Dutch efficiency enthusiast Allert Jacobs has converted his new Honda motorbike into a streamliner capable of getting over 200 mpg (US) cruising at 55 mph.

The Honda ANF125i Innova was pretty efficient right out of the box, since it followed the basic formula for low fuel consumption: small size + light weight + modest engine power.

The bike tips the scales at just 231 lbs (105 kg) and features an efficient, fuel injected, four stroke 125cc single, producing 9 hp (6.85 kW).

With those specs, the Honda already offered great fuel economy:  Allert’s first five fill-ups delivered 133 mpg (US) (1.8 L/100 km) over 638 miles (1027 km).

(With a disclaimer: he figures that’s better than “normal” because he was babying the bike while breaking it in.  He says a more realistic figure for his driving is 114 mpg (US) – that’s what he got from the last two fill-ups before he started modifying it.)

Q: How do you get from 114 mpg to over 200 mpg?
A: aerodynamics first (and gearing second)

Being a long time cyclist, motorcyclist and velomobile enthusiast, Allert intuitively understands what many people either don’t know or greatly underestimate: the enormous impact of aerodynamics on fuel consumption.

Unlike the average person, he is not surprised by the fact that a typical car burns 50% of its fuel overcoming air resistance at just 40 mph (64 km/h).  Or that the higher drag of a typical motorbike means half of its fuel is used to overcome air drag at just 15 – 20 mph (24 – 32 km/h)!

Custom aerodynamic fairing:  velomobile influence (version 1)

Allert knew he could significantly reduce the amount of power required to go down the road by lowering the rider’s position (reducing exposure to the oncoming air) and then reducing turbulence by adding smooth fairings.

His extensive experience designing and producing recumbent bicycles and fully enclosed recumbent velomobiles obviously prepared him for this project.  (Above photo: Allert’s commercially produced Quest velomobile, a pedal-powered trike)

Diving in feet first

Reducing frontal area showed immediate results.  To get a feet-forward position on the Honda, a new seat was mounted in the bike’s step-through area, and the foot pegs and controls were moved to just above the front wheel.  The front wheel itself was enclosed, and another fairing was added ahead of the rider.

(Most motorcycle owners have probably experienced the benefit of reducing frontal area and drag, simply by tucking down at higher speeds and feeling the bike speed up without moving the throttle.  It’s a good demonstration that shows  aerodynamics isn’t only about fuel economy!)

On his first test drive, the drag reduction was obvious.  Even lacking critical bodywork needed to smooth airflow at the rear of the bike, the little Honda’s top speed went up from 90 km/h (56mph) to 110 km/h (69mph).

Taller gearing

Because the modifed bike now required less energy to go down the road than the stock version, its gear ratios could be optimized: engine RPM could be lowered for a given speed that would have lugged the engine before the aero mods.  Reducing engine speed normally improves fuel economy.

With the new sprockets in place, fuel economy was now up to 152 mpg (1.55 L/100 km) over 1901 miles of riding (3059 km).

But Allert wasn’t happy!  He wanted more…

Lessons learned from version 1

• Stability issues with the front wheel fairing: side winds were affecting stability, because steering force was being transmitted to the forks.  “It turned out to be very scary to ride even with as little as 3 Beaufort (about 10mph) side wind.  I did not dare to go over 35mph.”  That would have to change.

• Manual clutch conversion: with the taller gearing, Allert wasn’t happy with the Honda’s stock semi-automatic shifting.  He added a clutch lever & cable and converted to a full manual transmission so he could control the amount of slip needed for a smooth start, since “the first gear is now almost as long as the second gear used to be”.

• Revised aerodynamic fairings: to reach his efficiency goals, the aerodynamics of version 2 would have to be better.

Version 2: best tank = 214 mpg (US); average = 199 mpg

The photos below speak for themselves (click to zoom).  Allart spent months crafting full length bodywork, divided in two sections.  The front half slides forward in a clever setup that allows the rider to get “in” and “out” of the bike fairly easily.

The windshield is less for forward vision than a place to locate the LED turn signals to keep them out of the wind.  Allert added signals on the side mirrors as well.

