Winner of the 1st $50 FuelClinic.com Eco-Driver Stimulus Package Announced
Congratulations to Kevin Luljack – he’s the winner of the 1st $50 FuelClinic.com Eco-Driver Stimulus Package fuel card for posting his comment on the FuelClinic Facebook wall. Another winner will be chosen next Sunday, so post your thoughts on our Facebook wall and ask your friends to “Like” your post.
Fuelishness Feed! Nissan’s ECO Pedal; Fuel Prices Unlikely to Fall; And the Stingiest Car Is…; Just 99 MPG?; Green Truck Summit
It’s been a while since we’ve had a Fuelishness! Feed. What a better day than Thanksgiving to gorge on some eco-driving news:
- Nissan Licenses ECO Pedal Technology – ”When the ECO Pedal system is on, each time the driver exerts excess pressure on the acceleration pedal, the system counteracts in advance with a pedal push-back control mechanism (tactile indicator) to support drivers for more effective, fuel-efficient driving. Studies show that effective eco-driving behavior with ECO Pedal drive assist contributes to improve fuel efficiency from 5 to 10% (based on internal measurement) in many driving conditions,” Nissan informs.
. - Fuel Prices Unlikely to Fall Anytime Soon, says AA — “In the short-term, fuel prices will inflict more pain on drivers and business,” says Luke Bosdet, a fuel expert at the AA. “It may well be an ordeal we have to endure before a recovered economy restores a less volatile fuel market, though commodity speculation continues to cast a shadow.”
. - And The Stingiest Car Is … — The Volkswagen Golf Blue-E-Motion. The plucky little electric car, with 115 bhp, a top speed of 86mph and 0-62mph time of 11.8 seconds won the race. “It’s a testimony to the abilities of the Golf Blue-E-Motion that it won despite the fact I’d never competed in any sort of eco-driving challenge before,” said Jim Holder, driver of the winning car.
. - Just 99 mpg: Isn’t it Time to Focus on More Than Plug-ins? — Significant and cost-effective improvements in fuel economy were also suggested and supported very recently at the LA Auto Show by several automakers, particularly Hyundai which is forecasting industry-leading plans for improving fleet fuel economy without increasing vehicle costs. Similarly, the X-Prize also demonstrated that 100 mpg is achievable without the need for either hybrid or plug-in technologies.
. - Green Truck Summit 2011 Offers Glimpse into Future — “Our industry is in a very exciting period of evolution,” says Doyle Sumrall, NTEA senior director of business development. “As innovative manufacturers continue to develop new green technology, fleets and the businesses who support them must understand how and when to use that technology to improve their operations and environmental impact. The Green Truck Summit is a unique gathering of technical experts, thought leaders and peers who all share their knowledge to provide solutions for today’s issues, as well as guidance into the future.”
Jersey Turnpike Buys System to Predict When You Will Be Sitting in Traffic
Via Bloomberg
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority said it hopes to begin alerting motorists to traffic jams — 10 minutes before they occur.
The agency, which manages the two main toll roads in the most densely populated U.S. state, approved the awarding of a $652,000 contract to En Pointe Technologies Inc.
The El Segundo, California-based company has a computer system that is designed to give drivers an early heads-up on developing traffic jams, to allow them more time to detour away from congestion, Brian Gorman, director of technology, told members of the authority’s board at their regular meeting today.
The system was tested on the 148-mile (238-kilometer) New Jersey Turnpike and the 173-mile Garden State Parkway, which stretches from Cape May to the New York state line. It predicted traffic with at least 90 percent accuracy, Gorman said. Motorists will be alerted to potential problems through electronic signage on the highways.
“We do have the ability to prevent congestion disruption,” Gorman said.
I have written similar software for the DC metro area, and it predicts traffic jams most Mondays through Fridays from 7:30am to 9:00am, and again from 3:30pm to 5:00pm.
FuelClinic Facebook Fans
Goal: 500 new fans on the FuelClinic Facebook page by the end of May.
