The Reg does ecomodding

[freebeard]

Want a more fuel efficient car? Then redesign it

A regular stop on my perambulations around the WWW, The Register AKA Vulture Central, did a post on ecomodding:

Want a more fuel efficient car? Then redesign it – here's how
43mpg from a Jaguar XJ-S

What I am doing is at the radical and scientific end of hypermiling. As far as I can see, the only route that makes economic sense is to apply fuel efficiency modifications to a car that is being restored. As the restoration requires an investment in new parts, it costs no more to replace worn out original parts with different technology. I’m not counting my labour, because I’m doing it for fun and to learn.

It introduces a lot of novel concepts, such as replacing the copper wiring with an aluminum bus plus a signal cable. An electric water pump with downsized hoses and radiator. And swapping Audi anti-intrusion bars into the Jaguar doors.

A significant improvement in economy can be obtained using fuzzy logic to control the (AC) compressor so that, whenever possible, it runs when the vehicle is slowing down and recovers energy that would otherwise be wasted in the brakes.

The same thing can be done with the alternator, so that when accelerating the system voltage reduces slightly so the battery doesn’t charge but when slowing down the system voltage goes up so maximum energy recovery occurs.

Some things are well-known—LED lights and a partial bellypan, others seem totally novel. There is also a story about M-B using urea injection just ahead of the catalytic converter in their diesels.

http://http://www.theregister.co.uk/...tech_goes_usa/

US auto-emissions cleansed in urine-tech shower
Mercedes basks in blue-green-golden glow

Anyone else read The Reg mainly for the headlines?

[MetroMPG]

You beat me to it! I had this story set aside to post too.

TONS of reader comments beneath it as well - 187 as of right now.

[Daox]

Interesting article. He did quite a bit of work.

[freebeard]

Thanks. I hadn't known they even have comments. Digg has improved since they dropped that feature. I'm in it mainly for the world+dog Yahoo! Headlines! They! Run!.

[MetroMPG]

My main beef: they repeatedley refer to the project as "hypermiling", which I always understood was about driving techniques, not mods.

I'm not sensitive about it.

[freebeard]

About 2/3 the way down the first page of comments AndrueC links to Hypermiling 101 on Ecomodder. Then they go back to discussing getting rear-ended if you don't use your brakes.

But people driving automatics have to apply the brakes to maintain speed downhill. I'm for a manual brakelight override switch.

[user removed]

If you are about to be rear ended I always found the accelerator pedal to be VERY useful, but then I have learned to watch my 6 most of the time when I am slowing down and after watching some videos here, I watch my 6 even more carefully, but with peripheral vision at higher speeds.

regards
mech