I've been thinking about my average fuel consumption graphic here at EcoModder for some time now, and contemplating why the Average is closer to the minimum values, rather than between the Minimum and Maximum values.
You can see in the graphic below that the peak fuel consumption has quite a large gap (blue dots) compared to the much smaller gap for the minimum values (red dots).
I've also emphasized the Average values, and one can easily see that it hugs the lower values.
This got me thinking.... how does one calculate the effective mean data from max and min values?
Let's say that a car gets 70 mpg on one tank and then 130 mpg on the next. Is the average mpg 100?
Let's see.
Using the equation below, one can find out what the effective mpg is when combining 70 mpg and 130 mpg.
The equation is another way of looking at the total fuel consumption similar to grams per hour, rather than miles per gallon. The higher fuel consumption for the 70 mpg tank swamps out the higher mpg tank. This is the jest of the equation when summing fuel consumption.
The equation can be simplified below.
If I did the math correctly, the effective mean fuel consumption is equivalent to 91 mpg, not 100 as I first thought.
This surprised me. And points to an interesting fact.
The easiest way to increase the mean, is to concentrate on the Low values, not the High. For me, this means looking for ways to get better mileage in the Winter, rather than looking for super high numbers in the summer (even though it's fun).
So, if Winter driving is to be maximized, several items float to the top of the list.
Cold air is denser, so this means Aero is large concern. This may seem obvious here at EcoModder, but cold air is about 15% more dense than summer, so a good body shape is important.
Maintaining engine heat is also a big factor. And this includes engine heatup and maintaining heat once the engine is shut off.
An Automatic Radiator Block would almost be a must, as well as a some sort of Engine Blanket or thermal barrier to maintain engine heat.
A Block Heater is also on my ToDo list this summer. I would like to add a 120VAC hookup on the front facia when I do the Auto Grill Block to make plugging-in easier.
Once I get the motorcycle back on the road this year, the topics above will be considered this summer, while it's relatively easy to work on.
Jim.