Comments on: Super mileage competition nets 7,148 MPG

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:36:59 +0000

yea whatever like were going to ride those

By: Red mark at 55mph on speedo - Page 2 - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

Red mark at 55mph on speedo - Page 2 - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:34:21 +0000

[...] this sh…er I mean crap: 470 MPG-Craig Vetter Fuel Economy contests, better mileage or this Super mileage competition nets 7,148 MPG | Hypermiling, Fuel Economy, and EcoModding News – EcoModde… and check out the engine sizes. Now honestly, does that look very LIKELY, let alone practical to [...]

By: cigarettes

cigarettes — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:41:00 +0000

Looking at this car I’m realizing that I must have missed a period of my life! Has the aliens reached the Earth?

By: Shell Americas Eco-Marathon Sets 2,843 MPG Record | Ecomodder.com Fuel Economy Blog

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:34:44 +0000

[...] incorrectly, they actually got 2,843 MPG. As I reported earlier, some of these competitions can net upwards of 7,000 MPG. However, somewhat unfortunately, those kinds of numbers haven’t been seen in the Shell [...]

By: ronald baldwin

ronald baldwin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:31:36 +0000

regardless of whether or not it is not safe it proves that the auto dealers do not care for average joe! they can get over 100 miles per gallon easily if they wanted diesels get 80mpg in europe but usa wont let them in also once youget to coast speed you could switch over to a stirling engine using waste heat so many things you could do the waste heat is being ignored and the regenerative braking is not even used so it is a money thing and probably bribes going on to keep the mileage lower. those liars the devil is the god of this world and he will do whatever he can to keep you in bondage even. this proves they are a bunch of liars for sure. 7000 miles per gallon proves everything and the guy who rode in this is he still alive? yes i am sure add some saftey and maybe get what? 500 miles per gallon?

By: SVOboy

SVOboy — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:00:13 +0000

First off, thank you all for the comments!

I made an awful typo in there that most of you noticed, but I got it corrected, so thanks for pointing that out!

Also, as many of you have noted, these Eco-Marathons are great for high mileage, but none of the vehicles are practical on the street. The real gem lies in training young engineers and finding the nuances in things like aerodynamics that can be applied to real life.

Once again, thanks for the read!

-Benjamin

By: Russell

Russell — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:00:12 +0000

Oil companies and Car producers have always bought up the patents of high mpg systems and squashed the technology. I remember 18 cent a gallon reg and 20 cent ethyl (premium to you youngsters) As far as actually getting people to use these vehicles, they won’t, no frills, in these things, though I would certainly use one, there’s not many like me.(old school) there again if I could get everyone to go back to horses I would ride one of them as well.

By: Skippy

Skippy — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:47:18 +0000

Euro gallons are bigger than US gallons?, 7000 MPH is 3 times the normal ?…………My goodness what has the educational system done to you people.

Fact is Europe doesn’t have gallons (England has a hybrid system), it’s liters. The US is the land of dopes that can’t get with the program and fiqure out the metric system. We are in leauge with mental powerhouses like Liberia and Myanmar (the only 3 in the world).

This 7000 MPG “car” is great but who cares, they have been doing this for years. It is a pointless exercise, just like wacking it to your sister. It may be nice but you’re never going to get it.

How about a competiton where these idiots take standard “off the lot cars” say a Ford Bronco or some other SUV and modify it to get better mileage. Imagine what would happen if one of these folks fiqured out how to incease mileage in existing cars to 100 or 200 miles a gallon?
That is where the time should be spent.

AMEM Brother

By: mwulfeck

mwulfeck — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:38:27 +0000

Interesting Like Most Articles with this level of seduction.
If this works, the Shell event participant could make a deal, make the car and become one of world’s leading ( evil as they are) automotive manufactures nearly overnight. It means absolutely “nothing” if these vehicles are not rolling off the assembly line of some plant within 18 months. The public could care less about speculation. They want something in their driveways which “actually’ works for them in their daily lives. I am perfectly willing to become a “beta” test market participant. I Love Implemented Genius.

By: O'Riley Farms

O'Riley Farms — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:05:30 +0000

ya’ll go for your little fuel friendly vehicles, i am happily content gettin 10 MPG and paying out the ass for it, cause when push comes to shove mine will out perform those in all aspects ( but MPG’s). you’ll never see a vehilcle that gets more than 27 MPG on a farm because little hotwheels can’t pull or have a well working 4 wheel drive system

By: Alex C

Alex C — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 03:57:05 +0000

Hi All. I am VP and project leader for the Supermileage Vehicle team at UCLA. Our car last year achieved 824mpg at the Shell Ecomarathon in California and 832mpg at the SAE Supermileage Competition in Michigan.

To answer some of the criticism in the comments, it would be pretty painful if it hit a tree, but the driver has a 4point seatbelt and helmet, and there is a foam crunch zone in the front. Also, note that the vehicles travel between 10 and 20 mph on the track, which not only makes it safer but helps with the mpgs!

Indeed instant death in collision with a real car going more than 45mph. Our car last year weighed in at 96 pounds w/o driver.

When people ask me if its practical, I tell them that we are building the car as an engineering project and an exercise in team work, design and fabrication. It is exactly that.

I can’t speak for all the teams, but our team at UCLA designs every part of the car, save the bicycle wheels, brakes and engine, which actually leaves a lot. We have to design in such a way that we can actually fabricate the car with the resources we have. We also run analysis on the car, for strength and aerodynamics. It is quite a challenge but the process is so much fun.

By: 7,000 MPG Car Wins Eco-Marathon at toshism

7,000 MPG Car Wins Eco-Marathon at toshism — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:50:47 +0000

[...] Via EcoModder [...]

By: Keith

Keith — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:14:37 +0000

how close are we to mass produced vehicles with such fuel economy, even 714 mpg?

By: Jaime

Jaime — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:12:16 +0000

I think most people would be more concerned about safety in a vehicle like that than style.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:50:49 +0000

Hmmmm, I want to see the guy driving in to work beside me in his hummer in one of these…whatever the numbers the bottom line is, these cars and much of this technology is not viable for the average american consumer…where concepts of “Style” and “Prestige” out weigh any modicum of sanity…then again i would hate to see what is left of one of these after being run over by aforementioned Hummer, because the driver was talking on his cell phone while lighting a cigarette and opening his coffee…

By: Harry Potter's Midwife

Harry Potter's Midwife — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:46:37 +0000

Those are European gallons, which are LARGER than US gallons and those doing 35mpg are doing it on Euro gallons or in diesel vehicles.

Nuff said…

By: Acronyms

Acronyms — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:32:48 +0000

Can I buy one that makes 1000 MPG?

By: yeahsowhat

yeahsowhat — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 05:58:54 +0000

Yeah, but what happens when it runs into a tree?

By: yeahright

yeahright — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 04:19:11 +0000

Yeah, the oil companies invest a crap load of money into buying up patents that never see the light of day. The only reason is to help protect their Billion dollar profits.

By: John

John — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:26:55 +0000

They’ve been doing this for years.
It’s just for show, and has as much in common with your car as a dragster does.

These kind of “cars” seat one person laying prone, are built mainly out of bicycle parts and fiberglass or carbon fiber and go 15-20 miles per hour. They have a 1 quart fuel tank, and run on a perfectly smooth track, which is needed as they have generally have no suspension.

Oh, and they would be instant death in a collision with a real car.