Driving Green, Car Sharing Cut Costs
Zipcar members ages 18 or older can use the five cars in the Dallas area; members 21 and older have access to more than 8,900 vehicles throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
With gas prices climbing higher, UT Dallas' partners at Liberty Mutual and Zipcar are offering new discounts and recommendations that can save alumni money.
Rethink how you typically maintain and operate your vehicles with these tips to increase your fuel efficiency:
Driving
- Avoid idling for more than 30 seconds. Save gas by turning off your engine.
- Eliminate excess weight from your trunk and from luggage racks.
- Use air conditioning conservatively to consume less fuel and decrease emissions.
- Avoid "jackrabbit" stops and starts that can dramatically reduce fuel efficiency.
Maintenance
- Follow the recommendations for fuel octane in your manual and only use higher octane gas if it's recommended.
- Use "energy-conserving" motor oil that contains friction-reducing additives to improve fuel economy. Conform to the manufacturer's recommendation when changing oil.
- Keep your tires properly inflated to save 2-3 percent in fuel economy. Tires can lose one pound of pressure per month.
For more information about Liberty Mutual, please call 800-835-0894 or visit www.libertymutual.com/enews-utdallas. Coverage is underwritten and provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliates, 2100 W. Walnut Hill Lane, Irving, TX 75038.
©2012 Liberty Mutual Group. All rights reserved.
Zipcar Alumni Offer
The Zipcar program at UT Dallas now includes a great offer for alumni. Zipcar is a leading car sharing network that provides an alternative to car ownership by giving members easy access to cars when they want them. The steps to joining the program are simple:
- Join: Students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members apply online at zipcar.com/utdallas. Once approved, each member gets their own unique keyless access card, called a Zipcard.
- Reserve: Online or on your phone, make a reservation to use one of the vehicles for a few hours or the whole day. Members can even use the free Zipcar apps for the iPhone and Android platforms to reserve a car.
- Unlock: Cars can be found in reserved parking spots on campus and in neighborhoods in Zipcar cities. Each member's unique Zipcard unlocks the vehicle during their reservation.
- Drive: Gas, insurance and 180 miles of driving per day are included with every reservation. Just remember, cars must be returned to their spots at the end of each reservation.
As part of the partnership with Zipcar, alumni can join for a discounted rate no matter where they live. Visit zipcar.com/utdallasalumni and apply with promotional code DALLASALUM2012 via the "for alumni" link. Use the code before June 1 to take advantage of a special promotion that lets alumni join for a discounted rate of $50 and receive $25 in free driving for use during the first month of membership.
