Well, look at me, late again! I’ve been entertaining a friend of mine from Japan, and last night we went out to NYC, which took up quite a bit of time. However, to make it transportation related, it was my first time on the Park & Ride into the city and it went pretty well.

• An EcoModder’s Dream Fuel Economy Car: Ever wondered what those of us who are really crazy for gas mileage lust over? Kind of silly, but it’s interesting to see what we’d be driving if availability didn’t get in the way.
• Concept Car - Daihatsu UFE-II:Reminds me of my car. Definitely a slick shape that Daihatsu is working on.
• Ditching the car: A great story (via video) of ditching the car for some sweet bike riding.

Thanks for tuning in this week! Hope your weekend was relaxing.

Another week, another weekend, and some really exciting news. Personally, I think a lot of the goings on looks pretty neat, but I guess that’s what we can expect with the lead up to auto shows and the 2009 model year!

• Honda Wants to ‘Change Customer Perception of Hybrids’: Neat post from WIRED Autopia about Honda’s approach the the hybrid market.

• Honda Insight Concept to Debut at Paris Int. Auto Show: My post announcing the new Honda Insight Concept, complete with real, official picture straight from Honda.
• 4 Ways to Add a Gas Mileage Display to Any Car: A good guide to the available options for anyone interested in getting a little more in depth with their ecodriving.

• Lutz: “Tear Down This Wall!”: Lutz it calling for the US to step in line with the rest of the world on crash testing after it was the Big Three that caused the current US isolation in the first place.

• Boston Taxi Fleet to Be All Hybrid by 2015: That’s right! Taxis and other city vehicles get hit really hard fuel economy-wise, so they’re one of the best things to replace with hybrid vehicles.

Thanks for tuning in! I’ll have more for you next week.

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For months there has been chatter about Honda’s new 5-door hybrid, which has been hyped up as a Prius-killer. However, details have been scarce up until now, when Honda announced (and shared pictures!) of the Honda Insight Concept, which will be revealed on October 2nd at the Paris International Auto Show.

Much has been made of this car because of it’s low starting price (around $18,500) and higher people/hauling capacity when compared to the original Insight. The new Insight’s starting price will be lower than any other hybrid on the market, and was achieved by cutting the cost of Honda’s IMA system, which should lower hybrid prices across the board.

If you’ve been following the rumors, you’ll know that the new Insight Concept is based on the stylings of Honda’s fuel cell vehicle, the FCX Clarity, which is now on lease to a few lucky people out in California. This aerodynamics shape allows for a large interior while reducing fuel consumption tremendously, and doesn’t look half bad (I’m sure those wheels won’t come on the production model).

Expect to see the new Insight on Honda show-room floors in Spring of next year. Unlike the old Insight (and currently the Prius), we should expect the new Insight to be fairly available for purchase, as Honda intends to sell 200,000 units annually worldwide, with about half of those sales in the US. When more information is available to consumers, I will post again with pictures and links to the Honda site.

Read the full press release below:

TORRANCE, Calif. - Sep 04

Honda will reveal a concept version of its new small hybrid vehicle, to be named Insight, at the 2008 Paris International Auto Show, October 2, the company announced today. The new Insight Concept shares styling cues with the Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle and will provide an early look at the highly-anticipated five-passenger hybrid vehicle.

Going on sale in the U.S. next spring, the all-new purpose-built Insight will come to market at a price significantly below hybrids available today. From this unique position in the marketplace, the Insight will advance the affordability and accessibility of hybrid technology to a new generation of buyers.

“The original Honda Insight pioneered hybrid technology in the U.S. and remains a symbol of Honda’s commitment to innovative technology and fuel efficiency,” said Takeo Fukui, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. CEO. “This new Insight will break new ground as an affordable hybrid within the reach of customers who want great fuel economy and great value.”

