Whiz kid invention - Super Mileage Car

[Chicago Democrat]

http://www.wtvw.com/Global/story.asp?S=1895576&nav=7CPENPoc

For two years some whiz kids from South Spencer High School worked on a super mileage car. Their efforts have paid off. The students brought home top prize at a state competition for their car which gets 2,416 miles to the gallon. The students spent one year alone just designing the body of the car. They also had to raise money to make the design a reality. The South Spencer team beat 49 other high school and college teams to win the super mileage contest in Indianapolis. The egg-shaped car cost about $4,000. to build, but some of the other teams spent as much as $50,000. Their winning car more than doubled the gas mileage of the runner-up. The car and the students will head to national competition in June.

(end of story)


You can see a Video of the Car on RealPass CNN NEWS. (Requires RealPass)

[screembloodymurder]

1. Wow!

Just goes to show what you can do when you aren't beholding to any oil money.

[benburch]

2. Calling this a car is a sort of special pleading...

Any good wind would blow this off the road, after all.

[Chicago Democrat]

6. Automobile is basically anything with 3 or more wheels

that is self propelled.

Your point is right on tho, not exactly very impressive in power compared to a typical.

[arwalden]

3. Pictures And Another Link Here...

http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=1828247



"I had no idea we would win it, especially by as much as we did," exclaims Haaff.

Sarver explains, "We used 7.2 grams of fuel over 6 1/4 miles, and that's this right here. We got 2,416.74 miles to the gallon."

==========
ME: I'm assuming it's gasoline... but I could be wrong. I haven't seen mention of anything OTHER than gasoline.

-- Allen

[RC]

4. If my math is any good, that is slightly over a quarter of an once.

The thing must run on fumes.

[Chicago Democrat]

5. The CNN video showed the actual amount of gas used...

It was about an ounce it seemed, hard to tell as it was in a vial..

the engine must be tiny

[keithyboy]

23. To hell with the contest. Get a venture capatilist to fund these kids

and start a new auto company and put some people to work. Of course my head is spinning from the sabotage that the oil companies would undertake. If they were smart they would put their research and developmenent into these kids.

[Columbia]

7. I get infinitely more miles per gallon

On my bike and it's way cheaper and probably even faster.

[mulethree]

9. well not infinite, but perhaps twice as high

Assuming the small high schooler from the article, and a reasonable biking speed around 14 mph, he would have burned about 30 calories (Kcal) doing the 6.25 miles.

Assuming gasoline as their fuel, the car burned 7.2 grams which comes to about 52 Calories (Kcal)

So a bike gets nearly twice the 'mileage' - would do better with similar aerodynamics.

[Doctor Smith]

10. More like 150-200 kcal.

Energy efficiency while bicycling is only 20-25%.

[Columbia]

11. Ok, you got me

Caught my exaggeration. :)

But the cost of the "car" is certainly not worth the efficiency.

[SquireJons]

25. yes, but

With the car, you get to ride in shelter and comfort. Perhaps worth the trade off?

[AP]

12. Actually, it's possible that you have to consume more food, brought

to you through fossil-fueled production to ride your bike that far.

This car could be more efficient than you are.



http://www.messenger-inquirer.com/columnists/vied/7159362.htm

[Columbia]

15. What about the fossil-fueled production used to make the car?

There must be a lot of plastic used to make it light enough to have that kind of efficiency.

[AP]

16. I was talking about fuel costs.

Obviously manufacturing your bike isn't a low fuel-intensive proposition either.

[Chicago Democrat]

19. This is treaally cool I think... Those kids were so happy.

Nice for them. Its great to have fun news.

[Beaker]

31. what about all the energy used to construct the "car"?

if you're going to bring up fossil-fuel provided groceries, it's only fair to consider the groceries consumed by the people who designed the car.

[SmokingJacket]

8. Not a realistic car...

But a point that needs to be made. Am I making things up, or were normal (though compact) cars getting close to 70 mpg about 10 or 15 years ago?

[AP]

13. A diesel vw rabbit used to get about 50 mpg.

[mulethree]

20. small diesel VW's still get 46-47 mpg hiway

beetles, jettas and golf with like 5 speed manual and overdrive

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bestworst.shtml

[benburch]

24. 51.8 MPG, Gasoline...

