How to Increase a Car’s Fuel Efficiency
Each generation of car owners has felt the pinch of gasoline prices and knows that it affects the way they travel. As the cost of travel decreases, the number of large vehicle purchases increases. In reverse trends, as the price of travel increases, the consumer purchases less large, inefficient trucks and cars and purchases more efficient vehicles that stretch a dollar of gas.
Without exchanging big for small, you can increase the fuel efficiency of the vehicle you own right now. The best defense against the high price of gas is to buy smart and tune well. You can increase a car’s fuel efficiency with a few simple maintenance replacement products and new driving techniques that will make a car run better, farther and for longer on the same gallon of gas, no matter how much that gallon costs.
Step1
Fill-up the tank and drive. You should get the most recent average of miles per gallon prior to performing these techniques to increase a car’s fuel efficiency. Simply read the odometer prior to filling the tank, and then the reading when the tank is near empty. Now is a good time to insert a fuel additive which will add even more miles per gallon in the tank. Know how many gallons your gas tank holds to discover the current miles per gallon rating. (For example, 237 miles traveled on a full, 12 gallon tank equals 19.75 Miles per Gallon (MPG). Get ready to see some improvement on that MPG rating when finished.
Step2
Replace an old air filter with an upgraded high-flow air filter, like the ones sold by the well know filter company K & N (see Resources). A replacement upgrade can also include a new air intake tube and filter which is also an efficiency booster for any combustion engine. For replacement filters, unclasp the stock air box and remove the old filter and replace with a new one. Then secure the air box tightly.
Step3
Disconnect the battery from the car’s electronic system. Loosen and remove the red cable and secure it away from the battery. Loosen and replace the spark plugs and spark plug wires. Complete the process one at a time to be sure you do not mix up the cables, or make a note of the location and connection of each wire to each spark plug to insure the proper replacement of the spark plus and wires. Before replacing the spark plugs, find the proper gap for the electrode and measure using a simple gap tool. Adjust the gap when needed and replace new plugs for the old ones.
Step4
Drain old motor oil through the oil drain plug located near the base of the oil pan. Place in a fluid recycle container and bring to an auto parts shop for recycling. Remove the old oil filter and replace with a new, upgraded oil filter that helps to keep oil temperatures down and fluid flow high. Refill the engine with long life motor oil of good quality. Check for tightness on all fasteners and filters before finishing the maintenance.
Step5
Practice good procedures in regards to vehicle weight and air tire pressure. These two problems are responsible for losing up to 35 percent of a car’s fuel efficiency. Remove all trash and extra weight from within the vehicle. Some cars contain as much as two hundred pounds of dead weight which diminishes efficiency. Understand and manage the four tire’s air pressure each week or daily. Driving on properly inflated tires will allow for all the beneficial actions you took to take effect and work on turning an inefficient car into a fuel-efficient touring car that can drive forever on a single tank of gas. Going from 19.75 MPG to 27 or 30 MPG is possible.
Oregon Builds a Statewide Electric Vehicle Charging Network
Portland Business Journal
Mitsubishi Motors North America today became the second auto-maker to commit to helping Oregon build a statewide electric vehicle charging network.
Shinichi Kurihara, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors North America, announced the partnership this morning during an address at the New York International Auto Show, where it showcased the plug-in electric i-MiEV, which stands for Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle.
The partnership means Mitsubishi will lend its input to the state’s efforts to employ vehicle charging stations.
The state received formed an earlier partnership with fellow Japanese auto-makers Nissan, which on Monday brought to Portland a prototype of its electric-drive vehicle technology, which it hopes to market in 2010.
Oregon has drawn similar interest from other automakers.
Last summer, Toyota Motor Corp. said it would put four electric RAV4 vehicles in Portland for use by Portland State University as shuttle vehicles.
BYD Co., a Chinese battery and auto manufacturer, has considered Oregon as a test market for its electric vehicles.
On Tuesday, Norwegian auto-maker Think announced that Oregon is one of eight states it is considering for a manufacturing plant for its plug-in electric Think city.