The Insight Concept defines a new stage in the evolution of hybrid technology by utilizing a more cost-efficient version of Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist™ (IMA™) hybrid technology, resulting in a new level of affordability for hybrid customers worldwide. Evoking the innovative styling cues first seen in the FCX Clarity, the Insight Concept is designed with a low center of gravity and a generous five-passenger cabin, offering the kind of driving pleasure and roomy interior that customers have come to expect from Honda. While the Insight Concept’s aerodynamic design clearly identifies its fuel efficient purpose, its five-door access and folding rear seats speak to functionality that is designed to meet the needs of customers with an active lifestyle. The Insight Concept is a small, fuel efficient hybrid car that delivers big style and functionality with a healthy dose of fun.

Honda achieved a significant cost reduction in Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) components which should make Insight the most affordable hybrid vehicle to date. The production Insight will be offered as a five-door, five-passenger hatchback. Numerous technologies, including a function to assist customers in achieving more fuel efficient driving habits, will be applied to achieve a further improvement in real world fuel efficiency. With its affordable price, the new hybrid vehicle will represent the best value in its segment. Along with the Civic Hybrid, the new vehicle will be produced at an expanded hybrid vehicle production line at the Suzuka factory in Japan.

The Insight is expected to have annual global sales of 200,000 units per year - approximately 100,000 in North America. Following the launch of the new Insight, Honda also plans to introduce another unique sporty hybrid vehicle based on the CR-Z, first shown at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. All together, Honda’s global sales of hybrids should increase to approximately 500,000 units a year, or more than 10 percent of its total worldwide annual automobile sales.

The original Honda Insight was introduced in December 1999 as America’s first gas-electric hybrid car. The first vehicle to break the 70-mpg fuel economy barrier, Insight was designed from the ground up to demonstrate the ultimate potential for fuel-economy in a two-seater subcompact automobile.

A leader in the development of cleaner, more fuel-efficient mobility products, Honda introduced the first low-emission gasoline vehicles; America’s first gas-electric hybrid car and the world’s first EPA-certified hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, the FCX. In 2007, Honda was named “greenest automaker” by the Union of Concerned Scientists for the fourth straight time.

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If you can look past all the branding, you’ll see who many people are calling the “World’s Best Hypermilers.” Of course, there’s no real “World Championships of Fuel Economy,” so no one can officially take that title, but the Taylors would definitely be on everyone’s short list if you asked who could take home that prize.

They’ve already set records for driving around the world and driving across Australia, but now they’re after the record for driving across the US. The current record is set at 51.8 mpg, which I think they will shatter. Given that they cross Australia at 75 mpg and I have personally crossed most of the US on two tanks at 63 mpg, I think the number is so low just because there hasn’t been enough interest in such a long competition.

Of course, I’m not trying to sound mean, I just expect the Taylors to set a high bar that will encourage some more people to try and get out and compete. Might this be the new Cannonball Run? Perhaps with a little less law-breaking this time around?

I guess we’ll see. Follow along at FuelAcademy.org.

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Whenever someone signs up on the EcoModder forums, the first question they get is “do you have any fuel economy instrumentation?” So I’m asking the same thing to you today, and also offering some solutions. Instrumentation is important for anyone trying to get better mileage since it’s the only way to get real-time feedback on your driving habits. Automakers are realizing this and (also motivated by consumer demand) are starting to add mpg displays on newer vehicles. However, if you’re not one of those luck few, fear not! There is a solution out there for most of you.

4 aftermarket gauges to help you save gas

1. MPGuino

Okay, I’ll be upfront. The MPGuino is first because its what I use and it’s an EcoModder original. It’s great because it can be configured to work with almost any electronically fuel injected vehicle and only costs $30-40 to put together. The downside, however, is that it’s completely DIY, so you’ll have to know how to solder and how to wire it into your car (and it might like kind of ugly if you don’t make a nice case).

It may seem a little cumbersome, but it’s open source and pretty much the only option for pre-1996 vehicles. However, for the tweakers out there this is definitely the best choice.

Find more information on the MPGuino:

• Release one workspace forum link
  
• EcoModder Wiki page

2. Scangauge II

The Scangauge II is the most popular mpg gauge out there, and for good reason. It’s easy to install (just plug it into your OBDII port under the dash) and easy to use. The backlit display shows four pieces of data at once and it can check engine codes and aide other diagnostics.

It’s best qualities are definitely the ease of set up and used, but the $160+ price tag can be a lot for people to swallow, even though some ecodriving can win that money back in relatively short order.

