A few months back, Darin and Ben (EM’s founders) asked me to review the new ScanGauge-E. I gladly accepted and tried it out for a few weeks. You can see the full review here. For the blog we’ll keep it short and to the point.

First up, we’ll look at some of the limitations of the ScanGauge-E. The first thing I noticed was that it only has one cable connector on it. The ScanGauge-II has two, one on the back and one on the front. This isn’t a big deal unless it interferes with how you want to mount the ScanGauge, or on the off chance you want to daisy chain two or more ScanGauge-Es together.

I was able to daisy chain my ScanGauge-II from my car with the ScanGauge-E on the end of the chain though.

Probably the biggest thing most users will note is that the ScanGauge-E only shows two gauges instead of the ScanGauge-II’s four gauge display. While this isn’t quite as nice, Linear Logic has done a few things to negate this limitation.

First off, they have added a bar graph to the left of the display. The graph always tracks MPG over time. However, the scale of the graph, or how it displays information is configurable. By default, the graph’s zero (halfway) shows as your trip average. Therefore you know if you’re doing better or worse than your current average. This is a pretty nice setup.

You can also set the graph’s zero point to a set MPG. They call this “GOAL”, and you can manually set whatever MPG you want as your zero point (0-255). With GOAL you can see if you are hitting the MPG you want or not. You could even set GOAL to the EPA rating of the car to see how well you’re doing compared to it. In addition, you can change the time scale of the graph to show a history of 20 seconds to 16.5 minutes.

Second, they have added gauge sets. You can scroll through the gauge sets with the left buttons. There are three default (not customizable) gauge sets, and two customizable sets. The default gauge sets show instant and trip MPG, the next shows trip CO2 emissions and today’s CO2, and the third shows trip fuel cost and today’s fuel cost. In addition to those three default gauge sets, you can make your own two custom gauge sets like you do with the ScanGauge-II. The buttons on the right cycle through the available gauges just as normal. While using the ScanGauge-E I found these gauge sets to be extremely useful. I really wish the ScanGauge-II had this same feature now.

The last things that the ScanGauge-E doesn’t have is the X-gauges, and performance features. The X-gauges are really nice if you own a hybrid since you can get info on your battery pack and a few other nifty things. I use them all the time with my PHEV Prius. I definitely don’t like to see them go. The performance features you loose out on are 0-60 timing, 1/4 mile timing, and 60-0 timing. But being fuel economy nerds, those are of little use to us anyway!

Let’s move on to what Linear Logic has added to the ScanGauge-E. It does have several features that the ScanGauge-II does not have. I already talked about the MPG graph and the gauge sets. In addition, the ScanGauge-E also calculates CO2 emissions. They have added two new gauges that calculate the CO2 emissions of your vehicle. The first one is “CO2″ on the display, it shows how many pounds/kilograms of CO2 your car has put out on the current trip. The next one is “TCO”, and it shows how many pounds/kilograms CO2 your car has put out for the entire day. In the trip meter section you can also see how many pounds/kilograms you’ve put out for the entire tank too.

In conclusion, I don’t think the SGe it is for everyone. But, it’ll be a very good fit for some people, including those looking to save money. You get almost all the features of the ScanGauge-II, but at 2/3rds the price (about $50 savings). That makes the payback much quicker. I think my ScanGauge-II paid for itself quite fast. That makes the ScanGauge-E a no brainer if you’re looking to save money. The other group of people I’d suggest this to would be the more casual ecodrivers out there. Its a nice gauge, gives lots of info and will help increase your mileage. There isn’t too much to look at on the screen; it’s smaller and fits in nooks a bit easier.

All that being said, I wouldn’t recommend the SGe to one specific group of people: the hardcore hypermilers. These folks  love info and will use every bit they can get their hands on to increase their mileage. That means needing the 4 gauges up all the time to optimize driving. I also wouldn’t necessarily recommend the ScanGauge-E to hybrid owners. The loss of the X-gauges is a big price to pay for hybrid owners who can gain a lot of functionality through them.

Of course, EcoModder sells both the ScanGauge-E and the ScanGauge-II. They can both be found in the EcoModder Store.

In the pantheon of very efficient production cars, there are perhaps three Hondas that truly stand out: the first generation Insight hybrid, the lean burn Civic VX, and the CRX HF.

Recently, a CRX HF owner further cemented that car’s status on the list by achieving a stunning 118 mpg (US) in a fuel economy rally in New York state.

