Green Car Report

Gallons Per Mile, Not Miles Per Gallon

khallgeisler — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

I was at an event with my fellow automotive journalists last week, two of whom were down from Vancouver, BC. Conversation turned to fuel economy, as it always does these days, whether you write about cars for a living or not.

The Canadians talked about their cars getting "litres per 100," which took me a minute to figure out. Like most countries that use the metric system, Canadian fuel efficiency is measured in the number of liters it takes them to travel 100 kilometers. This is exactly backward from the U.S. convention of measuring the number of miles our cars can travel on one gallon of gas.

It turns out the Canadian system gives a better measure of efficiency, according to researchers at Duke University. The team made this one-question quiz to demonstrate how our intuition fakes us out when talking about miles per gallon, as opposed to gallons per mile.

The article explains the math, which isn't all that complicated, but there's also a handy table so that we can see at a glance how the conversion helps consumers understand their vehicles' fuel usage. A car that gets 20 mpg, to use a pretty common rating for an example, uses 5 gallons per 100 miles driven. A car that gets 30 mpg uses only 3.3 gallons per 100 miles -- a savings of almost 2 gallons per mile, or about $8.50 these days.

But say you're already a Ford Fusion four-cylinder fan getting 30 mpg, or 3.3 gal/100, and you want to upgrade to a Toyota Prius. The hybrid would get about 45 mpg, or 2.2 gal/100, which only saves you 1 gallon of gas, or about $4.30. That slim difference might be enough to get you to keep the Focus, while the mid-sized sedan owner in the last example would do well to get a more efficient vehicle.

All of this is a great way to save money on gas, but let's not lose sight of the fact that every gallon of gasoline we don't use in our cars is one less reason to start drilling for oil willy-nilly. For once, saving money is about saving the planet.

By the way, our Canadian friends are paying CAN$1.40 a liter these days, or US$5 a gallon.

Photo by caribb.

My Smart Test Drive

khallgeisler — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Though they've only been available in the U.S. since January 2008, Smart cars are stirring up a lot of interest for a car so small. Once gas hit $4 a gallon, a seemingly magic number for American drivers, more people started showing up at Smart dealerships to see if the candy-colored egg of a car would suit them. I made the trek and tested the car recently to give you an idea of what to expect.

The car comes in three levels of trim: the Pure, which is so bare-bones it doesn't even have a radio; the Passion, which is the most popular version; and the Cabriolet, a convertible. They all have Smart's Tridion safety cell, the steel roll cage that protects the occupants in case of a crash, and they're all built in France and shipped to their final destinations.

Let's look at the car's pros and cons:

Pros

Affordability. The Smart starts at $11,590. The Cabriolet fitted with every bell and whistle, from metallic paint to heated seats, is still only about $18,000.

Fuel economy. The EPA rates the Smart at 35 city/41 highway.

Safety. Thanks to the Tridion structure, the Smart earned 5-star front and side crash-test ratings.

Roominess. You may be surprised to learn that the Smart was designed with a six-foot, eight-inch driver in mind. The interior is almost entirely devoted to passenger space.

Easy to Drive. There's nothing to learn; just hop in, turn the key (which is in the center console, like a Saab), throw it in drive, and go. If you want more control, use the paddle shifters or the electric stickshift at any time -- no clutch to worry about.

Easy to maintain. The engine is perched in the back under a panel. Oil, air filter, and the like are easy to access, and the motor flips down on hinges for more serious repairs.

Eco from the Get-Go. Plastic panels are recyclable and in some cases made of recycled materials, the factory aims for carbon neutrality, and all vendors are asked to supply parts in returnable containers.

New friends. People give more thumbs-up and waves to this car than any I've driven.

Cons

The Wait. Plunk down your $99 fully refundable reservation today, and you may wait a year before you take delivery of the car. Can't wait? Maybe you can win one.

Transmission. There's a lag when the gears shift, especially between first and second. It's really noticeable, but they tell me you get used to it.

