Category: Fuel Economy

By Edward Niedermeyer on November 12, 2009

Burn, baby, burn (courtesy:MT)

“You’re going to see it of course in the 3 Series,” BMW’s Tom Baloga tells Inside Line, “and the 5 Series is a good possibility. If the performance [of such an engine] is sufficient in the X3, U.S. customers would likely accept it in the X5 as well.” The “it” he’s referring to is BMW’s two liter turbodiesel engine, which BMW hopes will soon make up 10 to 20 percent of its engine mix in the US. And the Bavarians aren’t bringing the diesel four over for mere miserly mileage alone. “We would be focusing to make sure we get the performance that people expect without squeezing every last mile per gallon out of it,” Baloga says. “I don’t think we would ever consciously look at [the VW Jetta TDI's] numbers and say ‘we have to beat that.’”
(Read More…)

By Cammy Corrigan on November 12, 2009

Take that, Mother Nature!

There’s all kinds of controversy over what makes a car “green” and what doesn’t. Some point to size and efficiency, crucifying Hummers and full-size trucks as criminals against the planet. Others point to lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, battery-component mining pollution and other less-obvious measures to excoriate hybrids. In any case, TTAC’s scientific department isn’t well-funded enough to issue a comprehensive report on the subject. Forbes may not have tested cars itself, or dug into true “dust-to-dust” footprints, but it’s gone ahead and published a list of “America’s Dirtiest Vehicles” anyway. Let’s take a look, shall we?

(Read More…)

By Edward Niedermeyer on November 12, 2009

A return to form? (courtesy:malaysianminilover.com)

Brace yourself ladies and gentlemen, because an automaker is taking on one of the American market’s greatest bugbears: size and weight bloat. Mazda’s vehicles have gained 80 pounds on average with each recent redesign, according to Robert Davis, senior vice president of product development and quality for Mazda North American Operations. Davis tells Automotive News [sub] that increases are coming “mostly in larger tires and wheels, and safety equipment,” resulting in a 2010 Mazda3 that weighs 2,868 pounds compared to a 2003 Protege’s 2,634 pounds. And, says Davis, that’s all about to change. He promises “typical” weight reductions of 220 pounds per vehicle on future Mazda models, through a combination of measures. For one thing, dimensional creep is a thing of the past, with some Mazda models scheduled to lose as much as three inches in length.

(Read More…)

By Edward Niedermeyer on November 5, 2009

Pentastar V6... the technology Chrysler didn't need help with

One of Chrysler’s major problems in the powertrain department is a mass of V6 engines of varying ages and displacements. The lack of interchangeability between engines contributes to Chrysler’s unprofitability, and the advanced age of some hurts overall fuel efficiency considerably. The debut of a brand-new Pentastar V6, arriving with next year’s Grand Cherokee, will change all that. The 280 hp, 260 lb-ft engine will replace all of Chrysler’s V6s, and handily gives Fiat their only modern V6. Single and twin-turbo versions are being considered. Meanwhile V8s aren’t going away, with 5.7 and 6.4 liter versions planned.

(Read More…)

By Cammy Corrigan on October 29, 2009
Got the Bluemotions?
Say what you want about the Prius (and no doubt you will) but it is a car that ushered in a new era of automotive history. It made saving fuel and being “green” trendy. When automotive history is written, the Toyota Prius will be along side cars like the Ford Model-T, The Citroen DS, the Jaguar E-Type and Audi Quattro. But now other car companies are fighting back. Toyota has the Prius, Ford has the Fusion hybrid, GM has the Volt and Volkswagen has the….Golf?
Channel 4 reports that Volkswagen are launching the Golf Bluemotion and it wants your attention. For those who like figures (and I don’t mean the Jill Wagner type) here are some salient points for you to chew over:
By Edward Niedermeyer on October 27, 2009

Burn him! Efficiently though... (courtesy:annarborbusinessmagazine.com)

Walter McManus, former GM economist and current head of the Automotive Analysis division of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, wants you to know GM’s SUV strategy of ignoring efficiency as a marketing input was his fault. In an interview with Energy and Environment News [via Edmunds Green Car Advisor], McManus explains how surveys in the 1990s showing consumers did care about efficiency were ignored:

The survey would estimate that people would estimate fuel economy fairly highly. Being a good economist, I said, ‘No, they don’t,’ and I changed the results. There was a systematic bias against such results. Our job was not to seek the truth, but to justify decisions that had already been made… It’s my fault they had the wrong vehicles until now

Can you say culture issues? McManus’s explanation for the insular attitude is a familiar refrain, namely that decisions “are being made by upper-middle-class white males, by and large. They don’t understand that the customers are not the same as they are.” Now that gas prices have made efficiency impossible to ignore though, McManus sees change coming.

