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How to get out of the energy crisis, according to top technology experts

<p>Low-emissions technology and renewable energy are the way out of the current energy crisis, according to the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering.</p> <p>In its <a href="https://www.atse.org.au/news-and-events/article/here-and-now-the-state-of-low-emissions-technology-in-australia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new report</a> on the state of low-emissions technology, the academy emphasises that existing renewable energy sources – like solar, wind, batteries and pumped hydro – are mature technologies which will provide cheaper and more reliable energy in the long term.</p> <p>While they’re already a big part of our energy mix, it’s going to take more work before they’re dominant. According to the academy, Australia needs more policy, big infrastructure investments, and broad social support to transition completely to these technologies.</p> <p>“By deploying clean energy on the huge scale required to replace fossil fuels, we can eliminate nearly three quarters of global emissions and enhance global energy security,” says academy fellow Katherine Woodthorpe, former director of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and Vast Solar.</p> <p>“In Australia, it will also lead to cheaper and more reliable supplier pricing for onshore manufacturers as well as a potentially exportable resource.”</p> <p>Professor Renate Egan, research leader for the University of New South Wales at the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics says: “Australia-wide, we already get 32% of our electricity from renewables. And that’s actually doubled in five years.</p> <p>“We need that to double again. We can do it possibly in five years, but at least in 10 years.”</p> <p>At the centre of the transition lies our <a href="https://www.atse.org.au/news-and-events/article/here-and-now-the-state-of-low-emissions-technology-in-australia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">energy grid</a>. Formerly something that ran off a handful of big energy producers, the grid is becoming more and more complicated with the addition of smaller and more diverse energy sources – from rooftop solar, to large batteries and offshore wind farms.</p> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <div class="entry-content-asset"> <div class="embed-wrapper"> <div class="inner"><iframe title="Cosmos Shorts: What is the grid?" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KmCXCXa5loA?feature=oembed" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </div> </figure> <p>Egan refers to the modernising grid as an “internet of energy”.</p> <p>“With [energy] being generated in all different places and flowing in all different directions, we really need better monitoring, measuring and analysis of what’s going on, to allow us to make smart decisions,” says Egan.</p> <p>Fortunately, the technology now exists to manage this change too.</p> <p>“You’ll need smart sensors deployed pretty much everywhere producing a huge volume of data, with smart software to analyse and make use of that data,” says academy fellow George Maltabarow, the former managing director of Ausgrid.</p> <p>Academy fellow Professor Lachlan Blackhall, head of the battery storage and grid integration program at the Australian National University says: “This trend of distributed energy resources is actually happening globally.</p> <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p197575-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> </div> </div> <p>“We’re seeing a really significant increase in the decentralisation of all energy systems. But Australia is actually on track to have the most decentralised energy system of anywhere in the world.”</p> <p>Strengthening and diversifying the grid is particularly important, because electricity will be providing more of our energy in general.</p> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <div class="entry-content-asset"> <div class="embed-wrapper"> <div class="inner"><iframe title="Cosmos Shorts: What could our future electricity grid look like?" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hGWw3gF7Z9k?feature=oembed" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </div> </figure> <p>Maltabarow says the transition away from fossil fuels “is going to require electrifying just about everything”.</p> <p>This transition includes household gas supplies – although gas power stations will <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/gas-price-energy-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">likely still have a small role to play</a> as a peak transition fuel for the next few decades. <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/cosmos-briefing-electric-vehicles/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Electric vehicle</a> batteries could also provide some additional storage space for the grid to use.</p> <p>“We really do have all of the technology that we’re going to need, so it’s really important that we also focus on the social and the economic,” says Blackhall.</p> <p>“One of the key things that we do advocate for is actually an increase in the amount of social science research, in particular, that’s being done to actually go out and understand householder and community expectations and ensure that we have social licence for this very significant energy transition.”</p> <p>Social support is particularly important in the context of the current crisis, where energy prices are 115% higher than previous records, and <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/aemo-energy-market-gas-crisi/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trading was temporarily suspended</a> by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).</p> <p>“The current crisis has been a decade in the making,” says Maltabarow.</p> <p>“In the short to medium term, prices are going to increase. The challenge is to make sure that increase is minimised to the extent that we can.”</p> <p>Academy fellow Alex Wonhas, a member of the NSW Energy Corporation’s advisory board and former head of engineering and system design at AEMO says Australia “has the technologies to avoid a future crisis”.</p> <p>“However, we must act now to lay the foundation of a truly modern energy system,” Wonhas says.</p> <p>“That requires investment in a whole mix of different technologies.”</p> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=197575&amp;title=How+to+get+out+of+the+energy+crisis%2C+according+to+top+technology+experts" width="1" height="1" /></p> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/energy-crisis-escape-transition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/ellen-phiddian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ellen Phiddian</a>. Ellen Phiddian is a science journalist at Cosmos. She has a BSc (Honours) in chemistry and science communication, and an MSc in science communication, both from the Australian National University.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p> </div>