Power. No one expects Lotus-like acceleration from this car, but be warned that it does 0-60 in 12.9 seconds. A Prius manages 0-60 in 10.9 seconds; a Tesla does it in less than 4. No sprinting into traffic here.

Capacity. The 71-hp engine can only carry so much -- about 600 pounds. A driver and passenger likely take up 350-400 of those pounds, and the heavier the load, the worse the mileage.

No Spare Tire. But the car does have tire-pressure monitoring standard, and it comes with an air compressor that can be plugged into the dash and tire sealant for emergencies.

Photo by Doug Geisler.

Electric MINIs Headed for California

khallgeisler — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

BMW, which owns the Mini brand, is slated to bring 500 electric-powered Mini Coopers to California sometime in the near future. You will know them by their distinctive paint job, silver with a yellow roof. You'll also be able to recognize them by their quiet operation and smug, smiling drivers. Oh, how I wish I could be one of those.

The company is building 500 empty cars -- no engines, no fuel tanks, no gearboxes -- at the Mini factory in England. The shells will be shipped to Germany to be fitted with electric motors, batteries, and chargers, as well as presumably a new type of transmission. The completed Mini EVs will be brought to the States.

Well, one state, anyway. Like all these new-technology vehicles, BMW will lease the Minis to customers in California, not sell them outright. Of the 500 total, 490 will be available to the public, while 10 will be kept as show cars.

Folks outside California (and impatient Californians) can still get an electric Cooper, for a price. Hybrid Technologies converted a Mini to lithium-ion battery power and brought it to Popular Mechanics HQ last year. You can buy one from the company today that goes 75 mph and has a 100-mile range -- for about $50,000, or twice the price of a standard Mini.

Image courtesy of Mini.

Forget Gas Prices: Consider a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle

khallgeisler — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Many automakers are promising that electric, highway-speed, family sedans are on their way, maybe even as early as next year. If you'd like to lose the gasoline habit sooner rather than later, though, there are options available right now: NEVs, or neighborhood electric vehicles.

These are the zippy little cars made by the likes of Zap, Zenn, and Gem. Some have three wheels, some have four, and they generally carry one or two passengers. But would one of these cars work for you? Maybe, and maybe not.

Pluses

No gas, ever. All the power is supplied by batteries, usually of the common, less-expensive lead-acid variety. These can be fully charged overnight in a standard socket for a couple cents a mile.

Up the green ante with renewable power. If your utility company offers clean electricity from wind farms or the like, then your NEV's carbon footprint dwindles to almost nothing.

Price. NEVs can be cheaper than even gas-sippers like the Honda Fit or Nissan Versa. Bare-bones models start at about $7,000 and go up to about $16,000 for your fancier models.

Zero emissions. None.

Quiet. The only noise is the tires rolling on the road, so you'll no longer be contributing to noise pollution. But do the polite thing and make sure kids and the blind know you're around, since they can't hear you.

Minuses

Top speed of about 40 mph. For those who live in an urban area, though, this hardly matters. Speed limits in towns are rarely higher than a Zap can zip.

Maximum range of 25-50 miles, depending on batteries. Again, this isn't a major minus, as 78% of Americans have a round-trip commute of 40 miles or fewer. If you can top off the batteries at work, you can double your daily miles.

Number of passengers is limited. You can take your kid to Little Leage practice, but no one else can ride along. Unless they are very tiny, or an invisible friend.

Hills are the enemy. But the flip side is that flat streets are your friend. If you live in a hilly area, an NEV might not have the power to get you up and over. But again, flat, urban commutes are ideal for these cars.

Taryn Sokolow, of the EnVironmental Motors EV dealership in Glendale, Calif., said in an interview earlier this year, "Some people it really doesn't work for, and some people think they can't, but they can."

When Sokolow is working with a customer to find the right NEV, she finds herself asking them, "How far is it from your work to your home? I need to know miles." Know your commute and your needs, and you might find that two cents a mile works just great for you.

Photo courtesy of Zenn.