He’s happy with the stability of the full length fairing compared to the first version: “A 40mph (65 km/h) side wind is no problem,” though more than that he hasn’t experienced yet.

And it works: in cool, windy weather, he managed 214 mpg (US) or 1.1 L / 100 km on a 160 mile (km) round trip.   His goal is 235 mpg on a trip cruising at 55 mph (90 km/h).  Why 235 mpg?  Because its metric equivalent (as is used in the Netherlands) would be a very impressive 1 liter per 100 kilometers.

He expects that’s possible in ideal conditions (warm & calm), though he’s not simply waiting for better weather to accomplish this feat.  He notes that the fairing isn’t entirely optimized from an aerodynamic perspective, and is also investigating potential improvements in rolling resistance (by methodologically testing different brands of tires on a custom made test rig).

When spring & summer roll around this year, I have little doubt that 1L / 100 km is in the cards for Allert Jacobs.

We’re looking forward to seeing more from this man!

(Photos: Allert Jacobs. Used with permission.)

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For more information:

• For the latest information & photos, visit Allert Jacob’s web site documenting this project

• Follow the discussion about Allert’s work in the EcoModder forum

• Craig Vetter is one of the godfathers of motorcycle efficiency enthusiasts.  Read about his own on-going high mileage motorbike project, the Freedom Machine.

• EcoModder member Janvos has been working on similar aero & gearing mods to his Suzuki Burgman.  Follow his progress in this project thread.

More projects featuring aerodynamic modifications:

The Phil Knox fleet – 34 years of aeromodding	Aeromodded 1989 Geo Metro XFi Gets 75 mpg
Aero mods – 1930′s style – rebodied Ford Model T	Commercially produced aerodynamic pickup bed cap
5th generation Civic hatchback – improving aerodynamics	Project: making a permanent Metro Kammback extension
Daihatsu Mira aerodynamic modifications	Crazy aeromodded Metro – chopped & teardropped

Honda has had a long legacy in racing, from its early days racing motorcycles to its recent success as an engine supplier to other top-teir racing teams. However, last year Honda ended it’s relatively short-lived F1 team under cost-cutting pressures brought on by the larger downturn in the automotive industry.

Now, Honda has taken that team of 400 engineers and put them back to work squeezing every last ounce of efficiency out of their passenger vehicles. As investment fund manager Masayuki Kubota told Bloomberg:

“Automakers that are able to spare their resources for advanced and environmental technologies will eventually become the winners at a time when one breakthrough technology will make a huge difference.”

In recent years, Honda has made a name for it’s by rejecting may of the current trends in environmental engineering like plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Instead, Honda has been working hard on perfecting it’s market-leading fuel cell technology and redoubling efforts to improve the internal combustion engine (ICE).

Most companies act as if they have given up on the ICE, but according to Honda the ICE will remain the dominant form of propulsion for the next several decades. Even if Japan, America, and Europe phase out the ICE relatively quickly, emerging markets in India and China will rely on cheaper ICE technology for decades to come, making efficiency gains important to a long-term, global approach.

Honda has clearly put most of their eggs in the ICE basket and only time will tell if it pays off. Either way, Honda is certainly putting its best foot forward in accomplishing its goal.

The Fit and Yaris have been dueling hatchbacks for years now, but it looks like they might soon become dueling hybrids. Rumors of both popular cars becoming hybrids have come and gone over the last few years, but it looks like it will stick this time for both of them. Especially now that sedans like the Civic and Corolla are much less popular at home in Japan than their hatchback counterparts.

Yaris rumors report that the vehicle could cost less than $16,000 in hybrid form and get up to 94 mpg in Japan’s urban driving cycle. As impressive as that sounds, it would probably only mean ~50mpg in the EPA test cycle. Nevertheless, you can anticipate the sales of vehicle carrying the Prius’s epic clout and a low price tag.

The Fit hybrid has been talked about for a lot longer, but it looks like that vehicle might come true as early as 2010. Less is known about the theoretical fuel economy of a Fit hybrid, but one would expect similar numbers to a Yaris hybrid unless Honda continues with it’s mild-hybrid IMA system into a new generation of hybrid vehicles.

