Weight And Fuel Efficiency: The Surprising Answer

Yes, a heavier car will burn more fuel. A heavier vehicle requires more energy to operate than a lighter vehicle, and when powered by liquid fuels, such as gasoline and diesel fuel, a heavier vehicle uses more fuel. Heavier cars require more energy to get them up to speed, and they have more inertia, which means it takes more gas to generate that inertia.

Heavier cars require more energy to get them up to speed

A heavier vehicle requires more energy to operate than a lighter vehicle. When powered by liquid fuels, such as gasoline and diesel fuel, a heavier vehicle uses more fuel and thus has greater lifecycle health and environmental impacts across the energy supply chain.

To keep the car moving, one has to burn enough gas to overcome air resistance which is dependent on the cross-sectional area and aerodynamics for the vehicle, not the mass. That said, a loaded-down vehicle might sit lower to the ground and therefore have lower air resistance.

Heavier vehicles use more fuel and thus have greater lifecycle health and environmental impacts across the energy supply chain.

Heavier vehicles require more energy to operate than a lighter vehicle

A heavier vehicle requires more energy to operate than a lighter vehicle. When powered by liquid fuels, such as gasoline and diesel fuel, a heavier vehicle uses more fuel and thus has greater lifecycle health and environmental impacts across the energy supply chain.

To keep the car moving, one has to burn enough gas to overcome air resistance, which is dependent on the cross-sectional area and aerodynamics for the vehicle, not the mass. That said, a loaded-down vehicle might sit lower to the ground and therefore have lower air resistance.

If you only consider momentum, a heavier car will have greater momentum than a lighter one at the same speed. However, the amount of energy to move an object is related to its mass, and heavier means more energy required.

Heavier cars require more energy to get them up to speed, they have more inertia which means it took more gas to generate that inertia.

If you try to do this in a short amount of time (on ramp, passing, etc.), you're going to burn a lot of fuel because it requires tremendous power.

To keep the car moving, one has to burn enough gas to overcome air resistance

Heavier cars require more energy to get them up to speed, they have more inertia which means it took more gas to generate that inertia. A heavier car will have greater momentum than a lighter one at the same speed.

If you only consider momentum, sure, a heavier car will have greater momentum than a lighter one at the same speed. A loaded-down vehicle might sit lower to the ground and therefore have lower air resistance.

The amount of energy to move an object is related to its mass, and heavier means more energy required. If you try to do this in a short amount of time (on ramp, passing, etc.), you're going to burn a lot of fuel because it requires tremendous power.

My friend and I have had a debate over the past few years about cars on long road trips. He says that a car that is "loaded down" with weight will get better overall gas mileage due to momentum on the interstate. My view is that the amount of energy to move an object is related to its mass, and heavier means more energy required.

A heavier car will have greater momentum than a lighter one at the same speed

When powered by liquid fuels, such as gasoline and diesel fuel, a heavier vehicle uses more fuel and thus has greater lifecycle health and environmental impacts across the energy supply chain.

To keep the car moving, one has to burn enough gas to overcome air resistance which is dependent on the cross-sectional area and aerodynamics for the vehicle, not the mass.

If you only consider momentum, sure, a heavier car will have greater momentum than a lighter one at the same speed.

Heavier cars require more energy to get them up to speed, they have more inertia which means it took more gas to generate that inertia.

The amount of energy to move an object is related to its mass

To keep the car moving, one has to burn enough gas to overcome air resistance, which is dependent on the cross-sectional area and aerodynamics for the vehicle, not the mass. That said, a loaded-down vehicle might sit lower to the ground and therefore have lower air resistance.

If you only consider momentum, a heavier car will have greater momentum than a lighter one at the same speed. Heavier cars require more energy to get them up to speed, they have more inertia which means it takes more gas to generate that inertia.

My friend and I have had a debate over the past few years about cars on long road trips. He says that a car that is "loaded down" with weight will get better overall gas mileage due to momentum on the interstate. My view is that the amount of energy to move an object is related to its mass, and heavier means more energy required.

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