Ditch That Old Clunker -- And Get Paid

khallgeisler — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Conventional eco-wisdom says that driving an older car into the ground is better than tossing it into the junk yard and buying a gleaming new one off the showroom floor. It's true that it's better to keep still-usable materials out of landfills, but those tailpipe emissions aren't doing our air quality any favors, not to mention the poor fuel economy. So, how about if we sweeten the deal?

Some states are offering a bit of green incentive to drivers of older, more polluting vehicles. In Texas, for example, low-income drivers in the major metro areas can get up to $3,500 in credit toward a new car purchase as part of its "Drive a Clean Machine" program.

In its ongoing struggle against smog, California is offering up to $1,500 toward the purchase of a new car if the old one fails its emissions test, or $500 toward the price of repairing the car enough to pass the test.

The biggest state of them all, Canada (some call it a country), will offer $300 in cold, hard Loonies to drivers who ditch their old cars. They can also choose a discount on a bicycle or transit pass, if they'd prefer.

It almost goes without saying, but the car manufacturers are big fans of these programs, especially after being hit so hard in the sales department this spring. They are tactful enough noto mention that programs like these can help them out of a double-digit sales slide, instead couching their enthusiasm in concern for the environment.

These programs require millions of dollars to run, but it's worth it in places like Los Angeles and Dallas-Ft. Worth to clean up the smog. If you live in one of these cities, take full advantage by trading in your 10-year old car and buying the hybrid you know you covet.

Photo by bcostin.

3rd-Gen Prius: Toyota to Add Solar Panels

khallgeisler — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0400

The more we hear about the new Prius, which should show up in 2009, the more excited we get. The latest news is that Toyota will add solar panels on the roof to power the car's accessories.

The panels won't generate enough juice to power the car, but they will be enough to run the air conditioner and other electricity-sucking accessories. The panels will be available on the high-end versions of the Prius and possibly a Lexus hybrid model, giving drivers a new way to flaunt their green -- as a sign of their concern for the environment and their ability to lay out the cash to save it.

The next generation of Toyota's flagship hybrid is already slated to get a power boost and better fuel economy, so these panels are icing on the cake. With the current version of the Prius in short supply lately, and the premium being exacted by dealers for the privilege of buying one, you may be better off socking away that down payment and waiting until next year. Just drive your current car mindfully in the meantime.

Prince Charles Runs His Aston on English Wine

khallgeisler — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Prince Charles, the U.K.'s version of Al Gore, has taken another step in a green direction: his 1970 Aston Martin DB6 has been converted to run entirely on bioethanol, sometimes known as E100. The fuel he uses is made from a white wine produced near the prince's Highgrove Estate, itself a showcase for organic farming.

The DB6 only got 10 mph to begin with (it now gets about 4.5 bottles of wine per mile), and the eco-conscious prince only drove it a few hundred miles a year. With such low usage, the transformation of his 21st birthday present from Queen Elizabeth to vino power won't get Charles very far toward his goal of reducing emissions from his planes, trains, and automobiles 25% by 2018.

The European Union limits annual wine production, so any leftovers from England's current vintage can be converted to bioethanol by Green Fuels Ltd. The company has previously provided bioethanol to power the royal train. The prince's other vehicles, which include a smattering of Jaguars, a Range Rover, and an Audi, have been converted to run on bioethanol made from cooking oil.

Don't forget, DIYers, you can do the same yourself at home with a little leftover wine of your own.

Rental Upgrades Not So Great

khallgeisler — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Recently, my friend Andrew, a travel writer, was on the job in Ohio (I don't know why, either). He had reserved a compact car to drive from the airport to various cities and towns across the state to report on its vacation hotspots. But when he got to the rental counter, he was cheerfully offered an upgrade to a Jeep Grand Cherokee.The best mileage this model can get, with the smallest 3-liter engine and two-wheel-drive, is 18 city/23 highway.

Andrew had been expecting something more like a Ford Focus, or maybe even a slightly larger Toyota Camry. Certainly not an SUV with a 21-gallon tank. Luckily for him, gas in the Midwest has been hovering right around $4, so a fill-up would have cost a mere $84. Even luckier, in order to sweeten this upgrade deal, the rental company threw in a tank of gas.

