Serious fuel mileage -- 8000 mpg

[Obser]

British Inventor Unveils 8000 MPG Car
May 12, 2006 2:18 p.m. EST
Julie Farby - All Headline News Staff Writer http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7003538016

London, England (AHN)—A British inventor unveils the world's most fuel-efficient vehicle, a three-wheel “TeamGreen” car capable of doing 8,000 miles to the gallon.

The 45-year-old inventor, Andy Green, from the University of Bath, built his budget eco-motor for just £2,000, and will be the sole British contender for the title of the world's most fuel-economic car in a global competition being held later this month.

It has taken Mr. Green more than two years to design and build the car, which will be the fourth eco-vehicle he has built. He holds the British record for fuel-efficiency, with 6,603 miles to the gallon in a previous car.

According to the report, the new vehicle is powered by a single cylinder four-stroke engine with a capacity of just 35cc and runs with a special management system incorporating fuel injection.

A spokesman for Bath University says, "Andy Green is keeping the spirit of the lone British inventor who takes on the world very much alive."

[james dilley]

Just wonder If he will be A threat to the Big 3????

[Obser]

The big three US automakers seem to be self-destructing without his help. The new "big three" might be Nissan, Honda and Toyota

If 8000 mpg is possible in and experimental vehicle (or "only" 6600), shouldn't production vehicles be capable of 1/100 of that? How about 1/10?

Would there then be a "fuel shortage"?

[jnap31]

Good question Obser1 something does not seem right here, I think mayeb the oil companies have a vested interest in keeping us dependent on high priced oil. Maybe they are paying the car manufacturers?

[seedspreader]

Originally Posted by james dilley

Just wonder If he will be A threat to the Big 3????

who is the big 3???

they don't exist anymore. Com'on James get into this millenium.

[seedspreader]

Originally Posted by Obser

The big three US automakers seem to be self-destructing without his help. The new "big three" might be Nissan, Honda and Toyota

If 8000 mpg is possible in and experimental vehicle (or "only" 6600), shouldn't production vehicles be capable of 1/100 of that? How about 1/10?

Would there then be a "fuel shortage"?

How much freight and fat americans do you think that one cylinder engine will haul though?

[Obser]

ZYG, probably not much; however, 8000 mpg in a research vehicle is an indication that production vehicles should be capable of more than the US average of 21 mpg.

A vehicle designed to carry passengers and tote groceries should at least be able to get ONE PERCENT of the fuel mileage of the research vehicle. That would be 80 mpg.

Ten percent would be eight hundred mpg. Now the US average is 1/4 of one percent.

[CraftyDiva]

Pretty soon you'll be able to buy a kit to convert present day cars to run with gas (if you want) and also hydogen. US government is giving this company trouble bigtime .............
http://www.switch2hydrogen.com/?callyourcongressman

[MELOC]

i wonder how long before his patent is purchased and placed on the shelf forever?

[HermitJohn]

Umm, folks, this engine is 35cc!!! The 3.5hp Briggs engine on your el-cheapo push lawnmower is 148cc or thereabouts. Think about what kind of a car you are going to move with a push lawn mower engine, let alone an engine a quarter that size. And here all these folk on this board dont want to give up going 90mph cause its their god given right. Yep lets see them do that with a 35cc engine.

[Janon]

A 35cc engine... which is about what you'd find on a chainsaw. Makes ya wonder if there is any solid definition for the word "car" (there appears to be no photo in the article). I fail to see how 35cc could power anything beyond a glorified bicycle.

Unfortunately, "researchers" don't always research anything which is of any practical value. What they should do is form some criteria/standard for "efficient car" :

- seats two people, those two people weighing a total of 325 pounds
- carries 200 pounds of cargo
- can consistantly reach speeds of 60mph
- meets existing safety standards
- gets 75mpg+
- is "affordable" ie. a max selling price

I see no reason why the above could not be achieved quite easily - using existing technology - and without taking 5 years to design. Another poster mentioned the "21mpg avg. of North American vehicles".... which is just plain pathetic. 8000mpg... I think we should start by shooting for a 40mpg avg.

cheers,

[Quint]

It's 35ccs? Um yeah that's great I guess. Might work on a the kids power wheels or something.

Call me when I can put it in my truck.

Call me when:
It puts out 300-400 hp and torque in the 400-600lb-ft range
It uses fuels I can get locally, nationwide and at a reasonable cost.
It doesn't come at some astronomical price and is affordable to normal people.
It works in temperature extremes and can work in the same conditions that a regular IC engine can. In other words if I submerge the thing driving across a creek. I don't want the thing to explode on me.

[JAK]

I think trucks that need 300-400HP, as some do, you might really benefit from having two engines. Perhaps something as small as 50hp for just cruising along the highway or puttering about town with not load, and then the full monty for doing whatever it is that you do. They talk about V8s that run on 4 cylinders, but I don't see that making a big difference.

[Obser]

Originally Posted by Obser

8000 mpg in a research vehicle is an indication that production vehicles should be capable of more than the US average of 21 mpg.

A vehicle designed to carry passengers and tote groceries should at least be able to get ONE PERCENT of the fuel mileage of the research vehicle. That would be 80 mpg.

Perhaps the thought is lost on those who feel they "need" big engines, massive horsepower and high speed to do the grocery shopping.

[caryatid]

If you want pictures:
http://www.teamgreen.org.uk/

it's Team Green's home page. I didn't see any photos of the 8K/gal car, but there are some of the other one.

[WanderingOak]

There is a picture of it here: http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0...523559,00.html . Hopefully the blinking headline won't cause any seizures. Basicly it is a glorified skateboard with a chainsaw engine.

[wy_white_wolf]

Originally Posted by caryatid

If you want pictures:
http://www.teamgreen.org.uk/

it's Team Green's home page. I didn't see any photos of the 8K/gal car, but there are some of the other one.

That site doesn't include the new vehicle. A picture of it can be seen at the link in the general chat forum:

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0...523559,00.html

The car only weighs as much as the average 9 year old boy (5 stones?). Even he admits that the main key to fuel economy is less wieght.

[cfabe]

So they have a "car" with a (maybe) 1/2 horsepower engine, that is small enough only a skinny guy could drive it, no cargo, that can attain a speed of 15mph for 5 miles, with tires so fragile it can only operate on a super-smooth race course. Of course it gets a million mpg, but you could do the same thing with a pedal powered vehicle and get infinitie miles per gallon. I'd like to see you go grocery shopping in that vehicle.

[Arklady]

I saw an article about a guy who invented a car that would be a standard sized car that ran 70mph on meg technology...

very interesting article.

But besides that. The Big auto industries have been buying up all the higher miles per gallon inventions in this country for decades. One guy, even got as high at 150 miles per gallon. I can't remember his name but one of the big three bought him out. Patent and all. Too bad the guy sold out... I wonder what kind of muscle they used to get him to sell.

I know the guy who sold the PT Cruiser for a job and a hefty sum sold out cheap. If we ever want to leave the big industries we are going to have to resist the temptation for big bucks and great wealth... The guy has made a bit of money sure but the new owner has made more and slapped his logo on it. It makes me kind of sad...

Arklady

[rickd203]

In order to get that high gas mileage, they accelerate the vehicle up to about 15-20 mph and coast down to about 5-10 mph. the test is done on a test track. They only carry enough fuel for about 100 miles and estimate how far the vehicle would go with a full gallon of gas. This is really just an experiment to see if there is anything that they can learn and apply to automobiles.