more fuel economy BS - VW Lupo

[beechfront]

If completed as scheduled, the Lupo’s expedition will traverse the globe over 20,712 road miles in 80 days, an idea based on the book by Jules Verne, “Around the World in 80 Days.” The planned fuel consumption for this test is just 264 gallons, or an average of 78.7 miles per gallon (2.99 l/100 km). If successful, it will set a record for the least fuel used for a car traveling around the globe.

At the time the car reached Washington, DC, after driving 12,116 miles from Berlin, the cumulative average fuel usage was 95.2 mpg (2.47 l/100 km).

[xs650mike]

WOW!

[strom]

Hmmm... crammed in a can for too many miles with no AC and a crappy engine with top speed of 70-90.... no thanks.

LP

[JWSanders]

Yeah, the description of the way the transmission operates on that car sounds like torture. There's very little acceleration...just easy transitions and the most efficient fuel curve to get to speed. It also shuts off the engine whenever you're on the brake for more then 3 seconds or so.

The price of fuel economy is the removal of fun, it seems.

Me personally, I cant wait for all the oil to run out. It's going to be the only thing that will get the technologies that already exist out on the market. Hydrogen technology is easily adaptable, plentiful, and just the implementation of it away from being a reality. I'd be willing to bet there are several systems out there sitting on shelves just waiting to be "the one" when the oil is gone.

The transition away from fossil fuels is a necessary one. It's all just a matter of time anyway. Weather it happens in this generation or 5 more down the line, it's going to happen.

The country that develops the system that eventually takes over will be a very fortunate country indeed. It would be a sales boom to rebuild the fuel infrastructure of the world! It'd be nice if it was the U.S. leading the charge. We need to get off our asses.

[xs650mike]

You're darn tootin' we need to get off our asses. Alternative technologies have actually been suppressed in this country, I suppose because they haven't yet sold the last drop of oil. Now we're finally just starting to get in the game. Now the problem with hydrogen is that it takes more energy to produce than it makes when it's burned. They are going to have to go to solar generation of power in order to make the hydrogen or we'll still be burning fossil fuels. When I was a kid back in the '50s we were told that in the future all power would be nuclear. Problem with that is that nobody's figured out a way to get rid of the waste and it's just downright dangerous. Hydrogen will work if they can build massive solar power plants.

[beechfront]

i've been reading about people converting hybrids like the prius into PHEV's.

basically, they take a prius, upgrade the battery, add a wall charger....

they say it will get between 100 & 200 miles per gallon (depending on how you drive) for the first 50-60 miles until the excess battery power runs out. after that, it will resume to normal operation (50mpg)

this is great, because you get the efficiency and cleanliness of an electric, with the range of gasoline. perfect for commuters.

many people argue that you are just shifting the 'oil consumption' from your engine to the powerplant - but this is not entirely true. generating energy on a large scale is much more efficient.


there is a company that will modify your 04+ prius starting in spring 06. unfortunately they are charging between 10-12k for this conversion.

[beechfront]

PRIUS+ LINK

[JWSanders]

They wern't so wrong Mike.

The next major wave in commercial power generation is going to be Fusion power. Burns clean, no leftovers. There have been major developments in the last several years (mostly in other countries).

I can only marvel at what the world might be like when there is an abundance of cheap, clean power.

It will happen, eventually. Sadly, it will likely be long after it needs to.

http://fusionpower.org/InformationFusion.html

[xs650mike]

In my county Calpine operates a large geothermal plant which I believe is a good source of reasonably clean power. I say reasonably clean because there is some air pollution from sulphurous gasses but it's not large compared to the amount of power generated. They did get a little greedy and tried to extract too much steam which dropped the pressure to the point where the plant was way under capacity. Now they're injecting treated waste water (sewage) into the steam wells which has brought up the pressure. The biggest drawback to this has been the nearby residents are now plagued with constant earthquakes which hasn't done much for quality of life or property values. Oh well, as most of us know, there ain't no free!

Solar and wind power have been proven but now we've got these upscale folk who don't want to have to look at "eyesore" windmills near their New England vacation homes. Oh boo hoo hoo. These NIMBY crybabies need to get over it and themselves.

[Czekus21]

You would think that some over paid brain would figure out how to make an internal combustion engine run on house hold garbage. There is a never ending supply and we're running outta space.

[xs650mike]

Rotting stuff does generate methane and some folks are running their vehicles on "sewer gas" which is methane.

[jayklink]

Originally posted by Czekus21
You would think that some over paid brain would figure out how to make an internal combustion engine run on house hold garbage.

Trouble is that over paid brain wouldn't make much money on you using garbage to run your car.