Fuel Economy Data Place Article and Blog Site

Earlier this year, Nissan Motor Company unveiled the the next-generation all new Nissan Micra, also knows as Nissan March. It’s a great small-car package that is well designed to support the needs of city driving. It’s receiving considerable praise across a number of continents for its styling and reliability. It has been designed to attract a wide cross-section of customers across the 160 countries where it will be sold. It is planned for release to Europe in November 2010 but not sure if and when it will be sold in United States.

Some key features:

- 1.2 L, 74 bhp, 3 cylinder petrol engine.
- Built on the new Nissan V Platform; expected to improve fuel efficiency
- Lightweight at just over 2,000 lbs
- Spacious interior comparative to exterior dimensions
- Available with reversing sensors and a new ‘parking space measurement’ (PSM) device with three skill levels (amateur, normal and expert) to lessen the burden of parking in tight spaces
- Offers an Intelligent Key, Nissan Connect, Nissan’s accessible touch-screen combined audio and satellite navigation system, glass roof, automatic wipers, speed sensitive volume on the audio, a push button start-stop system in addition to a drive computer which supplies drivers with real time fuel economy information, cruising range and outside temperature. On the security side, the car is also fitted with a speed-sensitive automatic door locking system.
- Fitted with ABS, dual front airbags, curtain and side airbags, Electronic Stability Programme (ESP)and pretensioner seatbelts as standard equipment.

The chances are high that eventually all of car manufacturers will bring a shade of green to their line of sports cars. If they anticipate that even the toughest of speed enthusiasts will feel a need to show a sense of responsibility to earth and conserve fuel, the movement will really accelerate (sorry, that pun slipped out).   Well, Porsche with the anticipated release of the first Porsche hybrid just set the bar higher.  Let’s hope this paves the way and intrigues other manufacturers to follow suit.

This week, Porsche revealed images of the GT3 R hybrid and their plans to formally unveil the car next month at the Geneva Motor show.  While this is really a race car rather than a production car for consumer use, it still highlights the fact that more and more manufacturers are evaluating ways to green up their sports cars.

This week, Porsche revealed images of the GT3 R hybrid and their plans to formally unveil the car at the Geneva Motor show in March.  While this is really a race car rather than a production car for consumer use, it still highlights the fact that more and more manufacturers are evaluating ways to green up their sports cars.

The challenge for manufacturers is how to introduce hybrid technology to sports cars without adding too much weight and impacting balance.  The implementation for the GT3 R is quite interesting.  The electric motors are designated to power the front wheels while the gas engine continues to power the rear wheels.  Energy for the electric motors is stored in a flywheel generator rather than electric batteries.  The generator receives the power from the braking process.  That power is only available for a few seconds following each charge, which for use during race conditions can be very useful to gain boost.  The driver can take advantage of the extra boost by pressing a button which can provide up to an additional 160 HP of power for a short burst.  That not only can provide additional power but can also save fuel and extend periods between fueling.

Although it is clear that Porsche designed this technology for use in racing, it holds the promise that some aspect of this will make its way to a consumer sometime in the future.  I expect the implementation will be quite different from the GT3 R. Regardless, when it happens it will be welcome news.  Let’s hope for sooner rather than later.

For years there have been articles touting the value of acetone for obtaining better gas mileage.  The claims state that adding a small amount of acetone leads to improved gas mileage increases between 2% to 20%.  In addition to improved gas mileage, it is supposed to improve power.  For those not familiar with Acetone, it is a commonly available and inexpensive chemical found at hardware stores and drug stores.  The chemical is often a key ingredient for nail polish removers, pain thinners and other solvents for cleaning.  It is said that Acetone primarily helps in the aid of vaporization of gas, thereby increasing fuel efficiency and gas mileage, and also reduces the amount of harmful hydrocarbon emissions produced by car engines.   In the chamber of most engines, there is a small amount of fuel (gas or diesel) that remains in a liquid form.  In order for this fuel to be fully combustible, the fuel must be fully in vaporized.  Acetone helps the fuel reach fuller vaporization and hence better combustion.

To evaluate the claim, I decided to test out the theory informally on one of our old cars.  Over several months I tested the addition of acetone on a 1993 Toyota Corolla with nearly 200,000 miles under its belt.  In its prime, it was common for the car to obtain gs mileage ranging from 28 mpg in the city to a maximum of 34 mpg on the highway.  A typical average for a mix of city and highway driving was around 32 mpg.  For the last several years, the car averages only 25 mpg in the city, a maximum of 31 mpg on the highway and 28 mpg for a mixture of city and highway, certainly a drop in efficiency from its prime.  Note that the car is well maintained with its engine components performing nearly as well as new. Having nearly 200,000 miles on the odometer is testimony to its reliability.

In my test I altered the rate of acetone to gasoline from 1 oz for every 10 gallons to 3 oz for every 10 gallons.  Since every tank full took approximately 10 gallons, it was very convenient to match the dose exactly every time.  The test was performed over half-a-dozen complete fill-ups.  The pattern of driving was almost always exactly the same as it mimicked normal patterns driven over the last several years, again leading to very equal measurements of results.  My observations were actually a mix of positive and neutral conclusions.  Here are some highlights:

• On sole highway driving, I received an excellent 35 Mpg.  As compared to my recent mileage, this was 4 miles per gallons higher or roughly 13% better gas mileage.  This was actually higher than the highest I have received when it was in its prime.
• On a mixture of city and highway driving, I received a not-so-impressive 30 Mpg. As compared to my recent mileage for a mix of city and highway, this was 2 miles per gallons higher or roughly 7% better gas mileage.  Not quite what it was in its prime but at least improving.
• On sole city driving (stop and go with very brief periods of speeds above 40), I received a very neutral 25 mpg, essential 0% increase from my recent mileage in the city without acetone.