The rally, organized by the Adirondack Motor Enthusiasts Club (AMEC), took place August 23 over 104 miles of scenic, lightly travelled, winding roads through the southern Adirondack mountains (with admittedly very MPG-friendly speed limits of 45 to 55 mph).

It’s fair to say the 118 mpg performance that Chang Ho Kim coaxed from his modified 1989 CRX surprised event officials.  The marshalls – who observed each of the 25 competitors’ vehicles being filled to the brim both at the start and finish for the most accurate MPG calculations – brought Chang’s CRX back to the pump several times at the end to ensure they’d squeezed as much fuel as possible into its tank.

(For comparison, the next highest scores were 106 mpg (US) from an ecomodded 1998 Geo Metro/Pontiac Firefly and 90 mpg (US) from a 2000 VW Jetta TDI – more details here.)

In stock form, the 2nd generation Honda CRX HF is a good platform for fuel economy. It’s light (1830 lbs), has a small 1.5L 62 horsepower engine, and relatively tall gearing.  It’s rated at 41 city / 50 highway / 45 combined mpg (US) by the EPA’s  revised 2008 ratings.

Modifications, mechanical & racing experience helped secure win

How did Chang Ho Kim pull a 118 mpg rabbit out of his hat?  EcoModder recently spoke to Chang to shed some light on his background, his CRX and his driving techniques.

EM: Let’s start with a bit about yourself.  What you do for work & fun?

CHK: I am a mechanic in my own shop, FunHondas, in Maynard, Massachusetts.  I mostly do general repair and maintenance of Honda/Acura cars.  I do a lot of tire work as I am a preferred installer for www.tirerack.com.  You can type in zipcode 01754 to see what is said about me and my shop on their website.

For fun I like to travel and go camping with my family. I also enjoy photography.

EM: Is it true this was your first fuel economy competition?

CHK: This was my first fuel economy run.  I had never even heard of it before I saw the post from the AMEC organizers on the New England Region SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) web site.

EM: So you’ve got racing experience then?  That would explain your skill behind the wheel.

CHK: My passion has been for autocross.  I started autocrossing in 1991.  I have placed as high as 3rd place at the SCCA Solo Nationals in a HS 89 Civic Si.  Last year I campaigned a DS 00 Integra Type R.  This year I am running my ST 89 Civic Si.  I also have a STX 89 Civic Si that I have trophied with at the Solo Nationals.

Recently I started to rallycross a M2 90 Civic GSR and have been having lots of fun playing in the dirt and snow and ice.  I am currently the season points leader in M2 for NER/SCCA.  That is mostly due to the winter events where my studded Nokian Hakka5 tires do really well.  I still have a lot to learn about driving in gravel.

I have ice raced my 01 Integra Type R, autocross style, using Nokian tires and have done very well, beating the AWD cars in the studded tire class with my FWD car on studded Hakka5 tires.

EM: OK, so you’ve obviously got experience with car control & precision.  Where did you pick up your fuel saving techniques?

I spent a lot of time on the internet before the competition starting at the AMEC site and linking to many others: Aerocivic.com gave me a lot of ideas for aerodynamic modifications.  EcoModder.com gave me many tips on driving technique.

EM: Before we talk about your driving techniques, tell us a bit about your car preparation and mods.

CHK: It’s a 89 Honda CRX HF with about 150,000 miles on the odometer that I got from a client.

General maintenance before the fuel economy rally included:

• I had the AC fixed, I hate hot and muggy.
• Redline MTL in the tranny and Mobil1 0w20 in the engine.
• new Honda airfilter, cap, rotor, wires.  They all needed replacing anyway.

Modifications before the rally included:

• Tires: low rolling resistance 155/65/14 Nokian HakkaR snow tires, brand new for the event, pumped up to 50psi mounted on Honda 14×5 alloy wheels
• Shocks: Konisport, revalved with SPSS1 valving, double adjustable, shortened body, set to soft
• Springs: Ground Control coilovers with 350 front 250 rear springs.
• Lowered car 2 inches, front camber at -3.5, toe set to zero front and rear, zero thrust angle
• Front wind deflector and rear wheel skirts made from thin polycarbonate, aluminum duct tape, self tapping screws and 3/4″ aluminum band
• masking tape to cover all panel gaps / seams, passenger door handle (forgot to do the driver side door handle)
• removed passenger side mirror
• I added lightness by removing the passenger seat, spare tire and tools, floor mats
• 6 pound race battery.

