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Last Updated on January 28, 2025 by Paul Clayton
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8 Ways to Cut Carbon Emissions While Off Roading
Off-roading is a terrific way to see the great outdoors. However, it’s worth pondering how your vehicle affects the environment beneath it. Caring for the environment is essential to ensure future generations can have the same fun.
Fortunately, there are ways to be more environmentally conscious with one of your favorite hobbies. Here’s a guide on decreasing carbon emissions.
How Can You Reduce Carbon Emissions While Off-Roading?
First, look at what you can do on the road and before leaving the garage. Here are eight tips for reducing carbon emissions in your off-roaders.
Ride Together
It may seem simple, but it works. Ride together and share your off-road vehicles 
when having fun in the woods, mud or dunes. Using multiple vehicles increases fuel consumption and greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted into the atmosphere. Next time you’re out and about, try fitting more people onto fewer off-roaders to limit the number of machines you bring on the trail.
Research shows sustainability drives many to share rides to reduce their carbon footprint. You can do the same with many off-road vehicles.
Stick to the Path
The definition of off-roading is taking your vehicle on rough terrain. Asphalt or pavement is child’s play for your Jeep or ATV. However, you should stick to the trails. Most state and national parks and other popular off-roading sites have designated trails to drive on. Stay on the path because your vehicle could erode the soil and harm wildlife habitats.
Plants absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, so the soil needs to be healthy. Unhealthy ground means the dirt can’t support plants like it should, leading to more CO2 in the atmosphere. Staying on the trail is also safest because going off it could lead you onto someone else’s private property and angry landowners.
Lighten the Load
You may feel tempted to load a ton of cargo on your vehicle for your off-roading trip. After all, your big 4×4 can fit hunting and fishing gear, tents, a grill and more. However, consider lightening the load as much as possible for the sake of carbon emissions. Only bring what you need and leave the rest at home because the extra weight can make your off-roader less efficient on the trail.
Extra weight puts more pressure on your vehicle, forcing it to work harder and expend more energy. Try removing weight from your off-roader instead of adding and you should see an increase in fuel efficiency. Experts say reducing your vehicle’s weight by 10% increases fuel economy by about seven percent.
Monitor the Air Pressure
Another critical factor for your off-roader’s fuel efficiency is the air pressure of the tires. This topic is tricky for off-road vehicles because you typically keep the pounds per square inch (psi) low. Most off-roaders stay around 10 to 12 psi to increase grip on the trail, depending on the vehicle. You’ll still want grip, so keep the psi closer to 20. Check the manufacturer recommendations on your off-roader before adjusting the psi.
Typically, higher air pressure means better fuel efficiency. Proper inflation leads to a 0.6% increase in fuel economy, whereas underinflated tires drop your gas mileage by about 0.2% for every psi under recommendations.
Change the Air Filter
Your air filter is integral to your everyday vehicles, so give your off-roaders 
the same treatment by changing it. Cars typically need an air filter change every 15,000 to 20,000 miles. However, an off-roader endures much harsher conditions, so the window for changing should be between 10,000 and 15,000 miles. Most off-road enthusiasts drive this amount in a year, so an annual change should be the minimum for your rig.
Air filters are critical for your off-roader’s carbon emissions because they affect combustion efficiency. The filter catches the dirt, sand and other contaminants entering your vehicle, and blocks them from getting inside the engine, thus improving your airflow and engine’s efficiency.
Dirty air filters negatively affect your vehicle’s fuel economy. When the airflow to the engine is poor, your motor uses more fuel to compensate. Your fuel consumption rises even though you’re not driving differently.
Off-Road Responsibly
Off-roading is about letting loose and having fun with your rigs. However, you should drive responsibly on the trail to conserve fuel and reduce carbon emissions.
Keep the speeds down and don’t aggressively accelerate. Harsh acceleration may be fun, but leave that for the racecar drivers. Aggressive acceleration means opening the throttle and increasing fuel consumption to meet your off-roader’s power demand. The rough terrain may be less smooth than a freshly paved road, but you can still employ responsible driving tactics to save fuel and take care of your vehicle.
Optimize Your Fuel Efficiency
Pay attention to what octane rating the manufacturer recommends for your off-roader. The octane rating doesn’t directly affect your fuel economy, but using the correct one ensures your vehicle’s optimum performance. Using the wrong type of fuel negatively impacts your fuel efficiency.
For example, you should use 90-octane gasoline for high-performance bikes due to their compression ratio. Filling the bike with 87-octane is a bad idea because it’s not as refined.
