Is Ecomodder dying/dead??

[larrybuck]

I certainly concur with you on that. I sure like that third lane on the freeway as it doesn't seem to matter what goes on in life, I'm always the slowest guy out there. I thought with these current prices somebody else might slow down a little bit, I might have somebody with an older motorhome or somebody pulling a trailer that will follow me for a few miles, but with very few exceptions I get passed later anyway

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by larrybuck

I certainly concur with you on that. I sure like that third lane on the freeway as it doesn't seem to matter what goes on in life, I'm always the slowest guy out there. I thought with these current prices somebody else might slow down a little bit, I might have somebody with an older motorhome or somebody pulling a trailer that will follow me for a few miles, but with very few exceptions I get passed later anyway

I find that a lot of people I talk to still don't understand the relationship between fuel mileage and speed. One guy said he was running out of gas so he drove as fast as he could so he would make it to the gas station before he ran out of fuel. We're talking 80mph or so in an old pickup truck on a 55 to 65 mph highway.

My mom still swears that the faster you drive, the better the fuel mileage you get. She also drives a manual and won't shift into top gear unless she's going 75mph though.

[redpoint5]

As a tangent thought experiment, EVs tend to get better efficiency the slower they go. However, some EVs are terribly inefficient at providing cabin heat to the occupants because resistive heating is used. That means a stopped car is still consuming a large amount of energy. There has to be some speed at which an EV is most efficient so it isn't spending a ton of time heating the cabin. Of course, there are many variables involved so there isn't a single answer.

I imagine there's some minimum speed in an ICE at which point going any slower is also inefficient. An engine at idle, for example, isn't very efficient.

[larrybuck]

All I have got to say is yikes! Most people actually drive like animals

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

As a tangent thought experiment, EVs tend to get better efficiency the slower they go. However, some EVs are terribly inefficient at providing cabin heat to the occupants because resistive heating is used. That means a stopped car is still consuming a large amount of energy. There has to be some speed at which an EV is most efficient so it isn't spending a ton of time heating the cabin. Of course, there are many variables involved so there isn't a single answer.

I imagine there's some minimum speed in an ICE at which point going any slower is also inefficient. An engine at idle, for example, isn't very efficient.

It's a hard number to pin down.

You could take a flat plane paved highway and drive a vehicle down it at different constant speeds with zero wind, at sea level, with average humidity, etc. There will be a specific constant speed at which the car is most efficient.

But then add small changes in grade... I notice in some hilly areas I actually get better fuel mileage. My guess is it forces me to pulse and glide. I got to drive up at about 80% throttle and back down pretty much coasting on every hill.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

most people want technical solutions to their behavioral problems in the form of buying something that makes up for their deficiencies

People want some cheap sort of "miracle".