Technology

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5 tips to make your fuel tank last longer while prices are high

<p>The federal government’s announcement of a halved fuel excise is no doubt music to many people’s ears. Following Tuesday night’s budget release, the excise (a government tax included in the purchase price of fuel) was <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/fuel-excise-slashed-to-ease-petrol-prices-for-six-months-20220324-p5a7mp.html">halved</a> from 44.2 cents per litre to 22.1 cents.</p> <p>It should provide some respite from high petrol and diesel prices <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-disrupted-russian-gas-supplies-will-hit-global-and-australian-prices-178023">driven by</a>Russia’s war on Ukraine.</p> <p>However, the cut is only expected to last six months. And Treasurer Josh Frydenberg <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-29/lowdown-on-when-fuel-excise-cut-will-be-seen-at-bowsers/100949562">has said</a> it will take up to two weeks before fuel prices get cheaper (and potentially longer in regional areas). </p> <h2>The costs</h2> <p>Assuming it costs A$2 per litre for petrol and diesel fuel, and an average fuel consumption of about <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/tourism-and-transport/survey-motor-vehicle-use-australia/latest-release">11 litres per 100 kilometres</a> driven – driving a typical fossil-fueled passenger vehicle right now would cost about 20 to 25 cents per kilometre.</p> <p>You’re probably quite happy if you own an electric vehicle. With a <a href="https://mdpi-res.com/d_attachment/sustainability/sustainability-14-03444/article_deploy/sustainability-14-03444-v2.pdf">real-world electricity consumption</a> of 0.15 to 0.21 kWh per kilometre and <a href="https://www.canstarblue.com.au/electricity/electricity-costs-kwh/">electricity costs</a> of about 20 to 30 cents per kWh, your cost of driving per kilometre is about 3 to 6 cents. And if you can charge your vehicle’s battery for free with home solar panels, your cost per kilometre is $0.</p> <p>But for those of us who don’t own an electric vehicle, making the best use of our fuel tanks will be a priority. Here are some ways you can make your vehicle go the extra mile.</p> <h2>1. Use a smaller, lighter car</h2> <p>There are a number of things you can do to reduce your fuel use. The obvious one is to not use your car, but walk or grab your bicycle, if possible.</p> <p>If you do have to drive, try to minimise your total travel distance. One way would be to combine a number of errands into your journey and optimise your route.</p> <p>The specific vehicle you use also matters. As a general rule of thumb, <a href="https://www.transport-e-research.com/_files/ugd/d0bd25_9527cdcb01a84440a53308b3b5624320.pdf?index=true">the larger and heavier your car</a>, the more energy and fuel it will require per kilometre. Choosing a smaller car, rather than a large SUV, will definitely reduce your fuel bill. A large SUV will use almost twice as much fuel per kilometre as a small car.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360128516300442">Research</a> also suggests that for every 100kg increase in vehicle weight, fuel consumption increases by about 5% to 7% for a medium-sized car. So in addition to driving a smaller car, it’s best to reduce your load and avoid driving around with extra weight. </p> <h2>2. Use eco-driving techniques</h2> <p>The way you drive is important too. Eco-driving involves being conscious of your fuel consumption and taking actions to reduce it. There are various ways to do this.</p> <p>Every time you brake and stop, you have to accelerate again to reach your desired speed. Acceleration uses a lot of energy and fuel, so driving smoothly, anticipating traffic and preventing stops will lead to savings on your fuel bill. </p> <p>What you want to do is flow with the traffic and keep your distance from other vehicles. It also helps to keep an eye further up the road, so you can avoid obstacles and therefore unnecessary braking and acceleration. </p> <p>If you’re in the minority of people who own a manual vehicle, drive in the highest gear possible to reduce engine load and fuel use. And if you’re in an automatic vehicle, use the “eco” setting if you have one.</p> <h2>3. Give your engine and climate a break</h2> <p>Another simple tip is stop unnecessary idling with the engine still engaged. A small car typically uses one litre of fuel per hour while idling, whereas this is close to <a href="https://www.transport-e-research.com/_files/ugd/d0bd25_2485b61095ed48f29bea980a73e74240.pdf?index=true">two litres per hour</a> for a large SUV. </p> <p>Of course, we idle regularly while waiting in traffic and generally can’t do much about that, other than trying to drive outside peak hours when roads are less congested. In other cases, we can change things. For instance, idling when a vehicle is parked will use up fuel unnecessarily.</p> <h2>4. Turn off the AC</h2> <p>Most people may not realise this, but using your air conditioner can use up quite a bit of extra fuel: somewhere between 4% and 8% of total fuel use. Using the fan instead will require less energy than air conditioning. Or even better, wind down the windows for a bit for fresh air when you are driving in the city. </p> <h2>5. Tend to your tires and consider aerodynamics</h2> <p>It also pays to keep your <a href="https://www.racq.com.au/car/greener-motoring/racq-ecodrive-research-study">tires inflated</a>, which can save you between 2% and 4% in fuel use. </p> <p>Also, your car is designed to be aerodynamically efficient. Anything that changes that, including roof racks, bull bars and bike racks, will come with an additional fuel penalty – particularly at higher speeds, such as on the freeway.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/5-tips-to-make-your-fuel-tank-last-longer-while-prices-are-high-180134" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p>