We’d like to grow our eco-driving community on Facebook, a place where drivers can socialize a little more than they can on FuelClinic right now. It’s also a great way for us to stay in touch, we repost most (of the good) Fuelishness! blog entries there, and add some content not found anywhere else – and Fans can post comments to our wall, etc…
It’s easier than ever to become a fan, you can just click the “Like” button on the Facebook box on the top-right side of each blog page, or searching for “FuelClinic” from the search box on Facebook.
Fuelishness! Feed: Ford’s Focus on Eco-Driving; Pentagon’s Algae Fuel Research; Oil over $80; Lithium Supply for 1M Hybrids; ‘Stuck With Cars’ Discussion
- Ford’s new Focus on eco driving — It’s about being careful and not wasteful, both when it comes to the way a car runs and, indeed, how it is built in the first place and here Ford is reducing its carbon footprint with a range of sustainability initiatives.
. - Pentagon Researcher Promises Cheap Biofuel for Jets — Pentagon officials have been talking for years about weaning their jets off of fossil fuels. Now they say they’re only months away from producing a cheap fuel made from algae — for less than $3 a gallon.
. - Oil above $80 as traders eye low interest rates — Oil prices rose above $80 a barrel Monday in Asia, extending a three-week rally as investors expect the U.S. central bank to keep interest rates near zero to help fuel economic growth, which would boost crude consumption.
. - Energy for Electric Vehicles Dealt a Blow by Bolivian Lithium Production — Unfortunately for those who are expecting electric cars to spring out of the woodwork in the next few years (remembering that the President’s plan calls for 1 million plug-in hybrids by 2015) Mitsubishi estimates that the world will need 500,000 tons per year at full ramp up. The Salar di Uyuni deposit in Bolivia holds at least 9 million tons, although the country has, in total, perhaps as much as 73 million tons.
. - Stuck With Cars — Every weekday, tens of millions of Americans get into vehicles that are full of passenger space which won’t be used, with engines capable of horsepower and speeds that won’t be attained, holding fuel tanks that could power the car for distances that won’t be traveled. The result of all this over-engineering is that cars cost way more than a vehicle for daily commuting need cost, and they consume way more energy than a vehicle for daily commuting need consume.
The Post-Crisis Consumer (John Gerzema @ TED)
John Gerzema says there’s an upside to the recent financial crisis — the opportunity for positive change. Speaking at TEDxKC, he identifies four major cultural shifts driving new consumer behavior and shows how businesses are evolving to connect with thoughtful spending.
13 trillion dollars in wealth has evaporated over the course of the last two years. We’ve questioned the future of capitalism. We’ve questioned the financial industry. We’ve looked at our government oversight. We’ve questioned where we’re going. And yet, at the same time, this very well may be a seminal moment in American history, an opportunity for the consumer to actually take control and guide us to a new trajectory in America.
“Drive like there’s a glass of water on your dashboard”
“Drive like there’s a glass of water on your dashboard” is one of the visualizations supposed to help drivers moderate jack-rabbit starts, wild turns, and sudden stops.
Engineers in Japan have responded:
Surely a fun demo of an interesting stabilizer system using an accelerometer to determine g-forces on the car/glass of water, apparent built on an open-source hardware framework called Arduino I have been looking at lately for a project of my own.
Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It’s intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.
I’ll keep you posted.
Hacked? (Confirmed)… Fixed!
On certain browsers I’m seeing “Online Casino” links somehow injected into the Fuelishness! Blog titles and content. If you are seeing this also, please let me know in the comments or using the feedback tab. It only appears to effect IE, because Firefox and Chrome appear ok. Anyone have a clue where to start looking for this one? – Michael
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Confirmed… only shows up on Googlebot scans and certain browsers, there goes my page rank… asking hosting provider to restore from a backup or upgrade the site to a fresh install. I think it might be time to use a different blog package – this is the third or forth time we’ve been hacked this year.