Here’s hoping the rumor mill is more productive this time around!

Been wondering where to cash in on your government rebate in recent days? There are lots of great new cars on the market, but EcoModder has picked 5 in particular that have extra appeal when coupled with the government cash for clunkers (CARS) rebate.

1. 2010 Honda Insight

The cheapest hybrid on the market is even cheaper with a fat rebate. If you’ve always wanted a hybrid but have been long-detered by the price premium, this is the perfect time to cash in an on eligible price rebate. The Toyota Prius also becomes much cheaper under this plan, but still can’t beat the Insight’s low price.

Price after rebate: $15,300

2. 2009 Honda Fit

Looking for big value in a little car? The Honda Fit is perfect for people looking to get a lot of car out of a vehicle with a small footprint. The car’s already low price makes it a perfect entry level vehicle or second family car.

Price after rebate: $10,250

3. 2009 VW Jetta TDI

With VW’s oft-lauded diesel models back on sale in all 50-states, a lot of people have been scooping up new TDIs. However, like hybrids, diesels carry a price premium that has prevented many people from capitalizing on their superior gas mileage. With a CARS rebate, this is no longer. You can pick up a manual transmission TDI now for a price comparable to similar gas vehicles without the rebate.

Price after rebate: $17,770

EDIT: VW notes that their clean diesels are also eligible for a further $1,300 government rebate for fuel economy, kicking down the price possibly as low as $16,470.

4. 2009 Smart Fortwo

The Smart Fortwo has always been a small, thrifty vehicle, which has gotten even thriftier with this rebate. You can get the absolute base model for as low as $7,490, or capitalize on Smart’s offer of a $99/month payments on the Fortwo.

5. 2009 Toyota Yaris

If you’re not into hatchbacks but want a cheap, fuel efficient sedan, the Yaris is for you. The Yaris is the smallest car in the Toyota lineup, and is easy on gas while maintaining a small footprint in a traditional sedan form.

Price after rebate: $7,705

When Honda first unleashed the Insight on Japan we knew that the Insight was going to be selling really well. Now we have confirmation: the Honda Insight is Japan’s best-selling car. As the first hybrid to ever take that honor, this is groundbreaking stuff for Honda and the Japanese auto industry.

The Honda Insight was #1 in the month of April, selling a total of 10,481 units. In March, when the car started to sell in the country it finished in the #21 spot. Now we just need to see if Insight sales stay strong and can compete with the 3rd generation Toyota Prius.

For reference, Honda was hoping to sell about 5,000 units a month in Japan and 200,000 a year worldwide. At this pace, Honda would more than double its Japanese sales goal by selling over 120,000 units in their domestic market alone.

Source: Treehugger

For the last few years, Honda has steadfastly looked to fuel cell technology as the answer to long-term transportation needs. However, the company has changed its tone just a bit. Just a few days ago we wrote about how Honda had realized that hybrids would play a much larger and more last role in the automotive market.

In a recent interview, company President Takeo Fukui stated that Honda was looking toward plug-in hybrid technology in the near term. While he stated the company would not be commercializing a model right away, it seems clear that Honda now wants to compete with the Chevy Volt and a possible Toyota Prius PHEV.

Why the sudden change in position? Recently, President Obama has been talking about his plans to invest a lot of money in a greener automotive industry. As of writing, Obama has mentioned plug-in hybrids multiple times without saying much of anything about hydrogen fuel cell technology. If Honda doesn’t hop on the bandwagon, they may be losing lots of federal dollars towards developing new technologies.

If you’ve ever been to Japan you have seen the streets and sidewalks covered with Honda Cubs. The ubiquitous little motorcycle has been around since it raised Honda from post-war obscurity and is currently the world’s best selling selling motored transport, ever.

Unfortunately Honda pulled the motorcycle from the United States a while ago, assuming that nobody wanted an underpowered, step-through motorcycle anymore. It’s also likely that they saw the Cub as competition for some of the companies cheaper motorcycles and scooters, which have higher profit margins.

Now Sym, a Taiwanese company that once produced the Cub for Honda, is bringing the Symba to the United States once more. The $2,600 motorcycle will cost a full thousand dollars more than a comparable Cub, but it also comes with more.