EM: tell us about the driving techniques you used.

CHK: I had a small cooler with a little ice and a small towel to cool myself off as I drove with the windows closed and the AC off.

The race type suspension meant I had better momentum coming out of the turns so less need to gas after a turn.

Where safe, I took a classic race line to maximize momentum.  If I had to gas in a turn, I took the shortest line to minimize distance.

Pulse & glide where appropriate.

EM: Did you use fuel economy instrumentation?  Navigation?

CHK: The HF has an upshift light that I find annoying.  I used a Garmin Nuvi 760 to keep track of my average speed.

EM: Any plans for future economy competitions?

CHK: I suppose I have to come back in 2010 to defend my title with AMEC, but we will see what next year brings and if I still have the CRX.  If I do come back, it will probably have a boattail and I will be more careful with the fillup at the start and not spill any at the finish fillup.

EM: Chang, thanks for the interview and congratulations again on your win!

—

For more coverage of the AMEC event see the complete forum thread.

This weekend marked the third annual Adirondack Motor Enthusiast Club’s fuel economy competition, which takes place on the beautiful back roads just to the west of Albany, NY.

This was the first year that EcoModder came out to the event, and it was definitely a great time. Event organizer Mike Kamm included, 7 EcoModders came to the event and competed in two of the three categories.

The course was a 104 mile loop through the Adirondacks on winding roads that challenged not just the average ecodriver, but would challenge any driver. Unlike many fuel economy courses, this one had huge hills that challenged drivers to work hard and pick up mileage wherever they could.

All told, EcoModder took home 4 of the 6 awards its members were eligible for. In the diesel/hybrid category member tasdrouille took home first place in his 2000 Jetta TDI with an astounding 90 mpg. Second place went to Matt Herring in his new Toyota Prius, with an impressive 76 mpg over the course.

In the gasoline non-hybrid category, EcoModder had four competitors. Though Robert Smalls and Wonderboy did not take home prizes, they both got well over 200% of their EPA ratings. Robert drove his Subaru Legacy to a very impressive 47 mpg while Wonderboy made a record run of 65 mpg in his Civic EX.

I took home the 3rd place prize, with 83 mpg in my 91 Honda CRX, with my EcoModder co-founder Darin taking second place with a very impressive 106 mpg in his Pontiac Firefly (Geo Metro). The 1st prize went to Chang Ho Kim in his aeromodded 89 CRX, which shocked everyone with 118 mpg in his first fuel economy competition.

Also notable was event organizer Mike Kamm‘s 77 mpg Datsun B210. He would’ve easily taken the top prize in the historic class but instead decided to compete in the gasoline class and came in 4th place by less than  one-tenth of a gallon of gasoline.

Definitely an event we will be attending again next year!

If you haven’t noticed by now, truckers drive their rigs in a fundamentally different way from your average commuter. The main reason for this is the size and weight of their loads, which make it driving a truck more difficult, but a secondary benefit of driving like a trucker is better fuel economy.

How do you drive like a trucker?

There are three specific driving techniques that truckers use that I would like to highlight in this article:

1. Driving with load: Because truckers are often carrying heavy loads, they simply can’t make it up hills at the same speed as smaller vehicles. This is why you’ll often see truckers crawling up hilly interstate passes in the right lane. Then to make up time they pick that speed (and a little more) back up on the downhill.
2. Traffic light timing: Starting a truck from a dead stop is a difficult task, so when trucks are in stop and go traffic you’ll notice them crawling painfully slowly up to a stop. This helps them let traffic clear out in front of them so they can avoid actually stopping completely and begin accelerating again in a higher gear.
3. Follow the path of least resistance: As I’ve already emphasized, acceleration both positive and negative can be difficult with a truck. So, on the highways trucks tend to stick together in the right lane where they can cruise at a steady pace without much swerving around and jostling for position like many drivers are often do during their daily commutes.

How can you emulate these practices for better gas mileage?

With three techniques of your own, you can take a hint from our friends in the big rigs and get much better mileage:

1. Driving with load (DWL): Since you don’t drive a truck, you probably can get your car up a hill at or above the speed limit, but this doesn’t mean that you should. Typically in DWL you will allow your car to bleed speed uphill and then regain it downhill, within +/- 5 mph of your target average speed. Make sure that your bleeding and acceleration are smooth however, as it is advantageous to back off the throttle only a little going up hill so that you’re not quickly decelerating.