Travel Tips

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10 ways to get better fuel mileage – and pay less at the pumps

<p><strong>Get better fuel mileage by driving slower</strong></p> <p><span>Hard acceleration in stop-and-go driving costs you 20 per cent in fuel mileage. If you live your life in rush hour traffic and like to put the pedal to the metal, spend all your extra time at the next traffic light figuring out how you could have spent the money you’re wasting.</span></p> <p><strong>Get better fuel mileage by keeping your tyres at the right pressure</strong></p> <p><span>Surveys show that 60 per cent of the vehicles on the road have tyres that are under-inflated by at least 30 per cent. That’s at least 9 psi below the manufacturer’s recommended pressure. That can cost you almost 7 per cent in wasted petrol. Plus, low air pressure causes premature tyre wear, and that can cost almost $300 over the life of the tyres. For best results, check your tyre’s air pressure with a digital pressure gauge (from any auto parts store) and fill to the recommended pressure shown on the decal inside the driver’s door or on the driver’s door pillar.</span></p> <p><strong>Save on fuel by changing spark plugs</strong></p> <p>If your 160,000-km spark plugs have 130,000 km on them, they’re 80 per cent worn. Misfires and incomplete combustion occur more frequently during that last 32,000km, costing you hundreds of dollars in wasted fuel. You have to replace your spark plugs anyway, so do it early and pocket the savings. Even if you have to replace the plugs one extra time over the life of your car, you’ll still come out way ahead. And don’t automatically assume your plugs are good for 160,000km. Many four-cylinder engines require new spark plugs at either 50,000- or 100,000-km intervals.</p> <p><strong>Get better fuel mileage by changing your air filter</strong></p> <p><span>Your engine sucks in 53-million litres of air through the filter every year. On older vehicles (pre-1999), a dirty air filter increases fuel usage by almost 10 per cent. On newer vehicles, the computer is smart enough to detect the lower airflow, and it cuts back on fuel. So your engine will lack power and pick-up. Check the filter when you change your oil and replace it at least once a year, or more if you drive in dirty, dusty conditions.</span></p> <p><strong>Save on fuel by keeping your car aligned</strong></p> <p><span>If your tyres are bowed out of alignment by just 4.2cm, it’s the equivalent of dragging your tyre sideways for 164km for every 32,000 you drive. That’ll cost you hundreds a year in wasted fuel. It will also wear your tyres faster, costing you hundreds more. Here’s an easy way to check your alignment without taking your car in to the shop: Buy a tread depth gauge and measure the tread depth on both edges of each tyre (rear tyres too). If one side of the tyre is worn more than the other, your car needs to be aligned.</span></p> <p><strong>Get better fuel mileage by replacing a broken or missing spoiler</strong></p> <p><span>The plastic air dam (aka “spoiler”) that’s broken or missing wasn’t installed just for a sporty look. If your car had an air dam, driving without it or with a damaged one can reduce your fuel mileage. The air dam literally “dams off” airflow to the undercarriage of your car, forcing the air up and over the hood. That helps your car cut through the air with less drag. It also increases airflow to the A/C condenser and radiator, reducing the load on your car’s electrical system.