Today. In my 2002 Prius. We drove from Elgin, IL to the Chicago Loop and back.

The people who say that a hybrid is getting them crappy milage have either never learned that there is a way to drive them that gets the good milage, or are doing lots and lots of short trips.

[mulethree]

30. on paper, hybrids look even better for short trips

City MPG is relatively even higher than the Hiway MPG. Presumably not running the engine at idle, saving breaking energy during stop and go.

Are you seeing less than predicted economy on short trips and stop and go?

[benburch]

32. City driving is different from short trips.

The Prius strives to be a Green car first. This means the catalytic converter needs to be up to temperature as soon as possible after the engine starts, so it runs the engine even when it otherwise would not have to in order to accomplish this. So that it does not pollute before the converter is at temperature, it has a novel device called a "hydrocarbon sponge" that holds onto the unburned hydrocarbons until the converter is in operation.

The effect of this is that a short trip always has worse milage than a long one, whether that is city or highway driving.

[Columbia]

14. That was before emissions standards I believe

The kind of gas we use today is much cleaner burning, but not as efficient.

[SmokingJacket]

17. That is an interesting fact. n/t

[stickdog]

18. Why?

[daleo]

21. Well perhaps the octane rating has been reduced

But that would be a trivial part of the relative drop in mileage over the last decade or two. The real reason is heavier vehicles, SUVs, plain and simple.

[mike1963]

22. I'm sure that is true. The 'octane' or 'performance number' has almost no

effect of the BTU (calorie) value of gasoline. And it certainly seems that eliminating Lead which has almost none would actually increase it. Anybody more up to date on organic chem here care to comment? :D

[PATRICK]

27. How about math

How is the weight differential, load bearing capacity per amount of gas compare to other cars? Are we missing real comparison issues? A bicycle WAS given an aerodynamic body that enabled great efficiency and speed so that it could probably bury the energy efficiency of this machine. How much do aerodynamics help this car but would become useless at greater weight?

Is this possibly overblown, like comparing those wireless electric cars to road model electric cars? Is it just a toy pared down or have they done anything reproducible at larger sizes?

More importantly, have they beaten the pros at GM who probably make these models every day? THAT would be a story.

Otherwise, sounds good for the velo crowd.

[salin]

28. you are making things up. Average mpg of compact cars

10-15 years ago would have been around 30 mpg.

[Dover]

26. MORE on this story:

...Martin, a math and physics whiz, managed the project. Designing the car took four months.

"We had some basic things we wanted," Martin said. "We wanted it really aerodynamic and to have a very efficient drive train."

The team decided on a chain drive turning a racing bicycle wheel, with the tires inflated to 160 psi. The car was designed to fit Ben Haaff, who stands 5-feet-6. According to the contest rules, the car had to have a firewall protecting the driver from the engine compartment, a fire extinguisher, and it had to stop in 36 feet from 15 mph. The team finally settled on two oversized caliper brakes on the enclosed rear wheel to slow the car down.

The car has many unique features, all designed to boost gas mileage.

"We ran the fuel line over the engine to warm it for less density and to use less fuel," Martin said.

That wasn't all. The team designed an ice-powered cooling system that cooled the air entering the engine.

"Cool air has more oxygen so you have more power without sacrificing fuel economy," Martin said.

Martin and Sarver spent innumerable hours on the car, including evenings, weekends and prom night and even spent their Christmas vacation in the school shop.

"Everything about this car has been more time and effort than we imagined," Martin said.

It all paid off in Indianapolis April 26. With Ben Haaff quickly learning the track, and, more important, how far to coast on each lap, the car improved from 478 mpg on its first lap to 502 and then 1,625 and finally to 2,416.74. Martin, Sarver and Steve Hays acted as spotters, helping Haaff avoid other cars and keeping him abreast of his time. Each car had to finish the course in no more than 25 minutes........cont'd >

http://www.messenger-inquirer.com/columnists/vied/7159362.htm

[mulethree]

29. nice video on greener real cars

http://www.pbs.org/saf/1403/video/watchonline.htm

Alan Alda, PBS , Scientific American from May, 2004