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Thanks to the always impressive customer service of HostMySite/Hosting.com (and Brady, thank you very much) the codebase got a fresh install of the latest version of WordPress, and I’m not seeing the sneaky injections in my tests of the site. Might be a few more days before Google is corrected, hopefully my PageRank will be restored.
Thank you Brady at Hosting.com VPS support – it’s a Christmas miracle! (I couldn’t resist.)
Video: “The Rest Is Up To You” – Eco-Driver On Board
Eco-Driver On Board
FuelClinic.com will show you how to improve your gas mileage and get 5%, 10% up to 20% better MPG (and sometimes more) using the vehicle that you already own, while helping improve road safety, reducing traffic congestion, and saving you money.
FuelClinic.com will accurately calculate and track your actual gas mileage online easily, will teach you safe and efficient driving techniques that will improve your gas mileage, and will help you monitor your progress as you continue to practice better driving techniques.
You will save money, cut your own carbon emissions, and help reduce our dependence on foreign oil – all at the same time. Join the thousands who already use FuelClinic.com to become safer, smarter, more efficient drivers.
Safer, Smarter, Fuel Efficient Driving
Visit http://www.fuelclinic.com to learn more about eco-driving, and to join our community of eco-drivers.
Category: Autos & Vehicles
Video: New FuelClinic.com Feedback Forum
I’ve just created my first Jing video, a <5-minute screen capture that demonstrates the User Voice Feedback system that I’ve added to FuelClinic in an effort to organize bugs and requests in a community-driven forum.
Watch the quick video online here and add your own feedback to the new forum or vote on existing ideas you want to see get completed first.
MINI Cooper D Sets New Zealand Fuel Economy Record Of 3.5 l/100km (67.2 MPG)
Source: The Motor Report
A MINI Cooper D (diesel) – piloted by trained ecodrivers Mark Whittaker and Paul Owen – has just set a new record for fuel efficient driving, by driving 2000 km on just over 72 liters (19 US gallons) of diesel fuel – achieving 3.5 l/100km (just over 67 MPG) average for that trip.
Mark Whittaker said the aim of the exercise was to highlight the potential for cutting New Zealand’s transport related emissions at little or no extra cost.
“In setting this record we are demonstrating that everyone can contribute to reducing emissions by choosing a fuel efficient car and employing simple ecodriving techniques,” Mr Whittaker said.
While Whittaker and Owen had originally targeted an average of 3.0 l/100km, the final 3.5 l/100km figure bested the country’s other top fuel miser – the third generation Toyota Prius – with which the Cooper D shares an official fuel economy of 3.9 l/100km.
The MINI Cooper D sports a fuel efficient and spunky small clean diesel engine and state-of-the-art start/stop technology similar to the new Ford Focus ECOnic we profiled a few days ago.
The Cooper D’s figures are thanks to a host of technological innovations borrowed from parent company BMW (including a start-stop system and a thrifty diesel engine from PSA).
BMW Group New Zealand Managing Director, Mark Gilbert said the fuel economy record proves how far diesel technology has come.
“The MINI has proven that new, small clean diesel engines have an important part to play in improving the fuel economy of the New Zealand vehicle fleet,” said Mr Gilbert.
“And the other clear message from this exercise is that it is not only what you drive, but how you drive, that counts,” he said. (Emphasis added)
That last bit sounds familiar! We certainly agree.
The bad news is that although it was mentioned last February that MINI was considering making the Cooper D available in the US, it has yet to become a reality according to our local MINI dealer. A message to MINI USA about the future availability of the “D” here in the US is awaiting reply – I’ll update you should we hear back. (If you’ve seen a “firm” scheduled availability date, please let me know.)
The future availability of the Ford Focus ECOnic diesel is also yet to be announced. In the past I mentioned my experience driving the SEAT with a small clean diesel a few years ago in Estonia… for now, you’ll still need to cross the pond to have this much fun driving at over 65 miles per gallon.