Electrify Your Off-Road Fleet
For a century, anybody who’s wanted to go off-road has had to use a gas-powered vehicle. However, you have a lot more options on the table today. Auto manufacturers have prioritized electric vehicles (EVs) for everyday use and off-roading. These machines are terrific for lowering your carbon emissions because you don’t need fossil fuels to power them.
The Environmental Protection Agency says EVs’ carbon footprint is smaller than gas-powered cars, even considering the electricity consumed to charge the vehicles. EVs have no tailpipe emissions, so you don’t have to worry about harming the ground underneath you with GHGs.
The automotive industry is gravitating toward EVs to lower its environmental impact. 
Think about how many cars drive on city streets and dunes each week. Transportation accounts for 28% of all GHG emissions in the U.S., so you’ll see an increased focus on electrification this decade and beyond.
Find Emission Offsets
Avoiding carbon emissions while off-roading is challenging, but there are ways you can compensate. Finding offsets can balance your trip and reduce your negative environmental impact. Some examples of offsetting include:
- Planting trees: Deforestation has increased emissions because trees release their stored CO2 when cut down. Planting trees contributes to reforestation and reduces carbon emissions.
- Renewable energy: Offset your emissions on the road by improving your energy consumption back home. Swap to renewable energy sources like solar panels. These devices generate power instead of drawing from the electrical grid, thus decreasing your carbon footprint.
- Smart shopping: When buying food, considering its source is essential. Lower your carbon footprint by locally sourcing your meat and produce. These foods have traveled much less than items shipped from across the country. Farmers markets are excellent places to shop smartly with your groceries.
What Off-Roaders Have Low Carbon Emissions?
Fuel efficiency is becoming the name of the game for automakers. Nowadays, you can find hybrid and electric machines to take off-roading. Here are some recommendations to look for while shopping.
ATV
ATVs are a terrific way to get your kids into off-roading. If you’re in the market for an electric ATV, consider models like the DRR EV Safari. This vehicle is ideal for hauling supplies around your property with its 35-mile range and 800-pound towing capacity. Its 450-pound payload capacity makes it easy to let the young ones hop on and ride the trails with you.
The off-road world has been waiting a few years for Tesla to release its highly anticipated ATV. It was supposed to release the vehicle in 2021, but delays forced excited onlookers to wait for the debut. The California-based automaker calls its ATV the Cyberquad, featuring battery-electric power and two seats.
UTV
The past few years have seen electric UTVs enter the market. For example, Polaris has become a top hybrid and electric ATV and UTV manufacturer.
The 2022 Polaris Ranger EV has a towing capacity of 1,500 lbs, making it one of the strongest electric UTVs on the market. Its quiet engine allows for increased stealth on hunting trips.
Another worthy electric UTV is the Ox EV from Tracker. This machine has a 60-mile range and a top speed of 16.5 mph. The 48-volt battery is solid for getting work done and having fun on the trail.
4×4 Trucks
EVs tend to be sedans and crossovers, but the industry has expanded to trucks. Chevrolet plans to debut its first electric truck in late 2023 with the Silverado EV. You’ll have to wait until fall 2024 to get the first electric Ram from Dodge. So, your best bet for an electric truck in 2023 is the Ford Lightning.
Ford debuted its Lightning EV in 2022 and paved the way for electric 4x4s. This EV is suitable for off-roading with its floor-mounted battery and 775 lb-ft of torque.
Besides the Lightning EV, off-roaders also have the option to drive a Rivian pickup truck. This machine boasts up to 835 horsepower and a maximum towing capacity of 11,000 pounds.
Bikes
The 2020s have also brought electric dirt bikes into the mix. Some popular models include the Zero FX ZF. This bike has a solid 91-mile range with a top speed of 85 mph. Electric dirt bikes like the Zero FX ZF are advantageous because they’re much quieter than gas-powered machines. You won’t disturb nature while speeding along the trails.
Another popular electric dirt bike is the Kalk INK& from Cake — a Swedish manufacturer. The bike’s top speed is only 56 mph, but it’s still as sweet as its competitors. The primary advantage of the Kalk INK& is its charge time — you only need two hours to charge from zero to 80%, whereas other bikes may need to charge overnight.
This video has been included for its clarification of the topic matter. Credit goes to FAST LANE TV
Display Your Love of Nature by Off-Roading Responsibly
What’s better than taking a trip on your off-roader and embracing nature? The sights, sounds and smells remind you why the environment is integral to society. So, caring for Mother Nature is up to you and other off-road enthusiasts.
You can improve your environmental impact by lowering the carbon emissions from your off-roaders. Select electric or hybrid vehicles to reduce your tailpipe emissions, and regularly inspect your engine to ensure maximum efficiency. Also, remember the little things like lightening your cargo load and checking the air pressure
