The Fruit of Knowledge
Posts tagged fuel efficiency
Could VW XL1 provide blueprint for 190-mph, 70-mpg XR1 sports car?
Jun 11th
Filed under: Diesel, EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Volkswagen
The Volkswagen XL1 is a next-generation vehicle focused on one thing: hitting the one-liter per 100 kilometer fuel efficiency bogey (hence its name). That ultra-low level of energy usage translates to 235 miles per gallon, but since VW says the two-seater burns even less than a liter per 100 km, the estimated fuel economy number is more like 261 mpg. Even if real-world testing sometimes returns “just” 120 mpg, there’s no question that this is a car built for efficiency. So why are we hearing rumors of a sports version called the XR1?
That’s what Automobile Magazine claims, after speaking with an anonymous VW board member who said that the idea behind the XR1 would be to offer performance like a Porsche 911 alongside hybrid-like fuel economy at a lower price. Interestingly, the car’s electric powertrain would be removed, and the resulting weight drop would allow VW to use cheaper materials (aluminum and steel instead of magnesium and carbon fiber, for example) while still keeping the car light. The liquid-fuel engine might become a four-cylinder (maybe the turbocharged 2.0-liter found in the seventh-generation GTI, which offers 220 horsepower) and a new seven-speed automatic dual-clutch that could together provide 70 miles per gallon.
Automobile notes that a lot of other changes would be needed that would modify the car’s look and feel, but if such a vehicle is approved, we could theoretically be looking at a high-efficiency sports car that reaches 62 miles per hour in under 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of 190 mph – all for under $50,000. That sure sounds sweet, but when Autoblog Green reached out to Volkswagen of America, the automaker’s manager of product and technology, Mark Gillies, said this was all news to him. Isn’t speculation fun?
Could VW XL1 provide blueprint for 190-mph, 70-mpg XR1 sports car? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 11 Jun 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Rumormill: Could VW XL1 provide blueprint for 190-mph, 70-mpg XR1 sports car?
Jun 11th
Filed under: Diesel, EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Volkswagen
The Volkswagen XL1 is a next-generation vehicle focused on one thing: hitting the one-liter per 100 kilometer fuel efficiency bogey (hence its name). That ultra-low level of energy usage translates to 235 miles per gallon, but since VW says the two-seater burns even less than a liter per 100 km, the estimated fuel economy number is more like 261 mpg. Even if real-world testing sometimes returns “just” 120 mpg, there’s no question that this is a car built for efficiency. So why are we hearing rumors of a sports version called the XR1?
That’s what Automobile Magazine claims, after speaking with an anonymous VW board member who said that the idea behind the XR1 would be to offer performance like a Porsche 911 alongside hybrid-like fuel economy at a lower price. Interestingly, the car’s electric powertrain would be removed, and the resulting weight drop would allow VW to use cheaper materials (aluminum and steel instead of magnesium and carbon fiber, for example) while still keeping the car light. The liquid-fuel engine might become a four-cylinder (maybe the turbocharged 2.0-liter found in the seventh-generation GTI, which offers 220 horsepower) and a new seven-speed automatic dual-clutch that could together provide 70 miles per gallon.
Automobile notes that a lot of other changes would be needed that would modify the car’s look and feel, but if such a vehicle is approved, we could theoretically be looking at a high-efficiency sports car that reaches 62 miles per hour in under 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of 190 mph – all for under $50,000. That sure sounds sweet, but when Autoblog Green reached out to Volkswagen of America, the automaker’s manager of product and technology, Mark Gillies, said this was all news to him. Isn’t speculation fun?
Could VW XL1 provide blueprint for 190-mph, 70-mpg XR1 sports car? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 11 Jun 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Official: Fuel Economy Coach wins efficiency prize in DOE’s Apps for Vehicles Challenge
Apr 4th
Filed under: Green Culture, Legislation and Policy, USA
Don’t tell anyone who’s focused on reducing distracted driving, but the US Department of Energy (DOE) recently held a Fuel Efficiency Innovation apps contest. So, while the winner might not do much for keeping eyes away from smartphones while driving, it might save some gas.
This week, the DOE announced winners of its Apps for Vehicles Challenge, which was geared to get developers to create apps that might improve safety, fuel economy and driving comfort. Launched last October, the contest generated almost 40 entries, with the judges’ prize going to the Dash app, the popular choice going to MyCarma and Green Button Gamer winning the safety innovation prize.
For those focused on cutting gas use, though, Fuel Economy Coach won the fuel efficiency innovation award. The app provides “real time feedback and driver coaching” that is supposed to help drivers cruise more efficiently – provided that a hands-free device is used, of course. Check out the DOE’s press release below.
