Yes the Toyota Prius already comes factory ugly. We are talking Pontiac Aztec ugly. But you don’t buy the Prius for looks right? There is no denying that the little Prius is the God of MPG! Well just when you though your fuel economy could not get any better; AutoLabo has a new aerodynamic body kit.
A little history first; the Prius has one of the lowest drag coefficients of any car today. What the heck is drag coefficient and why does this matter? Well obviously the faster you go the harder a car has to push against the wind, i.e. wind resistance. While the Honda Insight with its drag coefficient of 0.25 cut through the wind like a hot knife through butter, the bulky Hummer H2 has a drag coefficient
of 0.57 which obviously has a negative effect on gas mileage.
Well the 2004 Toyota Prius was just a smidge behind the insight with a 0.26 drag coefficient. Well the AutoLabo body kit lowers that drag coefficient even more; so much more that the Prius will gain 7 more miles worth of MPG with the addition of this kit! And at a price of around 00 this body kit will pay for itself in no time. 
Source: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090225/AUTO03/902250312/1149/AUTO01
http://jalopnik.com/5104713/autolabo-creates-aero-package-for-toyota-prius
Keep track of your MPG
A new site has appeared that allows users to insert their gallons used, miles driven, model/make of vehicle and keep track of it after every fill-up. Allowing users to find their average MPG, and compare to EPA standards or even other users. Best of all the site is free! Another excellent feature is the ability to input this information using your mobile phone. That way you won’t forget to do it later or lose the information before you have a chance to input it. Once your data is recorded clicking through your profile shows you a chart of your MPG as well as several interesting stats and comparisons.
Visit Fuelly
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Dutch efficiency enthusiast Allert Jacobs has converted his new Honda motorbike into a streamliner capable of getting over 200 mpg (US) cruising at 55 mph.
The Honda ANF125i Innova was pretty efficient right out of the box, since it followed the basic formula for low fuel consumption: small size + light weight + modest engine power.
The bike tips the scales at just 231 lbs (105 kg) and features an efficient, fuel injected, four stroke 125cc single, producing 9 hp (6.85 kW).
With those specs, the Honda already offered great fuel economy: Allert’s first five fill-ups delivered 133 mpg (US) (1.8 L/100 km) over 638 miles (1027 km).
(With a disclaimer: he figures that’s better than “normal” because he was babying the bike while breaking it in. He says a more realistic figure for his driving is 114 mpg (US) – that’s what he got from the last two fill-ups before he started modifying it.)
Q: How do you get from 114 mpg to over 200 mpg?
A: aerodynamics first (and gearing second)
Being a long time cyclist, motorcyclist and velomobile enthusiast, Allert intuitively understands what many people either don’t know or greatly underestimate: the enormous impact of aerodynamics on fuel consumption.
Unlike the average person, he is not surprised by the fact that a typical car burns 50% of its fuel overcoming air resistance at just 40 mph (64 km/h). Or that the higher drag of a typical motorbike means half of its fuel is used to overcome air drag at just 15 – 20 mph (24 – 32 km/h)!
Custom aerodynamic fairing: velomobile influence (version 1)
Allert knew he could significantly reduce the amount of power required to go down the road by lowering the rider’s position (reducing exposure to the oncoming air) and then reducing turbulence by adding smooth fairings.
His extensive experience designing and producing recumbent bicycles and fully enclosed recumbent velomobiles obviously prepared him for this project. (Above photo: Allert’s commercially produced Quest velomobile, a pedal-powered trike)
Diving in feet first
Reducing frontal area showed immediate results. To get a feet-forward position on the Honda, a new seat was mounted in the bike’s step-through area, and the foot pegs and controls were moved to just above the front wheel. The front wheel itself was enclosed, and another fairing was added ahead of the rider.
(Most motorcycle owners have probably experienced the benefit of reducing frontal area and drag, simply by tucking down at higher speeds and feeling the bike speed up without moving the throttle. It’s a good demonstration that shows aerodynamics isn’t only about fuel economy!)
On his first test drive, the drag reduction was obvious. Even lacking critical bodywork needed to smooth airflow at the rear of the bike, the little Honda’s top speed went up from 90 km/h (56mph) to 110 km/h (69mph).
Taller gearing
Because the modifed bike now required less energy to go down the road than the stock version, its gear ratios could be optimized: engine RPM could be lowered for a given speed that would have lugged the engine before the aero mods. Reducing engine speed normally improves fuel economy.
With the new sprockets in place, fuel economy was now up to 152 mpg (1.55 L/100 km) over 1901 miles of riding (3059 km).
But Allert wasn’t happy! He wanted more…
Lessons learned from version 1
- Stability issues with the front wheel fairing: side winds were affecting stability, because steering force was being transmitted to the forks. “It turned out to be very scary to ride even with as little as 3 Beaufort (about 10mph) side wind. I did not dare to go over 35mph.” That would have to change.
- Manual clutch conversion: with the taller gearing, Allert wasn’t happy with the Honda’s stock semi-automatic shifting. He added a clutch lever & cable and converted to a full manual transmission so he could control the amount of slip needed for a smooth start, since “the first gear is now almost as long as the second gear used to be”.
- Revised aerodynamic fairings: to reach his efficiency goals, the aerodynamics of version 2 would have to be better.
Version 2: best tank = 214 mpg (US); average = 199 mpg
The photos below speak for themselves (click to zoom). Allart spent months crafting full length bodywork, divided in two sections. The front half slides forward in a clever setup that allows the rider to get “in” and “out” of the bike fairly easily.