</span></p> <p><strong>Get better fuel mileage by reducing drag</strong></p> <p><span>Yes, you’ve heard it before, but how about some real world numbers to drive the point home? Aerodynamic drag is a minor concern in city driving, but it really kills your petrol mileage at speeds over 90km/h. In fact, increasing your speed to 105km/h increases drag by 36 per cent! If you do a lot of highway driving, getting to your destination a few minutes early could cost you hundreds of dollars extra a year. Keep it closer to 90km/h and use your cruise control. It will pay off.</span></p> <p><strong>Get better fuel mileage by replacing oxygen sensors before the dashboard warning light goes on</strong></p> <p><span>Oxygen sensors monitor the efficiency of combustion by tracking the amount of oxygen remaining in the exhaust. But they degrade over time and that can cost you up to 15 per cent in fuel mileage. When they fail, the computer lights up your “service engine soon” light, forcing you to incur a diagnostic fee. (Here’s why you should never ignore your car’s check engine light.) On pre-1996 vehicles, replace your oxygen sensor every 96,000km to keep your mileage at its peak. On 1996 and newer vehicles, replace the sensors every 160,000km. Oxygen sensors vary in cost, from around $65 to over $300. Some vehicles have as many as four, but the sensors installed behind the catalytic converter rarely fail.</span></p> <p><strong>Replace your cabin air filter</strong></p> <p>A clogged cabin air filter can damage your car’s blower motor and cause your AC to run longer and harder in the summer. Cabin air filters are easy to access and replace and you’ll save money by doing it yourself. Buy a replacement cabin air filter at any auto parts store and ask the retailer to print out the installation instructions. Cabin air filters are usually located in the air ducts behind the glove box in late model vehicles. However, some car makers locate them in the cowling or console area. Just remove the access covers and slide out the old filter. Note the direction of the airflow arrows so you can install the new filter in the proper orientation. Then reinstall the covers and you’re done.</p> <p><strong>Keep an eye on warning lights</strong></p> <p><span>Pay attention to your dashboard warning lights. Car owners think a glowing check engine light isn’t important because it just means you’ve got an “emissions problem.” Guess what? Emissions problems are almost always caused by an incomplete burn and that means you’re not getting the most bang for your buck. In other words, a check light means you’re wasting fuel. Worse yet, all that extra fuel goes right into your expensive catalytic converter, causing it to fail early. A new catalytic converter can be expensive to replace and then you STILL have to fix the underlying problem that turned on the check engine light in the first place. Many times the check engine light comes on due to a bum sensor or vacuum leak. Replacing a sensor or fixing a vacuum leak can save far more than what you’ll waste in reduced fuel economy.</span></p> <p><em><span>This article first appeared in </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/food-home-garden/money/12-ways-to-get-better-fuel-mileage-and-pay-less-at-the-pumps" target="_blank"><span>Reader’s Digest</span></a><span>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </span><a rel="noopener" href="http://readersdigest.innovations.co.nz/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=articles&amp;utm_campaign=RDSUB&amp;keycode=WRA87V" target="_blank"><span>here’s our best subscription offer.</span></a></em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p> <p><img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" /></p>

Money & Banking

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False fossils could hamper search for life on Mars

