Ultra mileage vehicle design

[NeilBlanchard]

Those eco-marathon cars are not practical in the least. They run the motor in quick surges, the driver has to get taped inside, they have to steer to face into a side wind, etc. They are noisy, and they would not work on actual roads, in traffic.

Dave Cloud built a +200MPGe car starting with a Metro for about $3,000.

[niky]

And where would you put the groceries?

One wonders, if you're P&G'ing at just 10-20 mph, wouldn't it simply be easier to bike?

[freebeard]

niky -- Comments sections attract that sort of thing, don't they? It is true that Tesla conceptualized electricity differently than the rest of use. In place of electrons moving in fields of potential, he thought in terms of rays. They just mix in a little 'derpitude'.

Here's a little higher level debate, The Oatmeal vs Forbes magazine:
I wrote a response to the Forbes article about my Tesla comic - The Oatmeal

[niky]

Waaaaay off-topic. But still a fascinating read. Tesla truly is under-appreciated.

Hey, Van Gogh was batcrap insane, too, but he still made pretty pictures.

[Afrersize]

What is the anatomy of those 10000 mpg vehicles: electric human hybrid, solar panel, aerodynamic, super light, 15 mph(as this is a minimum required speed at Shell ECO)? or am I missing something, because even with that it seems like there must be more going on to get 10000 mpg.

[freebeard]

Afrersize -- NeilBlanchard addressed that:

Those eco-marathon cars are not practical in the least. They run the motor in quick surges, the driver has to get taped inside, they have to steer to face into a side wind, etc. They are noisy, and they would not work on actual roads, in traffic.

Drivers picked for their body weight, pneumatic tires that are hard as a rock, sketchy driver sight-lines. Payload of 100-200lbs instead of 1/2 ton. Everything balanced and optimized for the lower left corner of the performance envelope.

And they only get 1000-2000mpg, not 10,000, so that's some help right there.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Afrersize

What is the anatomy of those 10000 mpg vehicles: electric human hybrid, solar panel, aerodynamic, super light, 15 mph(as this is a minimum required speed at Shell ECO)? or am I missing something, because even with that it seems like there must be more going on to get 10000 mpg.

I've never attended a 'meet,' but after reading about what Dr.Andrew Franks was doing at U.C.Davis,California,the cars are approx.:
*3.5 sq-ft frontal area
*Driver is shoe-horned in to the 'car' and incapable of solo ingress/egress
*Cd 0.13
*200-psig bicycle tires
*a couple hundred pounds all-up weight
*Briggs & Stratton modified lawnmower engine
*Burn at WOT up to around 20-mph,cut power and coast down to 8-mph,then bump-start the engine and repeat for a few laps.
*The car is kept in laminar boundary layer running solo on a wind-protected closed-course
*No speed-bumps
*No turns
*No braking
*No electrical loads other than ignition
*Fuel is drawn from a burette and mpg is extrapolated on a mass basis

[user removed]

The current record is approaching 11,000 MPG.

regards
Mech

[Frank Lee]

The Pac Car is at 12,665 mpg(e) as it is electric and fueled by hydrogen.

The key to these extreme mpgs is the ratio of pulse to glide on these closed course competitions; the engine is off way more than it is on.

[Afrersize]

that makes sense,
thanks to all.