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Old 10-19-2008, 06:17 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: California
Posts: 152

Smart Car ForTwo Pure - '08 Smart Fortwo Pure stripped
90 day: 51.35 mpg (US)

BMW 750iL V12 - '90 BMW V12
90 day: 26.4 mpg (US)

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Hi Eeeeeeeeekomodders!

Hi Eeeeeeeeekomodders! I'm an ecomodder, too. I've been a high mileage fanatic for many years. I'm a little tech-oriented because I took some Mechanical Engineering back in the '80s and have made my living as a mechanic, truck driver or equipment operator since the 1970s. It's great to discover this site with so many folks pursuing similar goals. I'm interested in combining the best of complementary technologies into one platform - but mostly in theory because you get into BIG BUCKS on the cutting edge.

Still, there are big gains to be collected with practical modest compromises to effeciency perfection, and you can save a lot of dough if you are a fabricator like me, with welding skills and equipment capable of handling aluminum and stainless steel. I'm pretty green with fiberglass, though. I've got an Invader and a Trimagnum, both fiberglass, stored away for future modification. I'm more interested in plastic sandwich foam, particularly using aerogel. Bit I also lean towards accident survivability so I see the Smart as an ideal experimental platform for now.

Lately I've been designing an electric assist for the Smart 4/2 Pure to be used as a niche PHEV range extender over 200 miles, adding 10-20% increase in torque and shooting for 80-100 mpg at 55-60 mph. Cost of the mod is over eleven grand, though, which is almost what I paid for the car, and these estimates tend to bloat upwards when the tools start flying, so it may not actually happen without a deep-pockets partner.

I have a lot of fun with the stock Smart, averaging 50+ on the open road and got up to 65+ tank with tailwinds on the California, Arizona and Wyoming triangle. The auto-shift manual transmission on the Smart is one of the most amazing gizmos in extreme mpg, yet totally unrecognized by the boneheaded US press. I am very interested in aero mods, but well aware that they only have meaning after the nut behind the wheel gets in synch with his ride. My other plans for the car involve addition of a survivable air dam, full wheel skirts, max turbo psi at 60 mph, solar roof and programmed mild hydrogen injection with predetonation sensors.

I've long been fascinated by hydrogen as a fuel. I attended the first hydrogen conference in Miami in 1976 and I've been hooked ever since. I don't view hydrogen as having much potential unless it's made from renewable sources. If the price drops to the point where that happens, it could be like the PC was to IBM.

Right now, I view fuel cells as battery chargers for electric vehicles. Some of these are being manufactured today and they are actually becoming affordable when compared to battery replacement schedules. But solar and wind production is key and this is moving more slowly in the oil-dominated US. I am keeping a close eye on new developments in fuel cells and home production for integration into my on-order Aptera PHEV, serial 200-something, scheduled for late 2009 or early 2010 delivery. Good thing Google bought in to Aptera, the way things are going with the economy.

My interest in electrics and hybrids requires paying close attention to developments in solar, wind, renewable hydrogen and even politics, because the oil companies and their Republican proxies in congress are actively at war with renewable energy development in the US and devoted to, and very successful at, driving alternative tech offshore. Still, we can buy these products at a premium from Europe, which is more enlightened. I discuss this extensively on Hydrogen Commerce - LATEST ADVANCES - Why Renewable Hydrogen will replace Oil, Coal & Nuclear

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Last edited by Ptero; 10-24-2008 at 01:55 PM..
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Old 10-19-2008, 08:02 PM   #2 (permalink)
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 409

Eco-Fit - '13 Honda Fit Base
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Welcome! Good to have another eloquent voice on ecomodder, I hope that as a veteran of high mileage, you may shed some insight on those of us without access to funds like the smart(er) and smart(est) car you are planning . Keep us posted on your vehicles and I look forward to seeing you on the various threads.
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Old 10-19-2008, 09:09 PM   #3 (permalink)
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,513

Blackfly - '98 Geo Metro
Team Metro
Last 3: 70.09 mpg (US)

MPGiata - '90 Mazda Miata
90 day: 52.71 mpg (US)

Even Fancier Metro - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage top spec
90 day: 70.75 mpg (US)

Appliance car - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (base)
90 day: 60.16 mpg (US)
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Ptero - welcome to the forum.

Glad to have someone with the fabrication means & skills you describe.

And VERY happy to see someone willing to mod a smart! I've not seen much evidence of that in the smart community. (Mostly people snickering at modding, actually, particularly body mods).

Looking forward to following your projects.

Darin

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Project MPGiata! Mods for getting 50+ MPG from a 1990 Miata
Honda mods: Ecomodding my $800 Honda Fit 5-speed beater
Mitsu mods: 70 MPG in my ecomodded, dirt cheap, 3-cylinder Mirage.
Ecodriving test: Manual vs. automatic transmission MPG showdown



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