Andrew isn't the only one having large cars foisted on him at the rental counter. Car rental companies don't have the compact-car inventory to keep up with demand and so have to convince customers to take the larger car. This didn't used to be a problem; if they could afford it, Americans would gladly take the roomier full-size sedan or SUV. With gas averaging $4.09 a gallon across the country, though, the extra room isn't worth it.

Most car rental companies do have hybrids on the lot, but if you think compact cars are in short supply, Priuses and Escape Hybrids are rare as the Pinta Island tortoise. They're often more expensive, too, thanks to the pesky rules of supply and demand.

What can you do if you're stuck with an upgrade this summer? Here are a few tips:

Threaten to take your business across the lot to another company, but only if you mean it. Small cars are likely scarce over there, too.

Negotiate. I've heard several stories from recent renters about getting a free fill-up for accepting the larger vehicle.

If you have to go big, do it in style. If you're going to pay out the wazoo for gas anyway, see what you can do to get a convertible or luxury car.

Drive that boat of a car from the rental lot to the nearest gas station and check that the tires are properly inflated. This will save you at least a few dollars on fill-up.

Use all the gas-saving tips we've shared here on RiverWired.com, including hypermiling techniques.

Photo by Justin Russell.

New Fuel-Efficient Car: You Better Th!nk!

khallgeisler — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

In April 2008, upstart car company Think (also spelled Th!nk) made its first move toward invading North American shores with its compact, fuel-effiecient, city-friendly cars. It partnered with several U.S. companies, including General Electric and lithium-ion battery producer A123, as part of its strategy for world domination.

Maybe not world domination exactly, but at least world market share. Think already produces and sells the City, a little zero-emissions, all-electric number, in Europe; it plans to bring the car to the U.S. next year. A full charge gets you 200 km, with a top speed of 100 km/h (that's 124 miles and 62 mph for us Americans).

Many of the City's parts are recyclable, including the dashboard and body panels.The car is made in Norway at a carbon-neutral facility, and the company will buy carbon offsets to compensate for the emissions produced in the process of generating the electricty that charges your batteries. These guys are really commited.

The Think Ox is already in the works for 2011. This basic auto platform can be configured by the company into everything from a sports car to a taxi. The first iteration to hit the market will be a crossover 5-seater the size of the current Toyota Prius. The most important function of the Ox may be to take the EV from cute oddity to "real car" status, with it simple, roomy, Scandanavian design. If Ikea built a family car, this would probably be it.

Water-Powered Car a Pipe Dream

khallgeisler — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

We learned the other day that hydrogen-fueled cars release only water as a byproduct. Could you take that purest of all tailpipe emissions and fuel another car with only water? No, for two reasons: first, that hydrogen car would take forever to produce enough water to fill the tank, and second, cars can't run on just water, no matter what the Internet says.

Actually, if you Google "water-fueled cars," you'll find as many sites touting the idea as debunking it. Treehugger has a pretty good explanation for why it probably won't work; namely, the first law of thermodynamics. You remember -- it's the one about energy not being created or destroyed.

The Museum of Hoaxes is also suspicious of the efficacy of a water car, given that you'd have to split water into hydrogen and oxygen -- a difficult process -- and then run the car on H instead of H2O. Which we already have, so it's not much of a breakthrough. The best part of this debunking, though, is that the guy with the powder that turns water into gasoline admitted he got the powder from spacemen from Neptune.

The reason the Internets are all abuzz about the water car is the introduction of a supposely viable model from Japanese company Genepax. CleanTech Group talked to representatives of the company, who could not reveal "the core part of this invention," nor could they reveal a timeframe for mass-producing the car, or how long the system would last, or when more tech information would be available to the public. That's a lot to take on faith.

Here's the 1m 14s video from Reuters of the Genepax tootling about on H2O. If it works as great as this guy in the video promises, we're all golden. But it's still too soon to take off our goggles of skepticism.

The idea of water cars is as old as gas crises. Check out this story in the New York Times (login required) about a man in California who was running his car on water -- in 1981.

Image by atomicshark.