For the extra money you get a 100cc engine and a 4-speed semi-automatic transmission in addition to the cool styling of the Symba, which looks enough like a Cub I wouldn’t notice the difference if I saw one on the street.

The Symba is coming to 300 U.S. dealers and the company is currently shipping pre-orders, so if you want one, talk to Sym.

Once seen as a stopgap between conventional internal combustion engines and full battery electric vehicles, hybrid technology wasn’t given much of a lifespan. There was an assumption that the hybrid gasoline-electric hybrids would stick around for a decade or so while battery and fuel cell technology picked up to a point where they could completely take over.

These days, however, it seems like the battery takeover time is much further down the road and that hybrids (and plug-in hybrids) will be here for much longer than anyone had anticipated. Part of the reason is that hybrids have achieved a level of consumer acceptance that still doesn’t exist for battery electric vehicles. While hybrids are road-proven, most people still think of electric cars as fantasies or crushed hunks of metal at a General Motors scrapyard.

Nevertheless, it’s interesting to see that Honda, a company that is notable for producing the world’s first production hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, will be extending the outlook of hybrids:

But hybrids have stayed in limelight longer than we expected. Today, an increasing number of people think that hybrids will remain a player 2-3 times longer, until fuel cell vehicles and electric vehicles begin [gaining share]. Hybrid technology is also applied to fuel cell vehicles, range-extender vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles. Thus, instead of being a bridge technology, hybrids are expected to remain in the mainstream for quite some time.

You would assume the company would be promoting a quick shift away from conventional ICE and hybrid technology to a fuel cell platform, but it seems as though the serious doubts about the viability of that and battery technologies will even further postpone their adoption.

Source: GCC

It’s been years since Honda brought us VTEC, and frankly, some of us have been wondering when the company was going to give the internal combustion engine another developmental kick in the pants. This may be it.

This year at the SAE World Congress Honda let loose a paper on their development of a variable compression ratio (VCR) engine. Like variable valve and cylinder actuation technologies, this promises an increase in power and fuel economy if implemented. Higher compression ratios are key in increasing the fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines because, as a general rule, the higher the compression ratio the better the thermal efficiency of an engine is.

However, the need to run high octane fuel has kept high compression engines out of most economy cars. Honda’s system will switch on the fly between high and low compression to give the best of both worlds:

In testing in an otherwise conventional production 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine, the dual piston mechanism was able to adjust the engine from a CR of 9.6 to 14.2 and back again. Combining the high compression ratio with the Atkinson cycle, the engineering team demonstrated a 7.4% improvement in fuel economy in operation over the Japanese 10-15 cycle. As part of the study, the team also demonstrated switching durability of the dual piston mechanism of more than one million cycles.

There are other technologies such as HCCI that attempt to greatly increase the volumetric efficiency of gasoline-burning engines, but their main drawback is that they do not operate over the full range of the engine’s use and are often costly because of the complexity of their designs.

Honda thinks that it’s solved this problem. The company claims that their current dual-piston technology can be used in almost any engine without the need to modify any major components, such as the engine block.

While the concept is a bit complicated, it is interesting because it’s limited to a change in the piston design. By using two pistons, one outside of the other, actuated by hydraulic pressure, Honda is able to change the engine’s compression ratio on the fly:

The piston structure has an inner and an outer piston. The outer piston sits atop the inner piston, and constitutes the combustion chamber against a cylinder head; the inner piston has the function of a piston skirt, a lifter mechanism, and a lock mechanism. The outer piston can be raised or lowered by 3.5 mm with reference to the piston pin. This in turn changes the compression ratio by 4.6, i.e., from 9.6 to 14.2 and back again.

Incredibly impressive technology to say the least. While I wonder if we’ll ever see it in production cars, most people probably thought Variable Valve Timing Electronic Lift Control would never see the light of day. But then again, other interesting concepts like the dual-rod, oval piston engine never made it anywhere near production.

Source: GCC via our forums

This morning at the New York International Auto show, the Honda FCX Clarity was awarded the prestigious World Car of the Year Award. The award was decided by a panel of jurors from around the world, who picked the Honda FCX Clarity from three finalists.