“Oregon welcomes the partnership with Mitsubishi as we transition to the next generation in vehicle technology. Together, we can build a consistent and reliable infrastructure so Oregonians can make the switch seamlessly to electric vehicles,” Gov. Ted Kulongoski said in a news release. “The partnership shows that a state can create opportunity for its commitment to a greener future — wins for our economy and our environment.”
The state Department of Transportation last week issued a first-of-its kind solicitation for manufacturers of electric charging stations. The idea is to use the state as a central clearinghouse for charging station manufacturing in order to avoid deployment of competing technologies.
Also part of the electric vehicle partnership is Portland General Electric Co., which has already deployed more than a dozen charging stations across the Portland metro area and Salem.
Electric Vehicle Conversion Concise Tutorial
A majority of the electric cars on the road today are "home made" vehicles. People like converting their existing gasoline-powered cars to electric in their backyards and garages. Electric vehicle conversion is neither difficult nor easy, you can convert your car in an EV by following well-written manual.
You must decide what kind of motor, controller and batteries to be used and get them ready before start.
A typical conversion uses a DC controller and a DC motor. You need to decide what voltage the system will run at — typically anything between 96 volts and 192 volts. The voltage decision controls how many batteries the car will need, and what sort of motor and controller the car will use. The most common motors and controllers used in home conversions come from the electric forklift industry.
You can get a "donor vehicle" that will act as the platform for the conversion. Almost always, the donor vehicle is a normal gasoline-powered car that gets converted to electric. Most donor vehicles have a manual transmission.
You have a lot of choices when it comes to battery technology. The vast majority of home conversions use lead-acid batteries, and there are several different options:
- Marine deep-cycle lead-acid batteries (These are available everywhere, including Wal-mart.)
- Golf-cart batteries
- High-performance sealed batteries
The batteries can have a flooded, gelled or AGM (absorbed glass mat) electrolyte. Flooded batteries tend to have the lowest cost but also the lowest peak power.
Now, you can start, the following is the steps:
- Remove the engine, gas tank, exhaust system, clutch and perhaps the radiator from the donor vehicle. Some controllers have water-cooled transistors, while some are air-cooled.
- Attach an adapter plate to the transmission and mount the motor. The motor normally requires custom mounting brackets.
- Usually, the electric motor needs a reduction gear for maximum efficiency. The easiest way to create the gear reduction is to pin the existing manual transmission in first or second gear. It would save weight to create a custom reduction gear, but normally it is too expensive.
- Mount the controller.
- Find space for, and build brackets to safely hold, all the batteries. Install the batteries. Sealed batteries have the advantage that they can be turned on their sides and fitted into all sorts of nooks and crannies.
- Wire the batteries and motor to the controller with #00 gauge welding cable.
- If the car has power steering, wire up and mount an electric motor for the power steering pump.
- If the car has air conditioning, wire up and mount an electric motor for the A/C compressor.
- Install a small electric water heater for heat and plumb it into the existing heater core, or use a small ceramic electric space heater.
- If the car has power brakes, install a vacuum pump to operate the brake booster.
- Install a charging system.
- Install a DC-to-DC converter to power the accessory battery.
- Install some sort of volt meter to be able to detect state of charge in the battery pack. This volt meter replaces the gas gauge.
- Install potentiometers, hook them to the accelerator pedal and connect to the controller.
- Most home-brew electric cars using DC motors use the reverse gear built into the manual transmission. AC motors with advanced controllers simply run the motor in reverse and need a simple switch that sends a reverse signal to the controller. Depending on the conversion, you may need to install some sort of reverse switch and wire to the controller.
- Install a large relay (also known as a contactor) that can connect and disconnect the car’s battery pack to and from the controller. This relay is how you turn the car "on" when you want to drive it. You need a relay that can carry hundreds of amps and that can break 96 to 300 volts DC without holding an arc.
- Rewire the ignition switch so that it can turn on all the new equipment, including the contactor.
Once everything is installed and tested, the new electric car is ready to go!
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Electric Car Conversion Manual
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