Congestion Challenge Awardees Presented at 2009 ITSA Annual Meeting
Source ITSA:
ITS Congestion Challenge
The first global ITS Congestion Challenge, announced in June 2009, was open to entrepreneurs, commuters, transportation experts, researchers in all fields, universities, and citizens around the world. Three winners and six finalists from Hungary, Ireland, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United States, were selected by an open global community of more than 4,000 people, including transportation industry professionals and the general public.
1st PLACE
iCarpool provides commuters and other travelers with comprehensive travel choices for modes of travel other than driving alone. Read more.
2nd PLACE
FuelClinic, for their “Eco-System” and “Eco-Driver On Board” programs, which provide tools and certified eco-driving training to improve, track, and manage driver performance for increased fuel efficiency, increased driver safety, and reduced accident rates. Read more.
3rd PLACE
iCone Products, LLC, for an ITS concept to beam real-time traffic information over the Internet to a central web site for use by government officials, emergency response personnel, trucking fleets, the public and information resellers, including media outlets and GPS services. Read more.
“Caption This Image” Winner(s) Announced
In late October I posted an image I had cobbled together and asked Fuelishness! readers to help me improve the caption that accompanied it. I offered a $50 gas card as a reward for what we felt was the best suggestion. We received over 50 suggestions here at Fuelishness! I did something similar at the Vencorp classifieds, and we collected about a dozen additional suggestions.
At Vencorps, we chose the suggestion by Shashank K:
Emissions Compliance [Check]
Engine Performance [Check]
Aerodynamic design [Check]
There’s only so much the car can do, then its all YOU.
It’s a great suggestion, an we’ve already started to use it in a new animation currently in production. (It’s fantastic!) I hope to be able to release this new animation by the end of this year.
Here at Fuelishness! the choice was much harder to make… there are so many good suggestions. First we whittled the field down to the top dozen. Then we weighted each and added up the scores. We chose the suggestion by Lori on October 22nd:
Want better MPG’s? You’re in the Driver’s Seat.
We will be using this caption in future marketing materials.
Congratulations to the winners, and thank you all for participating in our first ever FuelClinic Fuelishness! contest.
Free “Keep The Receipt” Reminder Magnets
Recently I was asked about a “reminder” magnet from a FuelClinic.com user who sometimes forgets to take the receipt from the fuel pump, causing him to miss a fill-up and creating a problem in his FuelClinic account.
Last year we had created a “First Aid for High Gas Prices” magnet that FuelClinic users are proudly showing off on their cars around the country, but I wanted to make something smaller and cheaper, so that we could just give them away instead of having to sell them. Here’s what the new smaller reminder magnet looks like:
We’ve made a few hundred of these and if you send us a self-addressed stamped envelope, we’ll send you two reminder magnets that can be placed near your fuel door, inside your fuel door, or on your refrigerator. This is a limited time offer.
As with all of those magnets for your car, it’s recommended that you keep it clean underneath and move it around every few months to prevent your vehicle from having uneven paint fading from the sun being blocked by the magnet.
For a pair of FREE reminder magnets, send a self-addressed stamped envelope (regular first class stamp in the US, outside the US make sure you include full return postage) to:
FuelClinic.com
Free Reminder Magnet Offer
522 Hunt Club Blvd., #319
Apopka, FL 32703
In your return envelope you’ll get both magnets on one sheet, just cut along the faint line in the center to separate them.
Fuelishness! Feed: Ford Fusion Car of the Year; Eco-Driving Savings; Feds Buy Green; Hybrid Special Ops Buggy; Hyundai-KIA Develop CVT for hybrids
- Ford Fusion Named Motor Trend Car of the Year — Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of global product development, said the 2010 Fusion has a sportier look and better fuel economy than previous versions. It gets 34 miles per gallon on the highway when equipped with a four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic transmission. The gas-electric hybrid version gets 41 miles per gallon in the city.
- How much money can eco-driving save you? Matt Joy took part in BP’s Fuel Efficiency Challenge to find out — Go from a not-uncommon 30mpg to an achievable 40mpg and you could save £150 a year on fuel, if not more – and all that without spending thousands on a new car. That will please everyone except the taxman.
