66.8 mpg all freeway commuting

[California98Civic]

Across two days of freeway commuting to LA where I was volunteering on a solar panel install, I averaged 66.8 mpg with minimal EOC and a lot of alternator operation (at optimized times). The total distance was well over 200 miles driven. Mostly I cruised at 60mph and 55mph, drafting at 1-2 seconds behind trucks when I could (and there were several opportunities, for bunches of miles at a time). I did some engine on pulse and glide. I ran the alternator when I could draft a truck at 55mph. No air conditioning. Windows lowered only a 2 or 3 inches. I warmed my lunch on the engine and the dashboard! Here are the pics from the two days.

[Daox]

Very impressive. The solar install looks fun too.

[2000mc]

well its not 70, but well thats ok i supose, its only like maybe 20mpg better than my car would do in the same conditions

[redpoint5]

That's about double what I could achieve in my car. Good work on both the travel, and the solar install. I'd certainly install solar on my home if I lived in CA. The utility price per KWh is ridiculous there. I imagine the incentives for installing solar is among the best too.

[Cobb]

Is this with the car empty and gutted including passenger seat removed or full of solar panels and tools for the job at hand?

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by Cobb

Is this with the car empty and gutted including passenger seat removed or full of solar panels and tools for the job at hand?

It is with the car totally stripped out, but the front passenger seat was still with me (wish I had thought to remove it). The tools and panels and install supplies all were brought to the site by others, so I had nothing by me and my pretty heavily modified Civic.

The org, BTW, is called "GRID Aleternatives" GRID Alternatives | People. Planet. Employment

Check 'em out. This was my second house project with them. Hope to maybe do one more this summer. They use Enphase panel kits: Enphase Energy - Enphase Energy

james

[California98Civic]

And thanks alot for the kind words, guys! I still wanna break 70 on a tank, but it was too tempting to see what I could do with more steady cruise than I would ever normally do.

[Cobb]

Looks like poly crystal solar. I thought those were only good for shaded areas and mono crystal was better for direct sun and higher temperatures like a roof?

Does each panel have its own toggle switch? Looks like a toggle switch in the photo.

Are these grid tie with the gti at each panel?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by Cobb

Looks like poly crystal solar. I thought those were only good for shaded areas and mono crystal was better for direct sun and higher temperatures like a roof?

Does each panel have its own toggle switch? Looks like a toggle switch in the photo.

Are these grid tie with the gti at each panel?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Yes they are poly, but my understanding is that poly cells are generally used for bright light settings and mono for low light settings. But the system is a direct grid tie in at the circuit breaker box. I watched the meter spin backwards for a few seconds before they shut it down pending inspector approval. That was cool. Each panel has a peak output of about 245 watts. We put 11 panels on the roof. Each panel has its own microinverter, and each microinverter communicates wirelessly with an internet connected monitoring thermostat looking device inside the home they call a "networking hub" or something. The panels all had an integrated ground design, which meant that, unlike last year, we did not need to run separate copper grounding wire. That was cool, and made the whole process much simpler.

There was another volunteer who showed up in a Gen1 Insight. I include that here.



EDIT: I don't know why two of the images are still sideways. I rotated them before posting. Oh well. You'll get it.