The three finalists for 2009 were the Toyota iQ, Honda FCX Clarity, and Mitsubishi i MiEV. To win the award the car needs to be all new and have been released for fleet or consumer sales during 2008.

Also weighing in on the decision were three green panelists, one each from North America, Europe, and Japan. The FCX Clarity was selected for its prominence as a pioneer in new technology as well as a leader in bringing that car to market.

I know I can’t be the only one planning to show up at Honda and Toyota dealers near my home and put the two hybrids in a head to head match of fuel economy. However many people there are planning to compare the real life mpg of these cars before finally driving off the lot.

What we do know is that Honda UK has anticipated the rush of excited test drivers and has challenged them to get the best mileage they can. If, by the end of the month, you got the highest fuel economy of any test drive, you win a prize: a £100 gift certificate to Biome Lifestyle.

This Competition is One Great Gimmick

The money won’t exactly put a lot of people in the new Honda Insight. However, everyone knows that Toyota’s Prius has already won in the fuel economy ratings. This means that Honda will have to show that they can both compete with lower prices and comparable fuel economy.

What’s a better way to prove that your car can get great fuel economy than to put customers in it and challenge them to do it? Dealerships can scope out the most fuel efficient routes and teach customers how to get better fuel economy in an effort not only to play along with the competition, but to show that their car is a formidible player in the MPG wars.

When the competition is up, we’ll be sure to tell you who the winner is and what kind of numbers they put down. I’m sure we’ll be impressed!

Source: ABG

We’ve all heard about the new Honda Insight’s killer low price, and about Toyota’s update of its old standby, the new 2010 Prius. In Japan, the Insight has been flying out of the showrooms even more quickly than was expected. Their main rival, Toyota, has stepped up to the plate with not only a reduced price on the new model, but by keeping the second generation Prius around at an even lower price.

The base price for the new Prius will come in at about $20,750, with the old model selling for $19,130. However, if you feel like spending the money, you can still go ahead and spend the money to buy a tricked out Prius for up to $33,100 (the most expensive Insight is more than $10,000 less).

Will the pricing wars spill over to the US, where both cars will have to compete with the Ford Fusion, and eventually the GM Volt? Only time will tell, but I’m sure we’re all hoping it does.

Source: ABG

No one is debating that it’s been a hard couple of months for everyone in the auto industry. Some days it seems like no one is buying anything. Japan in particular has been rocked by a strong Yen and plummeting exports. This means that not only is the country sending less vehicles abroad, but that the money they receive on every sale is worth less in the Japanese domestic market.

However, there seem to be a few rays of light at the end of the tunnel. Many will (naturally) point to the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight as representatives of the new class of green car in North America, but I think last month’s sales figures from Honda paint a different picture. While hybrid sales are still doing comparably well in the grand scheme of things, small, cheap, and fuel-efficient cars like the Honda Fit are surging forward in the automaker’s lineup.

What does this mean? I think it represents a shift in the American car-buying mindset. Times are tough, and people are not only trying to save money on gas, but they’re cutting the fat. Do you really need to spend that extra $10,000 on a Prius when you could get a small car that is still among the most efficient in its class?

What do you think? Am I premature in thinking that hybrids are falling by the wayside in the face of more conventional conservation, or will Honda see a resurgence of hybrid sales with their more affordable Insight?

We’ve talked about the new Honda Insight Hybrid and Honda’s high hopes that this car will become a Prius-killer before, and the dream is starting to seem a little more like reality.

According to ABG, Honda wanted to move about 5,000 units weekly to meet the sales goals for the Insight. The car hasn’t been on sale long, but according to Honda they’re already ahead of the game, with more than 5,000 advance orders pouring in for the second generation of the famous hybrid electric vehicle.

Truth be told, this does sound like a bit too much PR. The Insight isn’t on sale worldwide yet, and those preorders could’ve come in over any number of months. It’s likely that the Insight will have a lot of initial excitement, but then, like most other cars, fall victim to the slowdown in the global car market.

However, only time will tell. Now that the final version of both the new generation of Prius and Insight are out, which one do you think will take the cake?