- SPIN METER: Feds buy green cars, auction rejects — If you missed out on Washington’s cash incentive program to trade in your old clunker, Uncle Sam still has a deal for you: The government will sell you rejects from its own fleet, even as it makes dealers scrap all those old cars that were collected from the public.
- Army tests new special ops hybrid vehicle — The CERV pairs the Quantum’s new “Q-Force” advanced all-wheel-drive diesel hybrid electric power train with a light-weight chassis to produce a torque rating that exceeds 5,000 foot-pounds. The unit can maintain speeds of 80 miles per hour and climb 60 percent grades–all while reducing fuel consumption by up to 25 percent compared to a conventional alternative, according to the company.
- Hyundai-Kia Developed Its First CVT for the LPI Hybrids — The Elantra LPI Hybrid has a fuel economy rating of 17.7 km/l (5.7 L/100km or 42 mpg US); gasoline-equivalent fuel economy is 22.7 km/l (4.4 L/100km, 53 mpg US). This represents a 47% improvement over a conventional 1.6L Elantra.
Fuelishness! Feed: Fuel Efficient Prototypes; Fuel Efficiency Ratings for Tires; Peugeot Advert gets Banned; More MPG from a Pickup Truck
- GreenTech Unveils 4 Fuel Efficient Prototypes — According to the Associated Press, “The prototypes include a midsize four-door hybrid that will get 50 miles per gallon, a zero-emissions electric car, a high-efficiency gasoline car designed to get 65 mpg and a hybrid sports coupe designed to get 45 miles to gallon and to go from 0 to 60 mph in less than 5.9 seconds.”
- Europe may have tyres with efficiency ratings — When adopted, this legislation will help to reduce CO2 and noise emissions on Europe’s roads, by promoting green tyres with improved fuel-efficiency that do not compromise on safety. In addition, the labels will provide more transparency to consumers.
- Peugeot 308 ad campaign banned for suggesting unrealistic level of fuel efficiency — The ad campaign, which ran in the national press, highlighted a “fuel stretching world record” that achieved 126 miles per gallon in a Peugeot 308 HDi. A picture of the car in the ad had the text “126mpg” on it.
- Getting the Most Possible Mileage Out of a Pickup — Because today’s EPA ratings are fairly realistic, thanks to the recent change in how they’re calculated, these trucks should be about 1 mpg better in real-world use as well. But at $2.40 a gallon at an average 18 mpg (versus 17), if you drive 12,000 miles each year, that 1-mpg difference will save $94 a year. Which raises the question: Why are these trucks just 1 mpg better? Why can’t automakers improve the fuel economy by 10, or even 12?
Fuelishness!: Top 10 Clunked Alt-Fuel Cars; Intelligent In-Vehicle Tech; Fickle Consumers and MPG; India pressured to cut fuel subsidies
- Top Ten “green” cars that met their fate during Cash for Clunkers — We looked through the official, but as of yet unverified, list of trade-in cars that were clunked using the Car Allowance Rebate System (Cash for Clunkers) and found that the aforementioned CNG vehicles, 1,779 flex-fuel vehicles and 24 LPG vehicles found their way to the recycler thanks to CARS. Which alternative-fuel models were most dumped? Which single hybrid took a dive?
- Europe to Launch Large-Scale Test of Intelligent In-Vehicle Technologies — Beginning in 2010, no less than 1,000 vehicles from various European vehicle brands equipped with various intelligent in-vehicle systems will drive around Europe for approximately one year. These intelligent vehicles will collect data that should deliver answers with regards to the impacts that these systems have on safety, efficiency and driver comfort.
- U.S. auto industry faces tougher fuel-efficiency standards, fickle consumers — Trouble is brewing on the horizon for the U.S. automotive industry as it prepares for tougher fuel economy standards calling for the auto industry’s fleet of new vehicles to average 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016.