You can DWL with even bigger changes of speed, but this is not recommended in traffic or on single-lane roads since it can be quite a pain for other drivers. I personally limit DWL to deserted back roads and multi-lane interstates.

2. Traffic light timing: Traffic light timing can be difficult depending on the circumstances, but with a little time and attention it is one of the most useful driving techniques around. Next time you are on your commute or a commonly traveled road, try to pay attention to the lights. Do some of them have cross walk signs? How long do they stay red for? Are they timed or camera-triggered?

With this information you can learn how to time lights so that you never actually stop. You can anticipate red lights in a number of ways using available information. If a crosswalk signing is turning to stop or cross-traffic is lined up waiting, it is a good bet that the light may be turning red and you can begin a coast to the light.

Likewise, if a light has been red for quite a while and there is already traffic piling up at the light, you can slow down early and approach the light slowly, waiting for the light to change rather than arriving sooner and slamming on the brakes, which will avoid stopping altogether.

3. The path of least resistance: This tip is pretty much the same as how truckers do it. Stick to the right lanes unless you’re in a busy road like DC’s beltway, where ramps every several hundred meters mean constant slowing and speeding up to let other drivers on and off the road.

So there you have it! Now you can drive like a trucker and save some gas while you’re at it. I have never quantified the affects of these techniques in normal driving, but I can assure you they add up to much more than just a few percent MPG gain in my normal commute. Happy ecodriving!

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAocwToZWVQ

Ever wondered what the difference between the average driver struggling to beat the EPA in their Prius and the ecodrivers getting 80 mpg is? One of the keys is a technique called “Pulse & Glide.”

The specifics of pulse & glide on the Prius are covered in the above video, but to summarize, the technique has two parts:

• The pulse: This is a period of gentle to moderate acceleration. Even though you are using a fair amount of gas to gain speed, you’re not flooring it.
• The glide: During the glide you coast down from your top speed to your lower limit with the gasoline engine off, hoping to maximize the distance of your coast.

In the above video, the technique is practiced on rather empty roads from a speed of 20 mph to 37 mph, which nets about 80 mpg over the course in the Prius.

If you’re interested in more fuel saving tips, definitely check out EcoModder’s hypermiling tips list.

This past weekend EcoModder was in Madison, Wisconsin, attending the ever-fun GreenDriveExpo powered by HybridFest. Though EcoModder was also in attendance last year, this year marked the first time members had competed in the MPG Challenge.

The course was challenging rural/downtown loop of approximately 25 miles that took the drivers on both low and high speed roads, which were peppered with with stop lights and stop signs. It was the sort of course that is perfect for hybrid owners with auto-stop, but less perfect for those of us with traditional gassers.

To ensure that drivers completed the loop at normal speeds without annoying the heck out of other drivers, a time limit of 51 minutes was imposed. Both of the competitors from EcoModder came in well below this time limit, but not so much as to suggest it is unreasonably slow.

In the end, the two EcoModders in attendance came in at 62 MPG and 65 MPG, which were a bit low due to rain and wet roads that affected the drivers that went out later in the day. Because the competition was run based on percent over EPA rating and not standard MPG, the 1991 CRX with 65 MPG came out on top, scoring something like 160% over EPA due to some advanced ecomodding.

Overall, a fun competition that brought out the best mileage in some cars and drivers. Hopefully we will see some of you in attendance next year!

These last two weeks in Japan I have been painfully aware of two competing types of Japanese drivers: the sleep in the car for 4 hours while it is idling on the side of the road driver and the fuel conscious ecodriver the stops the engine at traffic lights.

The Idler

The Idler is a quintessentially Japanese phenomenon. It may be a taxi driver, construction worker, or just someone eating just-purchased food outside of the convenience store.

Generally you will find the Idler in a parking lot or alongside a less travelled road with the windows up, A/C on, laying back in their seat with their feet up on the dashboard. Depending on what the Idler has for obligations, he might do this for hours at a time, especially if it is a taxi driver trying to keep the cab cool for possible passengers.

Several places in Japan have made this sort of practice illegal because of the pollution and waste of several hours of idling, but it is still incredibly common.

The EcoDriver

Surprisingly, there are also quite a few EcoDrivers in Japan. At first I thought everyone just drove around madly because they had such small cars they got good gas mileage anyway, but I quickly realized that was not the case.

