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As a man thinks, so he is. Some people are never. Recent Posts
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CarSpace Alternate RouteTurn off the nav system, crumple up that MapQuest printout, and let's find out where the next random turn may take us! Aug 13, 2008 - A Record Not From Mr. Phelps
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday in a report posted on a government Web site that the nation's fleet of passenger cars and light trucks averaged an estimated 26.8 mpg through March, up from 26.6 mpg for the entire 2007 model year. That's up from a 25.7 mpg average in 2006, which also was a record. Read the entire article at the DetroitNews.com
Aug 11, 2008 - HHO, HHO, HHO
There's a lot of buzz about HHO kits. The idea is to use electricity from the car's alternator to electrolyze water into HHO, a mixture of pure hydrogen and oxygen. This mix is fed into the intake air, where it is burned along with gasoline, thereby increasing your fuel economy anywhere from 15 to 100 percent—depending on which Web site you're visiting. The funny thing is that while you see a lot of anecdotes about someone who tried it and it "seems" to work after a half tank of fuel, or they know someone who knows someone who did it and they say it works, there hasn't been a lot of hard testing on what smells a lot like a scam to me. Mike Allen at Popular Mechanics is taking on the task of testing an HHO kit and thus far he sees no mileage benefit. But he's being fair and reserving his judgement until he runs more testing on a dynamometer. It would be great if the idea was true and we could increase our mileage at such a small cost. It also would be great if I could have a flying car simply by "Rudolphizing" it with the inexpensive kit pictured above.
Jul 7, 2008 - 2010 Again?
I'm sure that we'll have all the standard equipment with this alleged release... enthusiasts who will proclaim this the ultimate solution and skeptics who will point out things like the fact that a single-passenger vehicle that is going to cost $30-$40,000 isn't really much more than an expensive toy, or at best a noble experiment that might yield some real-world practical concepts.. Gee, maybe they had it right in Car Magazine Online when they were talking about pricing for the car... "Expect a large amount of subsidy from VW, which hopes to reap a slew of headlines in the current climate." Imagine that. Looking for Mr. Goodpress.
Jun 5, 2008 - Ease On Down The Road
I won't say that hybrid owners started it, but the term sure came into vogue once hybrids hit the scene... hypermiling. Getting rid of jack rabbit starts, learning how to slow down and stop with minimal brake use by not going so fast in the first place, generally being a little less agressive on the road. There are a bunch of little things you can do to squeeze more mileage out of your car. You can find some of these ideas and share your own tips right here in CarSpace in our forums discussion on hypermiling. Stop in and share your secrets and maybe you can start to get results like Wayne Gerdes who gets 60 mpg in his regular Honda Accord!
Apr 26, 2008 - Ask Dub Schwartz!
Well Ludd, the answer is right in front of you, and beside you and behind you and all over your new car. That old Sentra got great mileage, but it wasn't weighed down with air bags, ABS, creature comforts and emissions requirements. So your new Sentra is heavier, you're safer, but you don't get something for nothing and the cost is our mileage. With the new mileage standard that's going to need to be met, either some tehnological breakthrough is needed or you might need to be responsible for more of your own safety behind the wheel.
Apr 8, 2008 - Matter Of Perspective
Never mind that a hybrid vehicle actually costs more to own over the typical amount of time I'd own a car even taking the fuel savings into account. That "hybrid premium" is a myth, or so the greenies will emphatically tell you. but that's another tale for another time. With tax time approaching, my mind was in dollars and cents mode as I juggled the money trying to prepare to pay my taxes, and a different way of looking at fuel efficieny popped into my head. Miles per dollar. To calculate miles per dollar, simply take the mileage your car gets, and divide it by the cost per gallon of the fuel you use. For example, my Nissan Versa getting 32 mpg using 87 octane that's $3.35 at the pump right now is getting 9.55 MPD. (miles per dollar) So if I have to run the 8 miles into town to pick up widgets, the 16 mile round trip is costing me at least $1.67. Maybe this is the way to get people to cut down on fuel use. Let them know how fast the meter is running. After all, look how worked up people are about gas prices because of the never ending coverage. Imagine how it would affect you if a little cash register on the dash was racking up the dollars as you drove!
Feb 13, 2008 - Sisyphus Lives!
For being a devious sort, Sisyphus was cursed by the gods and compelled to roll a large boulder up a hill. Every time he got the boulder almost to the top, he'd lose control and the boulder would roll back down the hill where he would start pushing all over again. Boulder pushing is alive and well. All you have to do is to check the Suggested Improvements section of many of the consumer submitted reviews of vehicles here on Edmunds. Wanting improved mileage from a car is a common theme, but consider this gem: I don't like the gas mileage. I am also not very happy with the remote starter as you only get to press the button twice and then you have to manually start the car. It only runs for 10 minutes at a time and has a range of 200 meters! Not very far! Imagine that. Your car will only run for 10 minutes when you start it from the next county and you're not happy with the gas mileage! It's an election year folks. Please give me some hope that people are still able to think!
Dec 20, 2007 - Is Not, Is Too
Now I know you should sit down for this because you'll be shocked, but you know the energy bill that was just passed and mandates a CAFE average mileage of 35mpg? That really doesn't mean 35mpg. In fact, an analysis by Edmunds' chief test engineer shows that a car -- or truck -- would need only to achieve 26 miles per gallon combined highway and city mileage in the new Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy tests to turn in the equivalent of a 35 mpg CAFE rating. Isn't that just wonderful? Pass the duct tape so I can keep my head from exploding.
Be sure to read and comment on the full story from John O'Dell at the Green Car Advisor
Dec 14, 2007 - There Oughta Be A Law
The measure was approved Thursday with strong bipartisan support 86-8 after Democrats abandoned efforts to impose billions of dollars in new taxes on the biggest oil companies, unable by one vote to overcome a Republican filibuster against the new taxes. I suppose some feel that we have to mandate things like this, but the market will sort this sort of thing out. This is the first time in 32 years that Congress has called for higher fuel efficiency standards. Let's see, that would put the last mandated increase back in 1975 as a reaction to the 1973 oil crisis. The imports made great strides while Detroit lost some of its luster. And here we are, 32 years later surrounded by SUVs. The mileage efficiency of our collective fleet of cars is going to change when consumers start to demand more fuel efficient cars, not because of legislation. And while the ethanol lobby might be happy, how is mandating the use of a fuel that's not as efficient going to solve anything? Read the full story at Time.com
Dec 12, 2007 - Legislating Demand
But can you legislate consumer selections? "Consumers are open to any technology that will save them money and have a positive impact on the environment," Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Jesse Toprak told Business Week. "Hybrids will still be the main high-economy technology, but perhaps 10 or 15 years from now, fuel cells could pass hybrids. Diesels will be big, at least in the short term." People may be open to the technology, but the key is saving them money and prying their wallets open. That's a job for the market, not legislation. It's nice to think that uncle Sam can just wave a magic wand and POOF, everyone will be buying fuel efficient cars, but that's not how it's going to happen. It's a sort of chicken-and-the-egg situation. The manufacturers are building what the consumers are asking for. And yes, the consumer would LOVE to have a big car that gets at least 35 mpg, but that's not going to happen, at least not with the technologies as they are. So does forcing the manufacturuer to increase fuel efficiency force consumers into "better" choices? Thank goodness that they didn't try to attack the demand side and legislate that consumers be forced to choose more efficient cars. Now that would create some noise! Fuel efficiency Read more at Business Week
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