<div> <div class="copy"> <p>If you’re an interplanetary alien hunter scouring the red expanses of Mars for signs of life, you’re more likely to come across <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/looking-for-microbes-on-mars/" target="_blank">microbes</a> than little green men. You’re even more likely to come across fossils of ancient critters that lived billions of years ago.</p> <p>But new research warns that chemical processes can create “pseudofossils”, potentially fooling future exo-palaeontologists.</p> <p>“At some stage a Mars rover will almost certainly find something that looks a lot like a fossil, so being able to confidently distinguish these from structures and substances made by chemical reactions is vital,” says astrobiologist Sean McMahon from the University of Edinburgh, UK.</p> <p>“For every type of fossil out there, there is at least one non-biological process that creates very similar things, so there is a real need to improve our understanding of how these form.”</p> <p>In a study published in the <em>Journal of the Geological Society</em>, McMahon and colleagues from the Universities of Edinburgh and Oxford assessed dozens of known processes that could have created life-like traces in Martian rocks.</p> <p>Many chemical processes can mimic the structures created by microscopic lifeforms, like bacterial cells or carbon-based molecules that make up the building blocks of life as we know it.</p> <p>Stromatolites are one example of fossils that could be impersonated. These rock-like structures formed from layers deposited by communities of blue-green algae. Called “living fossils”, they are still <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/palaeontology/extremely-ancient-lifeform-discovered-in-tasmania/" target="_blank">found</a> in shallow aquatic environments today, and at more than 3.5 billion years old they’re among the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/earth-sciences/earliest-life-found-in-ancient-aussie-rocks/" target="_blank">oldest evidence</a> for life on Earth.</p> <p>But non-biological processes can produce pseudofossils that mimic the domes and columns of stromatolites. Surprisingly, similar deposits can build up in places like factory floors, where cars are spray-painted, as well as more natural processes like the deposition of silica around hot springs, some of which <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms13554" target="_blank">have recently been found</a> on Mars.</p> <p>Another example of ambiguous fossils can be found in sandstone beds from the Ediacaran period, 550 million years ago. Animal and plant-like imprints are embedded in “textured” rocks, where the texture actually represents fossilised microbial mats that once covered the ancient sea floor.</p> <p>A joint Australian-US team has <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/earth-sciences/studying-fossils-with-ai-tech/" target="_blank">recently been awarded</a> NASA funding to see if AI can distinguish between rocks that are formed from biological signatures (like these microbial mats) or from purely abiotic chemical processes.</p> <p>The team’s ultimate goal is to apply similar machine learning techniques to geological images taken by Mars rovers.</p> <p>This new paper by UK astrobiologists says that research like this may be key to the success of current and future exobiology missions.</p> <p>“We have been fooled by life-mimicking processes in the past,” says co-author Julie Cosmidis, a geobiologist from the University of Oxford. “On many occasions, objects that looked like fossil microbes were described in ancient rocks on Earth and even in meteorites from Mars, but after deeper examination they turned out to have non-biological origins.</p> <p>“This article is a cautionary tale in which we call for further research on life-mimicking processes in the context of Mars, so that we avoid falling into the same traps over and over again.”</p> <!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --> <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=172969&amp;title=False+fossils+could+hamper+search+for+life+on+Mars" alt="" width="1" height="1" /> <!-- End of tracking content syndication --></div> <div id="contributors"> <p><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/astrobiology/false-fossils-on-mars-could-hamper-search-for-life/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/lauren-fuge">Lauren Fuge</a>. Lauren Fuge is a science journalist at Cosmos. She holds a BSc in physics from the University of Adelaide and a BA in English and creative writing from Flinders University.</p> <p><em>Image: gremlin/Getty Images</em></p> </div> </div>

International Travel

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What happens when a plane dumps fuel mid-flight

<p>You’re probably already familiar with the concept of a plane dumping fuel, an important process designed to dramatically decrease an aircraft’s weight in emergency situations when it has to land earlier than it’s supposed to.</p> <p>But have you ever wondered what this process looks like?</p> <p>Well, thanks to one traveller, we can see it first-hand.</p> <p>Jeff Lambert, who was on the San Francisco-bound Qantas flight which had to return to Sydney quickly after taking off, filmed the following video of a fuel dump in action.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-video"> <p dir="ltr">Here’s the plane dumping fuel, got an hour out of Sydney and told there was an issue with the autopilot not working and needed to head back😒 <a href="https://t.co/cW6Dj1FuR8">pic.twitter.com/cW6Dj1FuR8</a></p> — Jeff Lambert (@JeffLambert8) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffLambert8/status/921607458715402241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2017</a></blockquote> <p>Lambert captioned the video, writing, “Here’s the plane dumping fuel, got an hour out of Sydney and told there was an issue with the autopilot not working and needed to head back.”</p> <p>Have you ever encountered this on your travels?</p> <p><em><strong>Have you arranged your travel insurance yet? Save money with Over60 Travel Insurance. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://elevate.agatravelinsurance.com.au/oversixty?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_content=link1&amp;utm_campaign=travel-insurance" target="_blank">To arrange a quote, click here.</a></span> Or for more information, call 1800 622 966.</strong></em></p>

International Travel

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Three teen siblings killed in tragic fuel tanker crash