(Read More…)

By Edward Niedermeyer on October 21, 2009

First, find yourself a good supercharger... wait, what was the question again?

Everett writes in:

I know that each motor, transmission, and car combination has optimums areas of performance for mileage. All the Jetta drivers that swear by idling in 5th gear are a testament to that. With some of the newer V-8 motors, however, finding the sweet spot is a little more problematic. Take for example a GMC Yukon XL, paired with a 5.3L V-8. Because GM designed the motor to shut down four cylinders whenever it could to increase fuel economy, the motor does just that when coasting, during braking, and for short stretches where the motor can maintain the desired speed (provided the driver holds a steady pedal). Is it possible that because the motor would produce more horsepower under the V-4 mode at a higher rpm/road speed, that there is a sweet spot of efficiency at a HIGHER than expected speed? Having a power curve for the V-4 mode of the motor would be a good starting point to know if there is a point where the V-4 mode is revved higher and produces enough power to better maintain highway speeds, but saves gas because four cylinders are shut down. Any ideas if that exists for the actively managed motors out there and what speed that would be?

By Edward Niedermeyer on October 20, 2009

But which one is The Future?

By Edward Niedermeyer on October 13, 2009

Exhaust gas recirculation: more than just a "Dutch oven"

With so much attention focused on next-next-gen, alt-energy auto technology, we enjoy highlighting the incremental changes that are making good old internal combustion engines more efficient. The latest evolution to show up on our radar screen is BMW’s development of a host of measures [via Green Car Congress] which it hopes will someday reduce the inefficiencies of cold starts. Perhaps the easiest way of reducing low-temperature, high-friction starts is to encase the engine to slow down the engine cooling process (as well as insulating components that might otherwise need to be cooled). In fact, BMW has shown that with encapsulation, a 176 degree operating-temperature engine can keep its temperature as high as 104 degrees after 12 hours. But good luck trying to change your oil when your engine is surrounded by thermal materials.

(Read More…)

By Edward Niedermeyer on September 30, 2009

Was it something I said? (courtesy: MLive.com)

Official fuel economy testing for all vehicles is conducted on chassis dynamometers, which are basically treadmills for cars and trucks. One subtlety of chassis dynamometer testing is that vehicle fuel economy measurements using decades-old standard speed profiles may be overly optimistic compared to today’s average on-road fuel use. Official methods exist to adjust the test cycle fuel economy of conventional vehicles to better estimate expected real-world fuel use, but a similar adjustment method has yet to be finalized for PHEVs.

From a National Renewable Energy Lab paper on plug-in hybrid efficiency testing [via Green Car Congress].

(Read More…)

Recent Comments

  • Re: Maybach: No Substitute For A Rolls Royce

    Thor Johnsen - I know, and I agree. It somehow came out wrong – I was actually referring to Rolls Royce; classy/tacky  cars, depending on the eyes of the...
  • Re: Review: Ford SVT Raptor

    Ion - it IS P71 he’s the only person to refer to the Raptor as a ZR2 and JC Whitney Special, all of his old comments are gone so I’m assuming he got ban-hammered and...
  • Re: Review: Ford SVT Raptor

    fincar1 - I don’t suppose that it will be
  • Re: Volt Birth Watch 172: 3rd Generation Sustainability?

    Steven02 - 7k also buys a lot of gas, but people pay for it when they choose a Prius over a Corolla.
  • Re: Ask The Best And Brightest: MINI or BMW Zero-Series?

    mcs - Part of the problem is that BMWs keep getting larger and heavier. They probably need a Zero series so that they can keep stretching and porking...
  • Re: Review: Ford SVT Raptor

    srh - A typical diesel pickup can go about 2000 miles between fillups with an auxiliary fuel tank. And with the blowout pricing of the last year, you can buy a new one for not too...
  • Re: Ask The Best And Brightest: MINI or BMW Zero-Series?

    srogers - I think that there’s enough room for a model between the 2. The MINI is really tiny.   Like Potatobreath, I’d like to see a 1...
  • Re: Review: Ford SVT Raptor

    srh - If you’re looking for something useful for towing and hauling, Ford has a full line of pickups that are perfectly suited for that. This isn’t one of them. But...
  • Re: Review: Ford SVT Raptor

    srh - “I NEVER compared it’s capability to my Z71.  That would be silly.” Yes you did, right here. And yes, it was silly. “And my Z71 can still out haul it and...
  • Re: Ask The Best And Brightest: MINI or BMW Zero-Series?

    Kyle Schellenberg - I don’t think they will.  Even at niche levels the Mini offers upscale profitability and one thing that most other cars...

 


Auto Insurance GPS Navigation
Car Loans Auto Parts
Car Warranty Wheels
Automotive Tires Car Care