- G20 puts pressure on India to phase out fuel subsidies over mid-term — The International Energy Agency and the OECD have estimated that removing fossil fuel subsidies by 2020 [sic] can bring down greenhouse gas emissions in 2050 by a whopping 10%.
Fuelishness! Feed: How to rate electric cars; 10 Ways to more MPG; Hybrid Corvette?; Windows Up/Down?; Uncle Sam and Fuel Efficiency
- Debate begins about fuel ratings on electric cars – As the government hammers out how it will rate the fuel efficiency of hybrid-electric and all-electric vehicles, an Israeli company wants to make sure the U.S. gets it right.
- Top 10 Ways to Improve the Fuel Economy of Your Vehicle – [Ed: Ten good tips, but totally miss "upgrading the software between the seat and steering wheel" as the one proven method for getting 10% to 30% better mileage from your car... just sayin'.]
- Corvette Could Go Hybrid To Survive Strict Fuel Rules – …the company will do whatever it takes to keep the Corvette around once the recently announced fuel regulations raise the national standard to a company-wide 35.5 mpg average in 2016.
- What’s better for fuel economy: windows rolled down or air conditioning? – Deep breath, people; this query is not as cut-and-dry as one would hope. [Ed: Here in Florida, it doesn't matter.]
- Is Uncle Sam On Right Track On Fuel Efficiency? – That depends on who you ask…
Fuelishness! Feed: $700B Gains from Energy Efficiency; Bio-Engineering Algea; Cash for Clunkers FAIL; Cellphone Use as Deadly as Drunk Driving; Merits of a Gasoline-Diesel ‘Cocktail’
- McKinsey Tallies $700 Billion Gain from Energy Efficiency – A massive efficiency push over the next decade could save the U.S. economy $700 billion. That is, while efficiency measures would cost about $520 to put in place, they would save $1.2 trillion through 2020. In the process, efficiency could meet 23% of America’s future electricity demand.
- Algae: From Biotech to Frankenfuels? – Algae, say scientists and industrial titans alike, could jumpstart a viable biofuels industry because it reproduces quickly and can be turned into fuel without taking food from the world’s plate.
- Is the Cash-for-Clunkers Program an Environmental Dud? – As Congress debates adding $2 billion to the program, some calculations show that it may have only negligible environmental benefits.
- US safety agency hides dangers of using cellphones while driving – Driving while dialing and driving while texting is more dangerous than you knew. A federal report proves it, with some really scary numbers that show it is as dumb and deadly as drunk driving and DUI, driving under the influence.
- Gasoline-diesel ‘cocktail’: A potent recipe for cleaner, more efficient engines – Based on tests by the University of Wisconsin-Madison engine research group headed by Rolf Reitz, would be a diesel engine that produces significantly lower pollutant emissions than conventional engines, with an average of 20 percent greater fuel efficiency as well.
Fuelishness! Feed: Iran Removes Oil Chief Torkan Amid Political Unrest; Iran’s oil supply and potential for disruption; [Flashback 2006] Why Iran oil cutoff could be suicidal
Some fresh Fuelishness!
- Iran Removes Oil Chief Torkan Amid Political Unrest - The sudden dismissal could raise concerns that political unrest in the second-largest member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries may be spilling over into the country’s oil industry.”If his removal is for political considerations, it is sad to bring in politics into the oil industry,” Manouchehr Takin, an analyst covering Iran at the U.K.-based Centre for Global Energy Studies. “He was considered a ‘doer’, someone getting things done. He got projects moving.”
- Iran’s oil supply and potential for disruption - Disruption to Iran’s oil exports would drive up the oil price as refiners that buy the Islamic Republic’s oil would be forced to buy elsewhere. Strikes in the run up to the Iranian revolution in 1978 stopped the flow from the southern fields, and the country’s capacity has never recovered to the 6 million bpd of before the revolution.The disruption was keenly felt by top oil consumer the United States, which had to ration fuel. The shortfall ruptured global supply lines, sparked panic-buying and saw a sharp rise in oil prices that contributed to the U.S. recessions of 1980 and 1981.
