducing your speed, you will cut down
on power consumption.
D
Keep the front wheels
alignment. Avoid hitting the curb and
slow down on rough roads. Improper
alignment not only causes faster tire
con- wear but also puts an extra load on
the traction motor,
wastes power.
smoothly.
D
Keep the bottom of your vehicle free
from mud, etc. This not only lessens
weight but also helps prevent corro-
driving
sion.
D
Keep your vehicle tuned−up and in
and
top shape. Brakes not adjusted, etc.
will lower motor performance and con-
tribute to poor power saving. For long-
er life of all parts and lower operating
costs, keep all maintenance work on
schedule, and if you often drive under
severe conditions, see that your ve-
hicle receives more frequent mainte-
nance.
Never turn off the traction motor to
coast down hills. Your power steering
and brake booster will not function
unless the motor switch is at "ON"
position.
in proper
which, in turn,
CAUTION