500 Miles to the gallon - GreenHybrid

mastersgtbob · #1 (**permalink**) 02-28-2005, 09:51 PM

The other day while reading an article about Hybrids on another site (Hybridcars.com) I came across a interesting read regarding how its possible to reach 500 miles to a gallon. I can't say anymore, if your interested, than go and read the article.

Jason · #2 (**permalink**) 03-01-2005, 07:47 AM

It's actually just commentary on a Newsweek article found here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7037844/site/newsweek

ElectricTroy · #3 (**permalink**) 04-08-2005, 09:51 AM

500 MPG? I Don't Believe It.

Volkswagen has already built the most efficient car possible (240mpg), and it's tiny and only 9 horsepower. I don't see how we could do any better than this?

http://www.seriouswheels.com/top-vw-1-liter-car.htm

=============================================
Also, where in the world are we going to get *billions* of gallons of ethanol??? We simply don't have that much space to grow that many corn plants.

troy

Tink · #4 (**permalink**) 04-08-2005, 10:36 AM

It's not 500 mpg of fuel. It's 500 mpg of petroleum product. Here's the reasoning from that article:

Quote:

Here's the math (thanks to Gal Luft, a tireless—and independent—advocate of energy security). The current crop of hybrid cars get around 50 miles per gallon. Make it a plug-in and you can get 75 miles. Replace the conventional fuel tank with a flexible-fuel tank that can run on a combination of 15 percent petroleum and 85 percent ethanol or methanol, and you get between 400 and 500 miles per gallon of gasoline. (You don't get 500 miles per gallon of fuel, but the crucial task is to lessen the use of petroleum. And ethanol and methanol are much cheaper than gasoline, so fuel costs would drop dramatically.)

Note: I have no opinion on the feasiblity of this. I'm just clarifying.

Jason · #5 (**permalink**) 04-08-2005, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElectricTroy

500 MPG? I Don't Believe It.

Volkswagen has already built the most efficient car possible (240mpg), and it's tiny and only 9 horsepower. I don't see how we could do any better than this?

How many times in history has the ostensibly perfect technology been outdone and outdated?