Iran now pumps around 3.8 million barrels per day, or about 4.5 percent of global supply.
- [Flashback 2006] Why Iran oil cutoff could be suicidal – Iran’s nuclear standoff with the United States, Europe, and other nations has led to considerable speculation of $100-per-barrel oil and $4-per-gallon gasoline in the US. Such high prices might kick off a worldwide energy crisis and recession.
FuelClinic.com is currently #3 in the running at IdeaBlob
Votes at IdeaBlob are tallied each night, and I just received notice from them that the FuelClinic idea is currently #3 in this weeks “sprint”. This is great news!
This is a good indication that we have a real chance of success with this grant.
I still need your help – for those who have not yet voted, please do so. IdeaBlob does require registration, which is a little bit of a pain, but it helps prevent cheating. (btw: I first registered with them in November 2008, and they have not sent me any spam at all.)
For those that have voted, thank you – may I have another? Please pass on my request for votes and encourage your friends and family members who can spare a few minutes to help.
Details of what the grant would be used for are contained in the proposed idea, but basically the money will be used to produce eco-driving training videos that will demonstrate proven techniques anyone can use to improve fuel efficiency and save gas money.
If our idea should win, the grant money will be spent immediately to stimulate the economies of several small businesses (videographer, director, assistants, test track, car rental, pr person) as well as pay a lucky university student who will help with post-production editing, etc. The videos will become a part of FuelClinic freely available training modules (in development) as well as available to anyone via YouTube.
Thanks again for your help.
- Mike
Fuelishness Feed: FastSkinz Fail; The NEW Pumped-Up Prius; 10,561 MPG Econo-Coffin; Tata’s Start-Stop – Sound Familiar?
- Popular Mechanics Tests FastSkinz Car Wrap: Essentially, in our test, we found no real fuel-economy improvement from the Fastskinz MPG-Plus wrap. And if you trust Ford’s MPG displays, the Fastskinz Flex actually delivered slightly worse fuel economy on our loop. So two identical vehicles, on an identical route at identical speeds, with the same drivers, on the same day, returned nearly the same fuel economy. Where did MPG-Plus go wrong?
- The New Toyota Prius Has 22% More Power: At the same time overall fuel economy has been improved by 10 per cent, new Prius returning 72.4mpg in combined cycle driving. The adoption of a larger, 1.8-litre engine reduces the rpm during high-speed driving to give a 10 per cent gain in long-haul cruising fuel efficiency. And with more torque produced at lower engine speeds, new Prius offers more relaxed cruising performance, too.
- 10,561 Miles Per Gallon: But there are a few drawbacks. You would have to drive lying on your back in a space no bigger than a coffin.
- Tata Motors — Stop-Start Technology good for 6-10% Better Fuel Efficiency: Market sources indicate that now Tata Motors has the technology it can be extended to its other range of products like passenger vehicles and trucks . In a ‘stop-start’ technology, the vehicle’s ECU (electronically controlled unit) is so programmed that after 10 seconds of it recognising that the engine is on but idle, it automatically switches off the engine.
Fuelishness! Feed: The axles of evil; Fuel injected motorcycles; Nissan’s improved fuel-efficiency; Toyota says Prius achieves highest fuel efficiency for gasoline cars
- The axles of evil: Absent $4 gasoline, customers, those nuisances with their insufferable preferences, do not want the vehicles the politicians want them to want, even with manufacturers now offering large rebates and other incentives…
- Fuel Injection in motorcycles: Since it is intelligent to use the fuel the Fuel Efficiency of the motorcycle is increased than the carb ones. And also fuel injection helps to deliver good power even in high altitude regions…
- Nissan’s improved fuel-efficiency models to offer major tax breaks : Nissan Motor Co. will soon release seven vehicle models with improved fuel efficiency, measures that qualify them for major tax breaks…
- Toyota says Prius achieves highest fuel efficiency for gasoline cars : Toyota Motor Corp. claimed Friday its new Prius gasoline-electric hybrid car to be launched in mid-May has achieved the world’s highest fuel efficiency of 38 kilometers per liter, an improvement of some 7 percent from the current Prius.