3. PLX Kiwi

The PLX Kiwi is a new kid on the block, but it definitely looks interesting. The big differences between the Kiwi and the Scangauge II is that the Kiwi has a big color screen and can also “teach” you how to drive efficiently by rating your driving habits and making ecodriving suggestions. These features do burden it was a $300 price tag, though. Like the Scangauge, this is only for 96+ vehicles.

Expect to hear more about the Kiwi on the EcoModder blog in the near future, as a forum member is currently getting a test model from the company that he can try out on several of his cars.

4. Dashhawk

The Dashhawk, a lesser known display from MSD seems like a neat device. Even though I don’t know anyone who owns one it appears attractive and looks like it works much the same way as the Scangauge. Unfortunately, the $300 price tag is a little scary. I will be requesting a test model from MSD to see if it’s worth its beans, so stay tuned. Like the Scangauge and Kiwi, this is only for 96+ vehicles.

Moral of the story

If you’re interested in saving some gas, the environment, or even some money, you’re probably driving a car that can accept some type of fuel economy instrumentation. It may seem expensive, but the payback is real and these devices retain their value well if you ever want to hit eBay with it.

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A lot of well-intentioned people have hopped on to motorcycles and scooters recently in an effort to do their part to help out the environment. Sadly, they’re actually polluting a lot more on even the smallest of scooters than they would be driving a car. It seems counter-intuitive because there are so many reasons why two wheels should be better than four:

• Scooters and motorcycles get better gas mileage
• They’re smaller, so they use less materials to produce and ship
• They’re extremely popular in European countries and Japan, which are more eco-friendly than the US

While these things are true and often advertised, they don’t quite paint the whole picture when it comes to the environmental impact of 2-wheeled, motorized transportation.

Scooters and motorcycles can pollute 90 times as much as SUVs

Yes, you read correctly. It doesn’t seem to make sense because of the wildly different sizes and fuel consumption of the two vehicles. In fact, it was the EPA that tested a Yamaha YZR R6 and found that it emitted 90 times more hydrocarbons than a Dodge Durango SUV. Hydrocarbons are the pollutants responsible for forming ozone and smog, which is both a serious health risk as well as an extreme eyesore.

The reason why scooters and motorcycles pollute so much more is because there is much less regulation when it comes to these vehicles. Technical and market restrictions have made it difficult to pass legislation cleaning up motorcycle tailpipes for years. For example, because most motorcycles and scooters are smaller and cheaper than cars, adding modern catalytic converters and emissions systems would add a tremendous amount of weight and cost to most 2-wheeled vehicles. This means that, unlike cars’, motorcycle and scooter exhaust is heavily polluted.

Another consideration is the large amount of two-strokes that are still used and sold. Many manufacturers, like Honda, have made plans to completely phase out the use of two-strokes, but because they are cheaper they will continue to be sold in quantity until legislation can be passed banning them from use. Two-strokes pollute so much more because they run on a gas/oil mix, meaning that every combustion cycle is burning motor oil as well as gasoline. Similarly, the engine’s design allows unburnt fuel to escape through the exhaust and into the air.

Many wealthier nations are starting to place tighter restrictions on motorcycles and scooters as the technology becomes cheaper and their emissions make up a greater percent of total vehicle emissions. However, in countries like Canada new 2-wheeled vehicles can still pollute up to 14 times as much as automobiles, so there still is no perfect solution.

To scoot or not to scoot: a balancing act

If you’re a diehard environmentalist you’re going to want to stay away from scooters. I know from my time as a Honda Metropolitan owner that most riders would get between 90-110 mpg, but I also know that they exhaust was pretty smelly, even though it was a four-stroke Honda.

On the other hand, however, you’d be getting 2-4 times the fuel economy and emitting fewer green house gases. However, the magnitude that these are reduced is tremendously outweighed by the magnitude that smog-forming pollutants are increased. Nevertheless, you will save money on gas, but riding a scooter isn’t quite as safe or air-conditioned as a car.

