anyone else looking forward to the influx of new users?

[Vwbeamer]

I just starting post again because I went from having fuel efficient cars to a truck.

So many trucks, people are not going to be unable unload them. I think they will be looking to improve mpg.

And if they do math a 2 mpg improvement on a truck that gets 16 mpg saves more money than 5 mpg improvement on a car that get 30 mpg

[redpoint5]

I've been mostly talk, and little action.

Over the years I've done grill blocking, Scangauge, messed around with capacitors and LiFePO4 batteries, overinflated tires a little, and not much else. I bought most of what I need to install an alternator cutoff switch in my Acura, but I hardly drive anymore.

As I get closer to owning an EV, my eagerness to experiment on ICE vehicles wanes. I'd still like to get that alternator cutoff switch going, and do a bit more fiddling with LiFePO4 batteries in the Acura since it needs a better setup than I have installed, but I don't have any other plans for mods.

[freebeard]

Myself also. The biggest shift was going from 34mpg in a $6K Superbeetle to 45mpg in a $1K XFi.

I've had rattle cans to paint the wheels for a month now.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I've been mostly talk, and little action.

Over the years I've done grill blocking, Scangauge, messed around with capacitors and LiFePO4 batteries, overinflated tires a little, and not much else. I bought most of what I need to install an alternator cutoff switch in my Acura, but I hardly drive anymore.

As I get closer to owning an EV, my eagerness to experiment on ICE vehicles wanes. I'd still like to get that alternator cutoff switch going, and do a bit more fiddling with LiFePO4 batteries in the Acura since it needs a better setup than I have installed, but I don't have any other plans for mods.

Same here. When I was getting 45 mpg to 100 mpg with a Prius and Spark EV there are very few mods that make any financial sense. Tire pressures, grill block and don't drive like an idiot about does it.

I don't drive the van enough to care that it gets 15 mpg around down and 20 mpg on the highway.

The TDI is averaging a disappointing 37 mph but again, that isn't bad enough to spend money on fixes. I also don't expect to have it more than a couple more years.

I get that some people's hobby is to improve MPG just like some people want to increase HP and saving money isn't the point. I'm not one of those people.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by JSH

I get that some people's hobby is to improve MPG just like some people want to increase HP and saving money isn't the point. I'm not one of those people.

I am - I'll be modding an EV for improved efficiency & range if/when I ever get (another) one.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Regarding reducing fossil fuel burning and foreign oil dependence, I maintain that the only way to do this effectively while presenting the least disruption to the economy and providing the smallest footprint for political corruption is to increase the cost of fossil fuels via taxation.

Not even a displacement-biased taxation scheme, such as what applies to Brazil, the European Union and Japan for example, would be guaranteed to decrease fuel consumption due to the American market favoring commercial vehicles that are often exempted from such regulations or less affected by them in order to not cause too much disruption to the economy.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

I am - I'll be modding an EV for improved efficiency & range if/when I ever get (another) one.

That isn't surprising considering you founded this website.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Not even a displacement-biased taxation scheme, such as what applies to Brazil, the European Union and Japan for example, would be guaranteed to decrease fuel consumption due to the American market favoring commercial vehicles that are often exempted from such regulations or less affected by them in order to not cause too much disruption to the economy.

That is not true. HD vehicle have fuel economy standards just like cars and they are steady increasing. The USA also has specific taxes for commercial vehicles that don't apply to personal vehicles. At the federal level:

• A 12% excise tax on the purchase of a new commercial vehicle
• Tire taxes that average $25 per tire
• A year use tax that is between $100 to $550 per year depending on weight

.
At the state level there are more. For example here in Oregon commercial vehicles have a weight - mile tax. It varies from 6.5 cents per mile for a 26,000 lb vehicle to 21.5 cents per mile for a 78,000 lb vehicle.

[redpoint5]

Oof, lots of counterproductive taxes in the commercial sphere.

Taxing tires is the dumbest idea ever. Probably a contributing factor for why retreads are common.

The excise tax needs to be eliminated also.

Can't argue against a weight tax, though with enough thought I probably could.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Worse than retreadings are the regroovings I often see in Brazil.

Originally Posted by JSH

HD vehicle have fuel economy standards just like cars and they are steady increasing.

I was refering to light-duty CVs, such as pick-ups and vans, and SUVs even though they're not strictly commercial.