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Originally Posted by Chinese Dragon  Yup, silicontoad got it. Driving faster simply MUST consume more gas because you're going the same distance, but you have to cover it in a smaller time. That extra speed takes energy because of wind resistance. It's like walking vs. running. Running a mile is healther than walking a mile, AND it's quicker. |
Wind resistance isn't the only reason why it takes more gas to travel at a higher speed. Even in a vacuum, as in outer space, the speed you're moving at is proportional to the square of the energy used. In other words, if you're traveling twice as fast, it requires four times the amount of energy to move a given mass. Wind resistance is then added to that.
There are a bunch of other factors, too, such as powertrain efficiency at varying throttle positions, engine RPM, etc, but suffice it to say that you'll use a LOT more energy driving twice as fast to get somewhere, even if it takes half the time.