Fuel Efficiency for the 21 st century

1. Fuel Efficiency for the 21st century • Joe Shrader, BS, MAED,PHD. • March, 2008 • ARRRRRGH!

6. What does this really mean? • http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/FEG2000.htm

8. EPA estimate (2005) • SMALL SUV - Jeep Liberty Diesel Ltd. (4WD) EPA CITY MPG: 22 CR CITY MPG: 11 EPA SHORTFALL: 50 percentHYBRID - Honda Civic SedanEPA CITY MPG: 48 CR CITY MPG: 26 EPA SHORTFALL: 46 percentLARGE SEDAN - Chrysler 300C EPA CITY MPG: 17 CR CITY MPG: 10 EPA SHORTFALL: 41 percentMIDSIZED SUV - Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT LT (4WD) EPA CITY MPG: 15 CR CITY MPG: 9 EPA SHORTFALL: 40 percentMINIVAN - Honda Odyssey EX EPA CITY MPG: 20 CR CITY MPG: 12 EPA SHORTFALL: 40 percent

9. Some others • LUXURY SEDAN - BMW 745Li EPA CITY MPG: 18 CR CITY MPG: 11 EPA SHORTFALL: 39 percentPICKUP - Dodge Ram 1500 SLT (crew cab, 4WD) EPA CITY MPG: 13 CR CITY MPG: 8 EPA SHORTFALL: 38 percentFAMILY SEDAN - Oldsmobile Alero GL EPA CITY MPG: 21 CR CITY MPG: 13 EPA SHORTFALL: 38 percentLARGE SUV - Dodge Durango Limited (4WD) EPA CITY MPG: 13 CR CITY MPG: 8 EPA SHORTFALL: 38 percentSMALL SEDAN - Ford Focus ZX4 SES EPA CITY MPG: 26 CR CITY MPG: 17 EPA SHORTFALL: 35 percent

10. FYI: CAFÉ standards United States: 24.6 mpg (cars and trucks) 27.5 mpg (cars ) (2004) 35 mpg (2020) European Union: 47 mpg (2012) Japan: 35.5 mpg (2010) Australia: 29.1 mpg (2002) 34.4 mpg (2010)

12. Vehicle selection: • Use and needs: • What is this vehicle going to be used for? • How many people? • Do I need to pull a trailer/boat etc. • How often

13. Vehicle selection: • How much money do I have to spend on transportation? • Purchase price • Fuel cost/year • Insurance/year • Repairs/year • Upgrades

14. Vehicle selection: • Where to buy: • Family • Friends • How to establish price • Kelly Bluebook • NADA • Your bank

16. Vehicle selection: • Retail price • Wholesale price • Trade in price • Where/how to finance • Banks • “on the lot” • Credit union • other

17. Vehicle selection: • How to shop • Dealer’s lot • Newspaper • Bargain Trader • On-line • It is a buyer’s market!! Take your time……..

18. Options • Let us look at some of the GREEN options available in today’s market.

20. Hybrids • Advantages include: • Unlimited miles • Great mileage in city driving • Average fuel savings of 25%, ($600/yr)

21. Hybrids • Disadvantages might include: • Higher initial cost ($3-4000) • Only smaller vehicles currently • No advantage (MPG) at highway speeds • Battery life, four years for lead/acid batteries • Cost of battery replacement ($2000) • NiMH cost $20,000-30,000 • Service availability • Crash danger of 20 lead/acid batteries

22. Battery Problems NiMH = Nickel-metal hydride battery • You can replace lead-acid batteries with NiMH batteries. The range of the car will double and the batteries will last 10 years (thousands of charge/discharge cycles), but the cost of the batteries today is 10 to 15 times greater than lead-acid. In other words, an NiMH battery pack will cost $20,000 to $30,000 (today) instead of $2,000. Prices for advanced batteries fall as they become mainstream, so over the next several years it is likely that NiMH and lithium-ion battery packs will become competitive with lead-acid battery prices. Electric cars will have significantly better range at that point.