Many times while waiting at stop lights I have heard to roar of engines starting back up when the light goes green. Even some of the city bus drivers are cutting the engine when idling at a light for a long time.

Even more surprisingly, people practice engine off coasting down hills. The other day I was biking out in the countryside to visit a friend of a friend’s tea house, and when returning down the mountain I was tucked in behind a truck with a motorcycle at about 35 mph. When we got to the bottom of the hill a few miles later, the motorcycle’s engine suddenly started up and the ride took off. I didn’t even notice he had the engine off!

Today, in fact, when driving with the owner of the guesthouse I am staying at, I noticed his habit of putting the (automatic) van in neutral when coasting or waiting at stops. Though he doesn’t drive a particularly efficient vehicle or express any concern about gas mileage, he does this simple thing as if it is common sense.

So, are Japanese drivers fuel wasters or fuel savers? I’m not ready to make that conclusion just yet, but it seems that common sense driving practices here have a larger fuel efficiency component than they do back home in the U.S.

VW has started a clever campaign to help consumers see the kind of mileage you can get with a TDI. It’s called TDI TankWars and what it does is challenge owners to score better than the World Record (58.8) in their VW TDIs.

The site includes information about the tanks, drivers, and cars. It also lets you thumb up or down individual tanks based on how much you believe the claims. As you can see in the above image, most people have a negative approach to the higher scores.

So far only 5 tanks have beaten the 58.8 mpg World Record, though that number should increase quite a bit in the future as it’s really quite low (as far as world records go). From the main TankWars page you can also check up on the individual users, leave comments on tanks, and view photo and video evidence confirming the claimed fuel economy.

Overall, this is a great attempt by VW to connect users with fuel economy, and it includes interesting details like tire pressure, though weather conditions would frankly be more useful. So, if you’re interested in the competition, check it out for yourself at the TDI TankWars homepage.

Image: Marcin Wichary

A recent study done by the GPS maker NAVTEQ with research firm NuStats demonstrates that drivers equipped with full-featured GPS units use 12% less gas. This does not mean they got 12% better fuel economy, but that they got to their destination along shorter, more fuel-efficient routes than they did before they used the navigation system.

The tests were conducted in Germany, and found that the participating drivers both increased fuel economy and reduced the average trip distance. Though a fuel economy increase might seem counter-intuitive, the GPS units included traffic information, which allowed the drivers to alter course in response to gas mileage-killing traffic jams and slow downs.

Overall, this study is simply confirming what most of us already knew: knowing where you’re going and how to get there improves fuel economy. However, the GPS with traffic data certainly adds a high-tech layer to things that you cannot get through experience alone.

Source: ABG

This Saturday in Watkins Glen, NY was the annual Green Grand Prix, an event which celebrates fuel-efficient and alternative fuel vehicles. For the first time this year the event was split into two separate categories: the fuel economy competition and the time-speed-distance rally.

EcoModder had four vehicles come to represent the site in the fuel economy rally. Of those 4 vehicles (in three different categories), we took home three victories and posted the 1st and 3rd overall fuel economy numbers for the event.

The EcoModders

• 1998 Pontiac Firefly (aka Geo Metro): Darin Cosgrove (MetroMPG) took home 1st place in category 10, which housed all the out of production and weirdo vehicles. Although there was not a prize for it, he and his heavily ecomodded Firefly were recorded at 99.7 mpg and got the best fuel economy of any vehicle at the Green Grand Prix.
• 1991 Honda CRX: Benjamin Jones (SVOboy, author) pulled down 88.5 mpg, making it the third highest vehicle overall and winner of the 27-32 mpg (by EPA rating) class. The vehicle was sporting some hastily added ecomods as well as a lean burn engine swap and MPGuino.
• 1998 Honda Civic EX: Will Meredith (Wonderboy) has a lightly ecomodded Civic EX equipped with a Scangauge II to help tune the nut behind the wheel. The EX model was the least efficient Civic in Honda’s lineup that year, but Will still managed a very impressive 57 mpg with the car.
• 1993 Toyota Tercel: Tim Sullivan (McTimson) drove an unmodified 1993 Toyota Tercel. With only an MPGuino to guide him, Tim was able to ecodrive his way to victory in the 33-38 mpg class, rounding out the three victories for EcoModder.

