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so one guy comes up with this, but the best Toyota can do is 46MPG?
riiiiiiiight
What hits the markets is only a fraction of what gets developed of course.
Auto makers are in the pockets of the oil companies along with everyone else.
Auto makers are in the pockets of the oil companies along with everyone else.
http://www.progressiveautoxprize.or...ance-join-forces-to-officially-announce-the-1About the Competition:
Draft Guidelines that specify vehicle requirements and other aspects of the competition are available at DRAFT COMPETITION GUIDELINES | Progressive Automotive X PRIZE. A summary of the current guidelines follows:
The competition will comprise two vehicle classes: Mainstream and Alternative. Mainstream vehicles will be required to carry four or more passengers, have four or more wheels, and allow for a 200-mile range. Alternative-class vehicles will be required to carry two or more passengers, have no constraints on the number of wheels, and allow for a 100-mile range. All vehicles will need to meet requirements for performance and features to make the cars attractive to consumers. The competition will culminate with two dramatic, long-distance stage races in 2009-2010 – a Qualifying Race and the Grand Prize Final Race. Race courses will reflect typical consumer driving patterns during numerous stages, in varied terrain, communities, and weather conditions. To win, vehicles must complete both races with the lowest overall time averaged over all scoring stages while still meeting the requirements for 100 MPGe fuel economy and low emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. The $10 million prize purse will be split 3:1 between the winners of the Mainstream and Alternative classes. Final guidelines will be published shortly.
What radical technology did Mr. Pelmear introduce? His patents are not fully in place, but he said it mostly is a matter of electronics and precision.
“We redesigned a lot of different things on the [engine] block,” the engineer said.
“It’s still a rod-and-piston engine; it just has a lot more electronics on it.”
I've been told that using a turbocharger to simply overcome intake restriction instead of producing boost will up your mileage. Of course, YMMV.
I'll bet it's using solenoid driven valves.