Personally, I ditched the scooter in favor of my bike for shorter trips and a car with good fuel economy for longer ones. You’ll have to make your own choice, but make no mistake, scooters and motorcycles are not the most environmentally sound transportation choice.

For more on the issue, check out this LATimes article.

EDIT: Thanks for the heads up from a commenter, because I obviously didn’t make my intention clear enough. As the commenter points out, there are clearly more ecofriendly scooters out there than others, just as there is a huge variety in cars. Hell, you can even get electric scooters (just as you can get electric cars), so it’s not that 2-wheels is evil.

Rather, I wanted to point out that emissions regulations are clearly lagging and that, in studies, 2-wheeled transport contributes more smog-forming pollution than it’s share of actual vehicle miles traveled because the average motorcycle/scoot has worse emissions than the average car.

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Happy Labour Day weekend! Here at EcoModder it’s been another exciting week with some good stuff popping up on the forum. Hope you enjoy the reading and your weekend!

• Honda Civic boattail complete: Boattails are pretty much the ultimate aeromod, and this is a great example. Congratulations, Andrew!
• Darin goes boat racing: Well, it’s no boattail, but my co-ecomodder Darin will be gone soon racing his boat in a weeks-long international competition, so I wish him luck!
• Striving for 40 mpg in a Pontiac Vibe: A great thread talking about getting 40 MPG from the ground up!
• Class 8 trucks: Most of the time you see trucks flying down the highway you just want to get out of the way, but there’s a lot to learn about fuel economy and aerodynamics there

Thanks for tuning in this week! Hope your weekend is relaxing.

One of the saddest things about blogging is that there’s never time to talk about everything you want to. It’s a good thing, then, that there are lots of other people out there talking about things, too. I’ve decided to complement the Sunday Forum Roundup by doing a net-wide roundup on Saturdays for you casual weekend browsers. Every week I will be sharing my favorite stories from EcoModder and beyond. If you have any more suggestion, post them in the comments!

• How much power do EVs really use?: A great post from the Telsa Founders Blog about how much energy it really takes to power an EV.
• Shai Agassi’s plan to put electric cars on the road: Wired talks to the man himself to put together this very in-depth, well-written article.
• Ford Tests Improve Gas Mileage 24% with EcoDriving: My very own post about Ford’s foray into ecodriving.
• RideTheCity.com: A Google Maps App for Safe Biking: Some neat stuff from TechCrunch about finding safe routes for all you bike commuters out there.
• Toyota iQ: The Smallest Four-Passenger Car in the World: Treehugger brings us the word on one of the most exciting cars to not hit the US market in a long time.

Thanks for tuning in! I’ll have more for you next week.

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Not only is it electric, but it’s a DIY Landspeeder! Does it get any better than that? Daniel Deutsch used to work for Lucasfilm has been a long-time model-making enthusiast, and now he’s spending his time putting together perfect R2D2 replicas and building electric Landspeeders. With a top speed of 25 mph it’s definitely no weekday commuter, but it’s perfect for driving around town with the top down and confusing the neighbors.

I wish we had more information about the electric drive system, but according to Daniel it can go several miles on a single battery charge. Because the frame is made of aluminum and the body fiber glass, we can safely assume it’s fairly light, so it’s possible that it could be operated using a beefy golf cart set up or something to that effect. The fact that this is an electric vehicle is not only sweet, but goes well with those fond memories of Luke and Obi-Wan Kenobi buzzing across the sand on Tatooine.

Either way, I think nothing says it better than the “White and Nerdy” music overlay in the video on his homepage. Click on over to see more pictures of the Landspeer and Daniel’s other projects.

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The last time we talking about the iMiev, we were announcing the target sale price of $38,000. Now however, Mitsubishi is telling us that the will be sold for just $27,500. This is quite a price cut, but not without its caveats.

Firstly, Mitsubishi will only be releasing this car in Japan at first (though it is also testing in both Britain and the US right now). Secondly, Mitsubishi will only be producing 2,000 units of the electric car in the first year. In 2010 production will double to 4,000, with 2011 being the first year that the car hits a “full” production run.

Low-volume, but an interesting foray into fully electric cars on a much quicker timeline than we’re seeing from other manufacturers.

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