The windshield is less for forward vision than a place to locate the LED turn signals to keep them out of the wind. Allert added signals on the side mirrors as well.
He’s happy with the stability of the full length fairing compared to the first version: “A 40mph (65 km/h) side wind is no problem,” though more than that he hasn’t experienced yet.
And it works: in cool, windy weather, he managed 214 mpg (US) or 1.1 L / 100 km on a 160 mile (km) round trip. His goal is 235 mpg on a trip cruising at 55 mph (90 km/h). Why 235 mpg? Because its metric equivalent (as is used in the Netherlands) would be a very impressive 1 liter per 100 kilometers.
He expects that’s possible in ideal conditions (warm & calm), though he’s not simply waiting for better weather to accomplish this feat. He notes that the fairing isn’t entirely optimized from an aerodynamic perspective, and is also investigating potential improvements in rolling resistance (by methodologically testing different brands of tires on a custom made test rig).
When spring & summer roll around this year, I have little doubt that 1L / 100 km is in the cards for Allert Jacobs.
We’re looking forward to seeing more from this man!
(Photos: Allert Jacobs. Used with permission.)
| Aerodynamics: a weighty matter
Allert Jacobs added 88 lbs / 40 kg worth of aerodynamic modifications to his bike. He admits he didn’t try particularly hard to fabricate light parts, so his Honda now weighs 43% more (!) than it did when he bought it.People who aren’t familiar with the subject of aerodynamics often predict (mistakenly) that the extra weight of aero mods will hurt fuel economy more than reducing drag will help. Obviously that’s not the case here. Aerodynamic improvements trump weight. The exception may be for vehicles that spend the majority of their time in heavily congested urban traffic at very low average speeds. Clearly that’s not Allert’s situation. In fact he figures the added weight on the Honda is a benefit because “it will make it more stable in side wind situations.” |
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For more information:
- For the latest information & photos, visit Allert Jacob’s web site documenting this project
- Craig Vetter is one of the godfathers of motorcycle efficiency enthusiasts. Read about his own on-going high mileage motorbike project, the Freedom Machine.
- EcoModder member Janvos has been working on similar aero & gearing mods to his Suzuki Burgman. Follow his progress in this project thread.
More projects featuring aerodynamic modifications:
Related posts:
- Mercedes to Sell Super-Aerodynamic Cars in 5 Years
- Honda UK Asks Customers to Eco-Test Drive the New Honda Insight
- What Would an Aerodynamic Smart Fortwo Look Like?
I didn’t take pics of the whole process, but I can describe it pretty well…
- Move both of the cross-beams as far apart as the rack will allow, one front, one back.
- You’ll need a Torx, Star, or whatever bit they’re being called this week, not sure of the size at the moment.
- There are 6 screws on each side… remove them in any order.
- Once you have one side done, move to the other side, and repeat.
- Once all the screws are undone, while standing on a sturdy surface with the van’s roof approximately level to your chest, grab both cross beams, one in each hand.
- Lift the assembly away from the roof of the vehicle, tilting it up over your head.
- The assembly weighs approx 30 lbs, be careful.
- Once you’ve removed the rack, you’ll need to either cut the screws, get new (shorter) screws to put back, or get some chassis plugs (the annoying plastic things you can never get out w/o breaking) to fill the holes.
- Best you should put some light sealant under the caps of the plugs you use, to avoid water seepage and eventual corrosion.
Below are before/after shots, a shot of the roof rack hanging on the side of the van, showing it’s size relative to the sliding door, and and a shot of exactly what could be hiding beneath those rack ends… (Those are Japanese Beetles, for those who can’t identify them.)
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There are a couple of big don’ts when you’re filling up your gas tank. You need to keep this in mind every time you take a trip to the pump in order to avoid wasting gas.
First of all don’t bother topping off when filling your car’s gas tank. Any additional gas is just going to slop around or seep out. Why waste your money paying for gas your car won’t use? Stop pumping at the first indication that your tank is full when the automatic nozzle clicks off.
You also need to be sure to tighten your gas cap all the way when you’re done refueling. Gas will evaporate from your car’s gas tank if it has an escape. Loose, missing or damaged gas caps cause 147 million gallons of gas to evaporate each year, according to the Car Care Council. So be sure to tighten up that gas cap each time you fuel up your car.
]]>The most recent Maximum Fuel Economy contest was held in Elkhart, Indiana at the Fuel Economy World Championships, where world records for the Honda Insight (213 mpg round trip), Toyota Prius (136 mpg round trip) and the Ford Escape Hybrid (76 mpg round trip) were achieved. However, these numbers were achieved using illegal and dangerous techniques, including rolling through stop signs, turning the vehicle off, and inflating the tires well beyond specifications.
Another contest is the Tour to the Shore, held in New Jersey, which evaluates drivers of cars and trucks.
Gerdes and a team of six hold the current record for the most miles achieved out of a single tank of gas with 2254 miles from the 13.7-gallon tank of a Honda Insight, and average of 164.53 mpg for the entire distance.
]]>First of all the myth that starting your car uses as much gas as idling for a minute is absolutely untrue. It uses a very small amount of gas to start your car - whenever you’re stopped for more than a few seconds you should turn her off.
Another myth is related to filling up your gas tank. Many believe that when a tanker truck is there it stirs up all of the sludge so you should go to another gas station. This is false, gas stations are required to have good filters and pumps are regularly inspected. The gas that you waste driving to the next gas station far outdoes any tiny reduction in quality of the gas that you are going to get here.
]]>Some automatic transmissions can be coaxed to upshift sooner when accelerating by briefly releasing some throttle pressure, then re-applying to continue accelerating.
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