Continue reading Fuel Economy Coach wins efficiency prize in DOE’s Apps for Vehicles Challenge
Fuel Economy Coach wins efficiency prize in DOE’s Apps for Vehicles Challenge originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 04 Apr 2013 07:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fuel efficiency law to get EU on road to growth: study
Mar 17th
By Barbara Lewis BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Proposed European legislation on auto fuel efficiency, to be debated this week, could create around 400,000 jobs and save the bloc tens of billions of euros in annual fuel costs, according to a new study. The fuel efficiency proposals, set for an initial vote in the European Parliament on Tuesday, have split the industry. Germany, home to luxury carmakers, has pressed for supercredits, which the European Commission says would dilute its plans. …
Report: Fuel-saving, self-driving trucks on the road in Japan
Mar 4th
Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Japan
Readers of a certain age might remember those bumper stickers with Yosemite Sam toting two six-shooters and yelling “Back Off!” He wasn’t yelling “So you can burn more fuel!” but researchers are looking at how tailgating could save gas, and, in this case, are working with big rigs.
The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) is testing what’s been known in some circles as a road train program with heavy-duty trucks in Japan, The Verge says. Under the program, a convoy of four trucks are computer-programmed to drive about 13 feet apart, which cuts wind resistance and boosts fuel economy for the trailing vehicles, The Verge reports. In fact, fuel efficiency could climb as much as 15 percent through such a program. NEDO will expand such testing efforts later this year.
NEDO’s efforts are similar to those that Volvo has been testing since 2009 with variants of SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment), the company’s own road train concept. SARTRE involves a truck followed by three cars driving at about 13 feet apart at 55 miles per hour, and is said to cut fuel use for the trailing cars by as much as 20 percent. Volvo, which said it finalized the most recent phase of that program last September, hasn’t released details on possible further testing or expansion of its road train efforts.
Check out some videos on the project below.
Continue reading Fuel-saving, self-driving trucks on the road in Japan
Fuel-saving, self-driving trucks on the road in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Report: Citing "public health," French minister calls for higher diesel taxes
Mar 4th
Filed under: Diesel, Legislation and Policy, Europe/EU
France’s environment minister says diesel fuel, which powers about 80 percent of the country’s light-duty vehicles, should be taxed at higher levels for the sake of public health, Bloomberg News reports.
Delphine Batho, in a radio interview, said the idea of increasing diesel taxes is a “public health issue,” and it also happens that a higher rate would boost France’s tax revenue by $11 billion a year. French diesel-fuel taxes are about 25 cents less a gallon than gasoline because diesel is used in farm vehicles and commercial trucks.
Earlier this year, Jacqueline McGlade, executive director of the European Union’s European Environment Agency, said that the higher nitrogen dioxide emissions from diesels nullified much of the gains from the greater fuel efficiency. In fact, the European Commission has said that nitrogen dioxide, combined with other pollutants such as particulate matter, may cause more than 400,000 premature deaths in Europe annually. The World Health Organization released a report last year saying that diesel emissions are linked to cancer.
Still, diesel-fuel demand in France rose 7.5 percent last year, and about three quarters of the country’s new cars were diesel-powered. European automakers have long promoted diesel as a way to push fuel fleetwide fuel efficiency upwards.
In fact, late last year, some of Europe’s largest automakers, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and Volkswagen, joined together to push for more clean-diesel sales in the US in a campaign called “Clean Diesel. Clearly Better.” Diesels account for about three percent of light-duty vehicle sales in the US.
Citing “public health,” French minister calls for higher diesel taxes originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 04 Mar 2013 09:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fuel economy follies: Cheatin’ or mistaken?
Jan 3rd
Filed under: MPG, Hyundai, Kia, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, At Witz End
Automotive journalists have been hearing a consistent message from Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia: their attributes top the competition. Over the last few years, they have claimed superiority for most of their products in nearly every measure that matters, from power and torque to interior and cargo capacity to, most importantly, fuel economy.
When Hyundai introduced its new compact Elantra a couple years ago, execs poked fun at rivals for using asterisks to designate that their 40-mpg compacts – vehicles like the Chevrolet Cruze ECO, Ford Focus SFE, Dodge Dart Aero and Honda Civic HF – were special high-efficiency models. The Elantra and friends, they boasted, needed no such disclaimer because every model was EPA rated at 40 mpg highway. Yet they also claimed better power, torque and performance.