The Green Grand Prix

The Green Grand Prix started at the Glen Motor Inn Motel outside of Watkins Glen, NY, a town well known for its racing heritage. The 77 mile course takes the drivers up Route 14 to Geneva and then down Route 96 back to Watkins Glen.

The course is mainly over roads with a 55 mile speed limit, and the drivers had 2 hours and 5 minutes to complete the fuel economy competition before incurring a penalty. Also included in that time was a mandatory 10 minute stop at a halfway point in Geneva, NY.

The course’s rolling hills were great for fuel economy and offered drivers and navigators a great view of Seneca Lake, one of New York’s famous Finger Lakes.

At the end of the competition drivers were monitored as they filled up in town and had their mileage recorded. These numbers were then used to calculate the fuel economy for the overall competition. Due to a number of factors, the most salient of which was fuel expansion, the numbers were a little high, but consistently so (except for the Priuses with their bladder gas tanks).

After the show all the competitors headed out to the local high school for the awards and vehicle show, which also included representations from local high schools that had competed in the Shell EcoMarathon competition.

Overall, the Green Grand Prix was a well-organized and great event. EcoModder will definitely be in attendance next year, hopefully with even more drivers. For more, check out the thread on the forums.

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

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrwUMBXkNmI

Yesterday, ABG had an interesting post about surprisingly poor fuel economy numbers with the Ford Fusion hybrid that got me thinking about the relationship between the EPA estimates and the cold. It’s no big secret that fuel economy suffers when it gets cold outside, but it’s interesting to note that not all cars are affected by the cold equally, and that differing weather patterns across the country make it difficult for some people to gauge fuel economy at the dealership.

For example, ABG points to a recent test that shows the Ford Fusion getting 27.2 mpg in real world driving, even though it’s EPA rating is 41 city/36 highway. That’s a huge discrepancy, which is due mainly to the effects of the cold. While fuel economy certainly deviates a lot depending on individual driving style, the EPA estimates are supposed to provide a real world account of driving style, which is why they were recently revised downwards. However, do they accurately depict weather conditions?

Think for a minute about the average driver in New Hampshire. When they buy a car, they look at the same window stickers as someone from New Jersey, even though it would be a lucky winter’s day in NH to see the highs reaching about 0C. Having driven in this type of weather myself, I know the 30% or greater hit that my fuel economy can take.

Think again about the average hybrid car. These cars are tuned in so specifically for mileage, and often suffer the most from inefficient drivings and weather conditions. Perhaps it’s not surprising how poorly the Ford Fusion hybrid fares in the cold because it is common knowledge how batteries react to the cold and how finicky hybrid mileage can be.

How can the EPA respond to this?

That’s the real question. Is there anything the EPA can do to try to provide more accurate results based not only on driving style, but on temperature, precipitation, elevation, or any other number of factors that significantly impact fuel economy? Perhaps regional testing with a zone-based approach could deal with some of these problems. Or should drivers just be more intelligent and more responsible for knowing these issues for themselves? What do you think?

It hasn’t been that long since the MPGuino was cooked up on our very own fuel economy forums, but the creator, a member who goes by dcb, has just started offering up the great little gauge for the low price of $55 ($63 if you want it shipped internationally). A lot of ecomodders now have these gauges in their cars, as they allow almost anyone with a fuel injected vehicle to get fuel economy instrumentation when it was not previously possible.

However, the first versions were all completely homebrew. That meant sourcing your own parts and soldering the unit together all by yourself. For something people that wasn’t so bad, but for others it still ended up an ugly, time consuming mess (as it did for me). So, if you’d like to pick one up (and show the open source project a little support) they’re being shipped now with donations.

A little soldering to hook it up to the car is still involved, but it’s just four wires, so nothing too bad. If you’re already rocking one, be sure to post up some links to pictures in the comments so we can see how the install looks.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhyrCuVlaq8&feature=player_embedded

It’s been a long time coming, but the FTC is finally putting a stop to the kind of deceptive advertising you see above. For years these scammers, which claim their electrolysis kits will double your gas mileage and “turn any car into a hybrid” have spammed blog comments and lied to unsuspecting consumers.

While there have been a few people who bought into the (false) hype over the years, I think the FTC gets to the bottom of it very well:

However, in papers filed with the court, the FTC states that these and other claims defy well-established physical principles and contain “gross errors and misrepresentations of fact.” According to an expert hired by the FTC, the device does not even meet the scientific definition of a “fuel cell,” and several of the processes touted by the companies either are impossible or would lead to a net loss of energy. The promoters “are marketing a product that cannot exist and function as claimed,” the FTC stated in the court papers.