23. Battery manufacturing • Lead mined in Canada • Shipped to China for manufacture • Shipped to US for sale • The “carbon footprint” in the manufacture and shipping of these (20) lead/acid batteries is equivalent to 3 ½ years of driving with a gasoline vehicle. • Recycling these batteries costs up to $2000/ton

24. Crashes with electric/hybrid? • Firefighters and rescue personnel receive special training to deal with the higher voltages and chemicals encountered in electric and hybrid electric vehicle accidents. While BEV accidents may present unusual problems, such as fires and fumes resulting from rapid battery discharge, there is apparently no available information regarding whether they are inherently more or less dangerous than gasoline or diesel internal combustion vehicles which carry flammable fuels.

25. For more information: • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_car

26. Electric Vehicles

27. EVs Great variation in style and cost. • Limitations include distance. New batteries will help here, but at substantial increased costs. • Recharging at work. • Electricity is not free energy. • Usually small commuter vehicles http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_car

28. Flex-fuel vehicles • These vehicles are designed to run on a variation of different fuels. • Ethanol fuels now are 90% unleaded gas and 10% ethanol. Flex-fuel vehicles allow for up to 85% ethanol. • These include different sensors in the vehicle to deal with variations in fuels.

29. Fuel savings? • FFVs experience no loss in performance when operating on E85. However, since a gallon of ethanol contains less energy than a gallon of gasoline, FFVs typically get about 20-30% fewer miles per gallon when fueled with E85. • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flexible-fuel_vehicle

30. Biogasoline/synthetic gas • Unlike ethanol, the fuel can also be used in high concentrations in regular gasoline engines and travel through existing pipelines, the companies said. In addition, it will have a higher energy content and be more fuel efficient than ethanol, the leading renewable fuel in the U.S. today, the companies said.

31. Hydrogen fuel cells

32. Hydrogen fuel cell • These cells are expensive storage units. Batteries if you please. • Recharging them is a major problem (at present) • Adding filling stations would cost 1/2trillion dollars. (US) • Still run an electric motor.

33. Diesel vehicles • Diesel vehicles have several advantages: • More power • Better MPG, (20-30%) • Longer life • Better resale value • Burn almost any type fuel oil

34. Higher compression • Up to 20:1 compression ratio increases the power proportionately

35. Diesel • Disadvantages include: • Higher initial cost ($5,000) • Higher fuel cost (20% more) • Heavier vehicle to support the heavier engine • Fuel availability

36. Diesel? • In addition to improved fuel economy, diesels offer other benefits. Compared to gasoline engines, diesel engines produce 20 to 30 percent less CO2 emissions, which contribute to climate change. And turbocharged diesel engines produce far more torque than gasoline engines, making them fun to drive and well-suited to tasks like towing.

37. Why is Diesel so costly? • Highway Diesel Fuel • 500 ppm: Sulfur limit of 500 ppm = 0.05% (wt.) became effective in October 1993. This fuel, commonly referred to as the low sulfur diesel fuel, was introduced to facilitate sulfate particulate emission reductions, which were necessary for meeting the 1994 emission standards for heavy-duty highway engines. • 15 ppm: Diesel fuel of maximum sulfur level of 15 ppm will be available for highway use beginning in June 2006. This fuel, referred to as the ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD), was legislated by the EPA to enable catalyst-based emission control devices, such as diesel particulate filters and NOx adsorbers, which will be necessary for meeting the 2007-2010 emission standards for heavy-duty engines, as well as the Tier 2 light-duty standards.

38. Other choices • Walking • Bicycling • Mopeds • Roller blades • Motorcycles. • All these have advantages of energy savings and ease of parking.

39. Back to driving more fuel efficiently • We have talked about selection • Buy fuel efficient vehicles • Buy what meets your needs • Doing your homework

40. Driving more fuel efficiently • Accelerate slower

41. Drive at moderate speeds • 45 MPH is optimum for fuel economy.

42. Keep moving, anticipate traffic

43. Increase following distance • You can’t see

44. Now you can

45. Easy does it… • There is no need to always be in a rush, plan ahead. Start earlier.

46. Trip planning • Combine trips • Call ahead • Avoid rush hour • Avoid traffic lights • Avoid slow, stop and go traffic • Car pooling • Mass transportation • Move closer to work

47. Don’t draft a truck

48. Drafting can have severe results

49. Check your air pressure

50. Performance module, Chips