As a recovering engineer, I have wondered how that could be possible. How can nearly every Korean car and crossover boast better power, torque and fuel efficiency than every other in its segment? Could Korean engineers be that much smarter than everyone else? They certainly are smart, and hard working. But so are Japanese, Germans and Americans.
When I’ve questioned such “better at everything” claims at Hyundai and Kia new-product introductions, I’ve received little response beyond smiles and smugly shrugged shoulders. But US auto engineers – who routinely test, analyze and benchmark competitive products – have told me (off the record) that, in their own testing of Hyundai and Kia vehicles, they’ve been unable to achieve the Koreans’ advertised numbers.
Wouldn’t it be embarrassing and image damaging for them to get caught cheating?
Could it be, I wondered, that Hyundai and Kia have been fudging their fuel-economy numbers, especially those very important 40-mpg EPA highway claims? Doesn’t our all-powerful EPA audit and check automakers’ claims to keep them honest? Wouldn’t it be embarrassing and image damaging for them to get caught cheating? Yes, sort of and yes.
But how many Americans recall that these same Korean companies were caught a decade ago inflating their power and performance claims? Very few apparently remember, or care, since both have enjoyed record-setting US sales since then. But cheating on EPA fuel economy ratings? How could they do that, and how have they gotten away with it?
Continue reading Fuel economy follies: Cheatin’ or mistaken?
Fuel economy follies: Cheatin’ or mistaken? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 03 Jan 2013 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Insiders steal a march in leak prone Asian markets
Dec 20th
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – When South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co announced last month it had overstated the fuel efficiency levels on around one million of its cars in the United States and Canada some investors were left fuming more than others. Some had already sold their shares before the announcement on November 2. The stock fell 4 percent on November 1 with about 2.2 million shares changing hands, the highest trading volume of the year at that point. …
Official: Are hybrids more important to Nissan than EVs?
Dec 18th
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Carbon Offset
Nissan chief operating officer Toshiyuki Shiga offered an update on the automaker’s “eco-targets” to further cut CO2 emissions and add 15 hybrid models by 2016. At a press conference in Yokohama, Shiga explained the company’s commitment to sustainability through its Nissan Green Program 2016. “Thanks to environmentally friendly technology and new products, we are completely in line with our targets for the reduction of CO2 in the usage of vehicles,” Shiga said in a video, which you can watch below.
Nissan is also taking on manufacturing facilities, offices and sales outlets for its emissions targets. The company says that its carbon emissions from auto production are now among the best in the industry.
Beyond that, Nissan is looking at where emissions may be going in the 2020s as vehicle sales are projected to rise dramatically. Along with its Nissan Leaf zero-emissions leadership, the company will also minimize use of scarce natural resources and increase vehicle fuel efficiency.
New electric vehicles and 15 hybrids will play a big role in building on Nissan’s 19-percent rise in average fuel economy since 2005 in most major markets, a number that Nissan intends to improve. Globally, the company has introduced five cars, including the Altima in the US, which have top-level fuel efficiency, said Hiromi Asahi, deputy general manager of Nissan’s Environmental Planning Group.
It’s interesting to see Nissan’s ambitious hybrid goals. Thanks to the Leaf, the company leads the global electric vehicle market, but hybrids have been put on the back burner. The Altima Hybrid, for example, was removed from the 2012 Model Year lineup.
Nissan’s renewed hybrid focus could be driven by the sales success of the gas-electric competition, with the Ford C-Max and Toyota Prius both selling well. Also, the tens of thousands of Chevrolet Volts out there have racked up over 100 million electric miles.
Continue reading Are hybrids more important to Nissan than EVs?
Are hybrids more important to Nissan than EVs? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 18 Dec 2012 07:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Rumormill: Mazda CX-3 details come to light
Dec 9th
Mazda may be working on a new CUV, according to Auto Express. Reportedly called the CX-3, the small crossover will be engineered to take on the likes of the Ford EcoSport and Nissan Juke, but with a focus on fuel efficiency and engaging driving characteristics.
The report names no sources, but says the CX-3 will benefit from a new small-displacement diesel engine. The 1.6-liter oil burner will be joined by a 1.3-liter gasoline engine when the vehicle debuts in 2014. Auto Express reports the model may bow as a front-wheel drive offering only, with no all-wheel-drive option.
And what will it look like? Word has it Mazda will continue to leverage the face we’ve seen on the current CX-5 (pictured). That means the company’s shield grille will make the jump, but with more plastic lower body cladding. Inside, Auto Express says the CX-3 will offer buyers fold-flat rear seating for extra cargo capacity.
Mazda CX-3 details come to light originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 09 Dec 2012 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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