Though the case has just been opened and there is no verdict, the defendent is clearly guilty here, so I fully expect the FTC to drop the banhammer on these sorts of advertisements. Hopefully now they will stop showing up faster than we can ban them on Google Adsense and we can all move on past some of the high gas price-inspired insanity.

Recently I was alerted to an interesting stunt pulled by Toyota itself in order to flaunt the terrific fuel economy of the new iQ: ecodriving the car around England. The goal is to beat the mileage ratings on the car while ecodriving and hopefully achieving over 500 miles on a single tank. They want to go as far as possible, though they don’t think they’ll be able to make it to the magical 600 mile mark.

With the journey partially done and the iQ filled up after 504 miles, the team was able to turn in a respectable 72mpg (which may be imperial gallons, meaning about 60 mpg US, but this isn’t made clear). Either way, that’s pretty good mileage turned out of the car, but I think we’ll all have to reserve judgment until some more real world numbers pour in.

Interesting to note, however, is that the instantaneous and average mpg figures on the iQ’s display seem to stop at an upper bound of 60 mpg. This is particularly strange considering that the British government has the car pegged at 65.7 mpg, meaning the iQ can’t even display its average mileage! Toyota, what’s up there?

I’ve been in contact with Toyota on this one and I will ask to see if I can get some more details on how they drove the car, whether they learned any tricks, and if there is a fuel economy “sweet spot” for the car.

PLX, the makers of the Kiwi, have announced that they will be making a new model in the coming months, to be known as the Kiwi MPG. The original Kiwi was priced at about $300 and not only displayed fuel economy, but tried to teach you how to drive more efficiently. This certainly was a tall order at a high price, so it was about time the company came out with a more basic gauge in order to compete with the ScanGauge II.

We at EcoModder have yet to test out the new Kiwi MPG, but hopefully we will be able to get ahold of the unit before the official release in March to give it a review and put it up against the ScanGauge, which is much more expensive.

Read the full press release below:

PLX Devices Inc. Unveils Kiwi MPG

Sunnyvale, California January 2, 2009 – PLX Devices Inc. today introduced the Kiwi MPG. The Kiwi MPG is a small, low cost, device which displays your vehicle’s fuel efficiency information. This includes instantaneous MPG, trip MPG, and dollars of gas consumed in an easy to navigate 4 digit display.

The Kiwi MPG installs into any 1996 and up vehicle, in a matter of seconds. Kiwi MPG is a plug and play device which interfaces with your existing OBDII port, often located near or under your steering column. Its dimensions measure just 1 x 2.5 x 0.5 inches, which makes it ideal to be mounted virtually anywhere. Kiwi MPG will begin shipping in March 2009 for a suggested retail price of $89.99 (US).

“This device is going to be a great addition for any vehicle new or used. Drivers can now affordably monitor their fuel efficiency and costs of fuel consumption on an affordable, easy to install device. Kiwi MPG gives everybody the opportunity to do their part in reducing their CO2 footprint and to conserve precious gasoline without having to buy a new car.” Said Paul Lowchareonkul CEO of PLX Devices Inc.

Advanced MPG Information
The Kiwi MPG is also packed with additional features. In addition to the basic MPG and dollars consumed readouts, Kiwi MPG is also capable of displaying the following information. Fuel used, fuel remaining, distance traveled, distance to empty, RPM, speed, throttle percent, coolant temperature in both standard and international units of measurements.

Scan Tool
The Kiwi MPG is also equipped with an engine check scan tool. If your vehicle has an engine check light illuminated, Kiwi MPG can identify the cause of your engine trouble and clear the light all in the comfort of your vehicle. With this feature, you’ll save time and money from having to bring your vehicle into the garage for servicing.

The Environment
In an average household, your vehicle is the primary contributor to the global warming gas, carbon dioxide. An average new model sedan driving 15,000 miles per year produces about 9 Tons of CO2. By using Kiwi MPG, drivers will play a significant role by improving their driving behavior by “driving green.”

We’ve been meaning to share with our blog readers more of the great DIY projects going on at EcoModder over the last few months, but sometimes there are so many it’s hard to figure out where to start. Today’s is something I’ve wanted to post for months, and every time I think about it, it just seems much cooler.

