fuel efficiency

Recently, I had the opportunity to show my ecomodded 1991 Honda CRX at HybridFest, a car show dedicated to hybrids and green technology in Madison, Wisconsin. I was really excited, but I quickly realized that the trip would take a total of 2,500 miles, both from my native New Jersey, then over to my surrogate home in Missouri -- and then back.

This trip alone is more than I would drive in an entire year, so I had to carefully weigh whether or not the environmental impact of the drive would be offset by the potential for teaching the people I met about saving gas. I definitely wanted to get there as quickly as possible, but I also knew how much gas I would be wasting by driving fast. So I averaged about 60 mph over the whole drive.

Luckily, my recent modifications paid off, and I was able to maintain at least 60 mpg over the whole trip. Not only was this gratifying in terms of ROI on my ecomodding efforts, but it meant that the trip only cost about $110 dollars in gas -- and I had good mpg numbers to show off at HybridFest.

You can see for yourself how far I have come with the car since I first got it 3 years ago:

What's most exciting about this for me is that I have yet to do any aerodynamics modifications. With those in place I can expect even better fuel economy.

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Ever since the mid-1990s, when the SUV hype reached its peak and gasoline started to become expensive again, there has been a brewing feeling that eventually things would have to change. It's certainly been a long time coming, but car sales have overtaken truck and SUV sales in the U.S., with compacts and subcompacts leading the charge.

Honda Fit

In April, sales figures show a huge increase in the popularity of small cars, with a similarly large decrease in the popularity of trucks and SUVs. For the first time, vehicles with 4-cylinder engines outnumbered 6-cylinders in sales. Compared with last year, Toyota Yaris sales are up 46% and Honda Fit sales are up 52%.

These increases are being seen in a decidedly down market, where even Toyota and Honda have seen their domestic sales shrinking. However, the American automakers aren't seeing any benefits from the shift towards small cars, as their focus has been (and still is) on trucks and SUVs, which have larger profit margins and are seen as iconic of American vehicles.

What does this shift mean for the U.S. and for the environment? For one, the new 35 MPG by 2020 CAFE standards are going to be much more attainable with the economy driving fuel-efficient vehicles sales. Not only will fuel efficiency standards be easier to implement, but with automakers trying to capitalize on high-MPG subcompacts, they are likely to cut back on some of the fervent opposition they have shown to fuel economy regulation.

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Once you've got the basics of fuel economy down, it's time to start getting a little more involved. And what's a better place to start than with talking about tires?

There is very little that's more universal about cars than tires -- every car has them, and almost every owner has gone through the experience of having to buy new ones when the old ones meet their fate.

However, what most people don't know about tires is that they have a huge impact on fuel economy. When you're browsing reviews online or at a store looking at tires, no one jumps out to tell you about rolling resistance or how tire sizing affects overall gearing, so these bits of information tend to go unnoticed.

Recently there has been a lot of talk about keeping your tires pumped up to manufacturer's specs, with some motivated souls going as far as to calculate possible fuel wasted if everyone was driving around on underinflated tires. There is a bit more to tire inflation than meets the eye, though.

The recommended inflation you will find in the vehicle's owner manual (usually 32-35 psi) is based on a number of factors, including traction, comfort, and fuel economy. On the sidewall of the tire, you will find another number (usually 44 psi or 51 psi), which is the maximum pressure the tire is designed to hold safely. Knowing that higher pressures reduce rolling resistance, therefore increasing fuel economy, many enthusiastic EcoModders (myself included) have filled their tires up to the maximum listed on the sidewall.

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If you're at all interested in fuel economy, I'm sure you've heard all the standard advice by now. Go take a look at the government's fuel economy advice and tell me, do you really see anything new? Slow down, keep your car maintained, don't drive to the curb to pick up your mail or take out your trash.

Luckily there's a lot more to it. Don't be confused, the EPA's advice is good stuff that you should follow, and I'll discuss it a bit, but for the average person there's still a little bit more to know. That said, I'll try to go over some of the most basic things you need to know to get great fuel economy, and then let you decide how aggressively you want to pursue each course of action.

The first, and likely most important, thing for you to realize is that aggressive driving kills fuel economy. Instead of driving, imagine yourself riding a bicycle. How strenuous would it be for you to pedal like mad from every light just to slam on the breaks to barely make a stop? How about going up hills? It's extremely easy to coast down, but huge energy savings can be had from taking it a little bit slower uphill and gaining your speed back on the downhill.

Finally, try going as fast as you can on your bike. You'll find that at a certain speed you just can't go any faster because the wind is just too much. Your car is the same way except you don't notice how much more difficult driving 75 is than driving 65.