Although not a very deep test, it led me to conclude that acetone worked extremely well when the driving was mostly highway based.  As the driving changed to more city based, the gains were reduced significantly to a point where there were no gains when it was pure city driving.  It is difficult to say what the other factors were in regards to these tests, such as the age of the engine and the temperatures and humidity.

Before you jump out and try acetone on your vehicle, you should be aware of a few cautions.  The chemical is highly flammable and should be kept in a safe location.  It should be used in the safest manner to prevent damage to yourself and to other parts of your vehicle such as the paint.  There is also a lot of controversy around its safety on various engine components such as the fuel systems or gaskets.  It is difficult to say which is really true and which is based on logically derived theories.  With the old car that I tested, I didn’t have much to lose.  If you have a new car or some technology that is not so understood in terms of impact from acetone, it is best to stay away.  If you want to know other ways to improve gas mileage, read one of our other articles:  Improve gas mileage: ease up, air up.

Other Good References:

http://www.pureenergysystems.com/news/2005/03/17/6900069_Acetone/:  I found this was a good article with background from a few different perspectives.

It’s no wonder with ever increasing gas prices that everyone is looking for ways to improve gas mileage for their vehicles. I will share with you the two simple strategies that I have found to really improve gas mileage. I will also outline a few others that have been mentioned by a number of reputable resources.
Air Up

Keeping tires inflated to the maximum recommended tire pressure has a tremendous impact on improving gas mileage. Some sources state that you should expect about a 3% improvement. My results showed even better improvement. In my tests, I compared the miles per gallon (MPG) that I received when I kept my tire pressure at 34 PSI against the MPG I received by increasing it to the maximum of 44 PSI. The result was an increase of a whopping 7% to 9% in gas mileage. If you normally fill up a 15 gallon tank every week, you now need only 14 gallons or less to cover the same amount of miles. With the cost of gasoline these days, you could save upwards of $200 per year. You may ask “what’s the reason why tire pressure makes such a big difference?”. The answer is fairly simple if you understand some basic physics principals. Tires low in pressure have an increased surface area which will result in more friction and drag for the vehicle as it drives. The more friction, the greater the force necessary to move it forward. Increasing air pressure reduces the surface area on the ground leading to less friction while moving. There is one more small consideration. When you increase the air in a tire, you increase the diameter and circumference. One rotation will now cover more surface when it travels. Of course, not everyone’s tires will need to be inflated as dramatically as my tests used. You may not gain as much as I did but nonetheless you will see some very good results with this simple change.

Ease Up

Driving habits have a lot to do with gas consumption. Fast starts and hard stops simply burn more fuel than necessary. Fast starts aren’t allowing you to cover more area, only to get you there faster. Steady acceleration results in less waste. Rather than making a hard stop, ease up on the accelerator and coast to a stop. You save yourself a few seconds of fuel burning every time. As you can guess, driving in the city means lots of stops and lots of opportunity to save fuel. Similarly, while going downhill let the momentum of the car take to the bottom and minimize the use of the accelerator. Another consideration is when you are approaching curves such is the case on an on-ramp that enters an expressway. The faster you drive into a curve the more force required to keep the car on the road. Part of the force is opposite to the direction you proceed forcing your engine to overcome this force to maintain speed, leading to burning more fuel. Simple modifications to driving habits can make small but collectively measurable impacts to fuel consumption.

Other noteworthy tips

• Tune your car : Make sure to replace, clean or re-gap spark plugs regularly. There are also more expensive types of spark plugs that are more efficient and can improve mileage slightly.
• Replace air filters: Air filters tend to be a forgotten maintenance item. Replace them as recommended for your car and based on driving conditions. If you drive on dirt roads or places with blowing debris, replace your air filter more frequently.
• Use cruise control smartly: Cruise control under normal circumstances is more efficient at applying acceleration only when it needed. However, be smart about when to use it. I am sure you have noticed how the cruise behaves on hilly roads. It tends to get aggressive uphill to maintain the same speed, hence unnecessarily burning fuel. You may be better off not using cruise under that situation.
• Reduce use of air conditioning: Early mornings, late evenings or nighttime usually bring cooler temperatures. Ask yourself if opening the window slightly will bring enough cool air rather than immediately turning to your air conditioner. But be smart about using windows. Having too much wind blowing into the car creates internally drag; similar to what we discussed earlier, the more drag there is, the harder the car needs to work to overcome that force.
• Reduce trips : Avoid making unnecessary trips or try to combine several smaller trips into one larger one. It won’t improve your mileage much but it will reduce how many miles you need to drive on one tank of gas.

Some additional resources
http://mileage.fueleconomydataplace.com/. Of course, you could start with driving the most fuel efficient car. Before deciding on a new or used vehicle, start by researching the gas mileage of those vehicles you are most interested in and use the mileage ratings as a factor for your final choice of vehicle. One of my favorite data research sites is this one that we publish. The site contains some different ways to research the mileage ratings information for all cars, trucks, minivans, vans and others going back to 1998. Very nice.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/FEG/drive.shtml

http://www.mpgplus.com/

http://www.pureenergysystems.com/