Recently, work has been done on modifying a cruise control unit to have mpg sensitive logic, meaning that setting the cruise control on low hills will no longer mean mashing the gas pedal to blast your way up, but ecodriving in a completely computer-controlled way. Like other EcoModder projects, this one is open source, and still being worked on, but if you’re interested and the DIY type this is one of the coolest projects out there.

EDIT: The youtube embed was broken, fixed now though.

If you’ve read the EcoModder blog for a while, you’ve definitely seen Ben Nelson’s Electro-Metro as well as some of his other projects. If you’ve been on the forum, you’ve definitely been a party to some of his zany antics, but this is just about as good as it gets.

A few months ago Ben was pulled over for doing 25 mph in a 15 mph zone, and received a ticket for $83.80. But Ben wasn’t about to go down without a fight. He scheduled a court date and even though he had lost his ticket, went in defiantly at 8am hoping that a treehugging judge might nullify the ticket, or at least reduce the points on his license.

You can read the full court story, but I will summarize for the sake of those without such a sizeable chunk of time to spare. Like many of us who have been to court to fight a traffic ticket, Ben waited nervously as the judge ran through the list of names on the docket and one by one handed out his judgments. Because Ben had lost his ticket he ended up last, but he still got what he wanted:

The judge and clerk both comment to each other that they have never heard of anyone speeding in an electric car before. He changes the charge from speeding to “Defective Equipment: Speedometer”. The fine is still the same, but there are no demerit points involved.

I guess they’ve not heard about the Tesla Roadster yet! But it gets better…

Not only did the judge reduce the ticket (but not the cost, hence the Electro-Metro Legal Defense Fund), but he took our hero Ben across the street to talk to the editor of the local paper about Ben’s story, which squarely landed him on the front page.

Here’s Ben telling the story himself:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBWeayMOIIU&eurl=&feature=player_embedded

Feel free to check out the thread and donate yourself! Who’s ever heard of a 15 mph speed limit anyway?

Here on EcoModder we have talked about the EcoDrivingUSA program and some of Pro Formance’s results with Ford before, but I finally got a chance to go through Pro Formance’s ecodriving program. There was a lot of preaching to the choir, but I was interested to see how they approached teaching ecodriving to the average person, and not just the average person who is already interested in improving fuel economy.

The Car

Because I was second in line for the round of test drives I was in, I had to settle for the Audi A3 TDI station wagon. I don’t want to sound like I’m down on the car, since it was a very nice ride, but for several reasons I really wanted to drive the Mini Cooper (I’d never driven one, it had a stick shift, etc). Because of my disappointment I made it my goal to surpass the Mini Cooper in fuel economy in the test.

The A3 TDI is a very luxurious car, but it’s definitely not the biggest fuel sipper around. The diesel engine helps a lot, but the automatic transmission and general size of the car makes it a difficult choice for high mileage (though that doesn’t mean you can improve it).

The Drive

We went out for a drive through some very congested LA streets, which were not good at all for fuel economy. Though the test drive was only a couple of miles in each direction, my instructor had time to go through many of the standard techniques like smooth acceleration, the importance of anticipating future events, and also the importance of keeping your car well maintained.

In keeping with these tips, and not wanting to annoy my instructor, I toned down my own ecodriving and tried to do my best simply by anticipating stops and avoiding mashing the gas pedal at any cost. Doing this I managed to eke out 39 mpg from the station wagon, slightly edging out the Mini Cooper, which only pulled in 38.4 mpg.

Surely, I could have done better using neutral and having a fuel economy gauge, but I wanted to see what mileage would be like for a more typical driver in a car like the A3 TDI just using the Pro Formance tips, and I was very happy to see that near 40 mpg numbers could be returned, even in heavy traffic.

Post-Ride

After the ride I got a chance to talk shop with some of the Pro Formance guys and learned that many of them practice more involved ecodriving techniques and are interesting in some of the ecomods that are fairly common. I was really impressed with their work and their mission, and hope that they can expand their operation to get in touch with more drivers.

Also, I learned that from their study on ecodriving with Ford, they realized a few things about the way different groups of people drive. For example, men and younger people tended to show a greater improvement with ecodriving, primarily because they were more aggressive in their driving techniques before taking the Pro Formance class. At the same time, everyone in the study still managed to improve their mileage, even the old ladies!

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