Furthermore, don't ever let anyone tell you that there is a "best speed" for fuel economy that is something like 55 or 65 MPH. Every car has it's own "best speed," and that speed is usually as slow as you can go with the car in the highest gear or the torque converter engaged (if you're driving an automatic). Most so-called "best speeds" are just recommendations, and you should remember that slowing down, from any speed, will almost always increase your fuel economy.

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The thrill of the game has always been my biggest push to get better fuel economy.

Sure, I got into it because I'm a conservationist, but I stayed because it's fun. And I'm not alone; a great many of those people getting amazing fuel economy are doing it to compete with their peers.

In Japan it's called nenpi mania and it's dominated by people with Prii [plural of Prius] and kei (small) cars. In the U.S. it's called hypermiling or ecomodding, depending on whether you focus more on changing your driving or your car. For me it's a bit of both.

The first tip most fuel economy nuts will give you is to start tracking your mileage. Once you see exactly how much gas you're actually using, you start to get serious. From there it's a short step to instantaneous feedback. With a device like a Scangauge II you can see the fuel economy you're getting at that exact moment. It's also possible to track your tank, compare commutes one day to the next, and see how things like throttle pressure and air temperature affect your mileage.

Starting to see how this can get addictive? That's why so many hypermilers have been able to push the envelope as far as 150-MPG trips and 100+ MPG tanks. If it weren't for this growing sense of competition to be the best, who knows if people would be posting such amazing numbers.

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I reported earlier on Mercedes' new Blue Efficiency program, which will allow buyers to select more fuel-efficient versions of every Mercedes model. Interestingly, the major European car manufacturer has backed this up with the redesign of several new small cars to be introduced soon.

Green Car Congress recently reported that Mercedes will be unveiling these cars in the upcoming Leipzig auto show, which is being held from April 5th-13th.

The German automaker has reduced fuel consumption on its diesel A-class vehicles by an average of 8%, and some models will come with a "microhybrid" start/stop feature, making the cars up to 9% more fuel efficient. This feature will automatically stop the engine when the vehicle isn't moving and start it right back up when the gas is pressed. The widespread use of this technology represents a shift towards acceptance of more unconventional fuel-saving techniques.

The best of these A-class models reaches an impressive 49 MPG, with another getting 51 MPG when combined with the Blue Efficiency package. Blue Efficiency and stop/stop features are also available on the B-class, which is notable because it features several cars with natural gas engine options that use as much as 50% less energy than their gasoline equivalents.

It's great to see a major manufacturer making real efforts to reduce fuel consumption across the board. Hopefully Mercedes can be persuaded to offer some of these models in the United States, where domestic manufacturers are dragging their feet big time on meaningful, across-the-board fuel economy improvement. Kudos to you, Mercedes!

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With fuel economy reminiscent of the late VW Lupo, the new VW Golf Diesel Hybrid Concept seems to address the growing schism between American and Japanese hybrids and European Diesels.

Green Car Congress recently reported on the unveiling of the car at the Geneva Auto Show. VW couples a new 7-speed DSG transmission with a 1.2-liter, TDI diesel engine and an electric motor capable of operating in all electric mode. The diesel engine puts out a max of 74 hp and 132 kb-ft of torque, and its electric counterpart puts out 20 kW and 103 lb-ft of torque at its peak. This new diesel hybrid sounds like anything but your stereotypical, gutless economy car.

The car features regenerative braking and electric-only operation from a stop until a high enough speed is reached that it requires a switch-over to the diesel engine. From the switch-over the car is powered primarily by the diesel engine unless extra power is required. This combination is what allows the car to achieve its stellar mileage (69 US MPG) in the body of your standard VW Golf.

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Recently, Mercedes announced a new line-up that would feature its well-known luxury cars, but with a little twist. That twist, it turns out, is that these models, dubbed "Blue Efficiency," would be modified to optimize fuel economy and not power output.

So far three C-Class models have been released, in both diesel and gasoline versions. The most impressive of the group is easily the 200 CDI. This 2.2L diesel engine delivers 134 hp, 199 lb-ft of torque, and an extremely admirable 46.1 mpg (up from 38.6 in the non-Blue Efficiency model).

So how did Mercedes manage to kick the efficiency up a notch without comprising the spirit of their luxury driving machines? Long story short: basic design modification.

In its Blue Efficiency line-up Mercedes employs what I like to call passive modifications. Rather than requiring the driver to do something to get better fuel economy, the efficiency is "built in." This means that even the most lead-footed of drivers will end up saving, whether they like it or not.

Most of the modifications were made to either the weight of the car or the car's aerodynamics. In the auto design world, these two items are usually considered low-hanging fruit. Beyond that, they're modifications that don't make the car slower and therefore are unlikely to dull the driving experience.

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