<p>Three siblings travelling home from a New South Wales fair have been tragically killed in a horror crash involving two semi-trailers and a car.</p> <p>Jack Pink, 19, and his sisters Marina, 17, and Destiny, 15, were travelling in two vehicles when the collision occurred on the Newell Highway, near Boggabilla on the state border, about 6am on Monday.</p> <p>The siblings were killed instantly when the three cars collided. It is believed that Jack, who was driving the truck, veered onto the wrong side of the road into the path of the tanker, which then swerved off the highway. His sisters were driving in the car behind him.</p> <p>The family work on the travelling show circuit and were returning home to Brisbane from a fair in Dubbo.</p> <p>The only survivor of the tragic crash, the driver of the tanker, was airlifted to hospital.</p> <p>A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the Pink family.</p> <p>"As you can imagine this is an incredibly difficult time for their parents Jaze and Glenn and siblings Coral, Jeanna, George and Patrick," a statement reads.</p> <p>"Jaze and Glen are good people with an amazing family ... What they do is everything for the kids. To lose 1 would be crazy. They lost 3 in 1 split second is just out of this world.</p> <p>"They are great people and their sacrificial love for their kids knows no bounds. This is a crushing blow to this tight knit family."</p> <p>The page also said Marina would have turned 18 today.</p> <p>Our thoughts are with their family. </p>

News

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10 simple tips for fuel efficient driving

<p>When you consider how much a trip to the bowser generally costs, it only makes sense that you’d want to be doing everything possible to ensure you don’t have to return more frequently than you have to. The good news is there’s actually quite a lot you can do.</p> <p>We’ve put together 10 simple tips for fuel efficient driving. These measures will get more mileage out of your vehicle, so you get the most out of each tank.</p> <p><strong>1. Drive smoothly as possible</strong></p> <p>Try to drive smoothly, rather than rushing to the speed limit and braking forcefully (except in an emergency). Erratic braking and acceleration guzzles petrol.</p> <p><strong>2. Switch off the engine</strong></p> <p>An idling car uses up more petrol than you think, so if you’re stuck in a gridlock and not moving anywhere don’t be afraid to switch your engine off for a moment.</p> <p><strong>3. Be mindful of your speed</strong></p> <p>The rate you’re moving makes a big difference in terms of fuel consumption, and a car travelling at 110kph uses much more fuel than one driving at 90kph.</p> <p><strong>4. Make sure tyres are inflated</strong></p> <p>The inflation of your tyres is essential for optimum performance, so keep your tyres inflated and make sure you check the pressure of them regularly. </p> <p><strong>5. Turn your air conditioner off</strong></p> <p>If you don’t need your air conditioner don’t use it. In some vehicles, operating your air conditioner at speeds greater than 80kph can use 10 per cent extra fuel. </p> <p><strong>6. Remove unnecessary accessories</strong></p> <p>Items like roof racks and spoilers add significantly to air resistance, which you’ll pay for over time at the bowser. So if you don’t need these items, lose them!</p> <p><strong>7. Undertake regular maintenance</strong></p> <p>The key to good engine performance is regular maintenance and if your car is well-tuned you can be confident your vehicle is using fuel as efficiently as possible.</p> <p><strong>8. Lighten the load</strong></p> <p>Are lighter car is a more efficient car, so if you’ve got personal items like golf clubs, fitness equipment in the boot remove them before setting out. </p> <p><strong>9. Lazy gear selection</strong></p> <p>If you’re driving a manual, avoid sitting in a low gear once revs are sufficient to change up and avoid sitting in a high gear when engine is straining to maintain revs as this practice can have you burning through quite a lot of fuel over time.</p> <p><strong>10. Stay alert in an automatic</strong></p> <p>If you’re driving an automatic vehicle, be conscious of your use of the accelerator. Ease off slightly when the engine is ready to change up and you can save fuel.</p> <p>How do you handle petrol prices? Can you see yourself using any of these tips? Or are there any that you use yourself that we should include.</p> <p>Share your thoughts in the comments.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/06/queens-sneaky-solution-to-couple-blocking-her-car/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em>The Queen’s sneaky solution to a couple blocking her car</em></strong></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/06/homemade-windscreen-washing-fluid/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">3 ways to make your own windscreen washing fluid</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/05/futuristic-hoverbus-china-traffic-problem/"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>Futuristic hoverbus to tackle China’s traffic problem</em></span></strong></a></p>

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