Obama Administration’s New Fuel Economy Standards Sued as Too Weak
The Center for Biological Diversity, an organization of “biodiversity activists” who are keen to use the courts to help “protect the lands, waters, and climate that species need to survive” – have appealed to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to declare that the Obama administration’s new few standards for 2011 are violating federal law.
The Obama administration’s new fuel economy standards for 2011 vehicles, the first industry wide increase in miles-per-gallon requirements since the mid-1980s, were challenged in court Thursday by an environmental group, which said the rules are too weak and still don’t consider the impact of emissions on global warming.
The standards, announced last Friday by the Department of Transportation, would boost average fuel economy requirements to 27.3 mpg for all vehicles, up by 2 mpg from 2010 models. Passenger cars would have to reach 30.2 mpg and light trucks 24.1 mpg.
Some environmental groups have said the new standards are a small step in the right direction, but the Center for Biological Diversity said Thursday they’re actually weaker than the requirements that the Bush administration proposed last year for 2011 vehicles…
Our fuel economy standards have been nearly flat since the early 1980′s – while modern engines are more efficient than older models (fuel injection vs. carburetors is a simple example), cars and trucks have become bigger and more powerful, and actual fuel mileage – miles per gallon – has not increased.
…The group asked the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to declare that the administration violated a federal law requiring that fuel economy standards be set at the maximum feasible level, in light of current technology, economic impact, and the nation’s need to conserve energy. The same court ruled in a similar lawsuit in 2007 that the Bush administration’s fuel standards for light trucks and SUVs for the 2008 through 2011 model years were invalid…
Given the existing “climate of chaos” gripping the government, it’s unlikely that this appeal will make many ripples. The problem is not enough time to do the various impact studies and set the standards based on those findings – while still giving the struggling manufacturers time to retool and implement the needed technologies.
…The administration “cooked the books to conclude the maximum fuel efficiency level the United States can achieve in 2011 is the lowest in the world,” Siegel said.
Critics of Obama’s “Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry” pointed out early that the members of the task force generally seem a little out of touch with the importance of improved fuel economy – another example of this administration’s disappointing “do as I say, not as I do” approach to the subject of energy efficiency.
Fuelishness! Marathon – Part 3: What is cellulosic ethanol; Algae Farming; Most Efficient Way to Travel 350 Miles
- What is cellulosic ethanol and how does it fit with green cars? : There is a lot of controversy surrounding biofuels. Various studies have shown that crop-based biofuels contribute to global warming more than they help prevent it, that ethanol is no better than gasoline, and that South East Asian rainforests are suffering for biofuels, to name just three. The most dramatic recent claim was that ethanol was the worst type of renewable energy.
- Algae Sizzle and Algae Steak : Bionavitas “Light Rod” idea called Light Immersion Technology that looks like a giant tapered optical fiber that places light at depth into algae cultures. Ingenious as ideas go, with a near stunning amount of coverage on Wednesday the idea might get some financial and research legs. What has been left out is the details about the light. The photos seem to leave out the top of the rod or fiber or just show a shaft, whose top area sets the amount of light; no matter how deep it is distributed. The idea solves a problem in algae culturing, getting light deep so that the culture isn’t just a thin layer at the sunlit surface.
- How Many Gallons of Fuel Does it Take to Travel 350 Miles? : GOOD Magazine, in collaboration with Robert A. Di Leso, Jr., explores fuel use by various modes of transportation. In what is essentially a fancied up bar chart, we see how many gallons of fuel it takes for a passenger to travel 350 miles by cruise ship, Amtrak, Boeing 737, Sedan, hybrid, etc. A couple of non-fuel modes of transportation are included as well using caloric conversions. It’ll take about 48 Whoppers with cheese to walk 350 miles. Good to know, especially since I was planning on walking 350 miles today. Totally kidding. I’m walking 360. Like a circle.
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