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Big Van · 07-20-2008, 04:08 PM

I'm sure everyone on this forum has heard of the Mercedes "Bionic car" based on the boxfish... I'm wondering if I could apply any of its principles to modding my 15 passenger van, as suggested here:

Fuel Efficient Vehicles Now! - Bionic Vans Trucks & Buses

Or maybe something like this:

AeroTruck 1

The boxfish car claims a Cd of .19. I know the enormous area of a passenger van would blunt the effects of a slippery shape, but I figure anything's worth a shot.

Can anyone enlighten me as to why the Mercedes's shape is so much more efficient than a normal van's? Could I work some kind of cloroplast wizardry to emulate it on my own vehicle? Thanks!

07-20-2008, 04:08 PM	#1 (permalink)
Big Van EcoModding Lurker Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Somerville, MA Posts: 9 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Bionic Van I'm sure everyone on this forum has heard of the Mercedes "Bionic car" based on the boxfish... I'm wondering if I could apply any of its principles to modding my 15 passenger van, as suggested here: Fuel Efficient Vehicles Now! - Bionic Vans Trucks & Buses Or maybe something like this: AeroTruck 1 The boxfish car claims a Cd of .19. I know the enormous area of a passenger van would blunt the effects of a slippery shape, but I figure anything's worth a shot. Can anyone enlighten me as to why the Mercedes's shape is so much more efficient than a normal van's? Could I work some kind of cloroplast wizardry to emulate it on my own vehicle? Thanks!