Could you elaborate on this? Are MPG numbers from gas and diesel cars directly comparable in terms of CO2 emission? And is there a CO2 emission vs mpg table for Prius I or II published anywhere? Thanks.

Andy

Hi Accwai:

___The following might help …

___A std. SI ICE emits 19.7 #’s of CO2 per gallon of gasoline consumed vs. a diesel ICE’s 21.6 #’s of CO2 emitted per gallon of diesel consumed. These numbers are based on a gallon of fuel burned no matter the fuel economy as its 1 gallon produces X #’s of CO2, not mpg. When put together with fuel economy, an automobile receiving 90 mpg will output ½ the CO2 as that of an automobile receiving 45 mpg. In terms of diesel, they have even higher CO2 output per gallon of fuel consumed but they generally receive much better fuel economy and have an ~ 5% less CO2 output in the refining process vs. std. gasoline.

___In regards to a CO2 table, if you drove 50 miles and you consumed 1 gallon of fuel in your Prius II, you have emitted 19.7 #’s of CO2. It is part of the combustion process. In other words, there is so much carbon in a gallon of gasoline or Diesel and when it’s burned, it will combine in particular ratio giving you the amount of CO2 listed. Another way to look at it, if you burn 1 gallon of gasoline, you emit 19.7 #’s of CO2. If you burn 100 gallons of gasoline, you emit 1,970 #’s (~ 1 ton) of CO2. If you burn 1,000 gallons of gasoline, you emit 19,700 #’s (~ 10 Tons) of CO2. It is best to maximize your fuel economy or minimize your time driving in the first place no matter what you drive in order to reduce the amount of CO2 emitted as it is based on gallons consumed.

___I am not a chemist so these numbers are ones I picked off the net. Biodiesel and ethanol in high percentages throw the mix into the air because there is a portion of those fuels CO2 output that came from CO2 being absorbed by the plant(s) they (Bio or Ethanol) were produced from in the first place. 100% Bio which was harvested using 100% Bio in the tractors and the processing plant running on 100% Bio would theoretically yield no CO2 output given the recycle or sequestration of CO2 back into the soil.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

i wonder how the prius would do in a 7 minute commute at an average speed of 30 miles per hour. i wonder how the emissions would do. 7 minutes doesnt really warm up the car does it?

A Prius a day keeps the doctor away!

Hi Flare:

___With your scenario of 7 minutes at an exact 30 miles/hour average, that (7 minutes/60 minutes/hour) X 30 miles/hour) = 3.5 miles. If a Prius II received 39 mpg over that initial 7 minutes because it was not warmed up, you would have 3.5 miles / 39 miles/gallon = .0897 gallon of gasoline consumed. Take this amount of fuel consumed: .0897 gallon X 19.7 Pounds CO2/gallon = 1.77 pounds of CO2 emitted on your short drive.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

Hmm... Lets assume the more CO2 when burnt and less CO2 in the refining process is a wash. The highest tank Rammstein has posted is 56.7mpg done recently, while the top Prius II drivers are getting mid 60mpg this time of the year, and on mostly unmodified cars too. So there is still quite a gap for him to put out less CO2 than the Prius, or HCH for that matter. Unless we're talking about the average Prius lifetime number. In that case, we're comparing apples and oranges. He shoud try picking on somebody his own size

Andy

P.S. Now I'm going to go back to my rock and lurk

Hi Accwai:

___He does receive decent mileage by comparison to most Hybrids so he has a minor point of contention in regards to CO2 output. Given that, Rammstein took a swipe at all Hybrid’s with the “but less CO2 than any of you guys will produce.” vs. all hybrids statement on page 2 of the thread. He now knows a few more facts (or conjecture if I got the numbers wrong) for future reference

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

You guys really had fun on my case during the night and morning...

Ok, one more point: I'm able to modify that car to get higher mpg.

About hybrids?

Are you able to mod them in order to get better fuel economy?

I'm not talking about driving style here (I guess I drive like xcel), but mechanical modifications.

Yes, my best tank was of 56.7 US mpg (not imperial).

Last year my best tank was of 54.6 US mpg.

So an increase of 3.7%, right?

I changed my tranny fluid.

Stock it comes with 75W90, I put Redline MTL 70W80 in.

Pretty good, huh?

I have mods for the next 8-9 years, doing 1 mod per year for fuel economy purpuses only.

Your turn, what kind of mod have you done to increase fuel economy (driving style doesn't count).

Rammstein

Different and efficient by choice!

As far as emissions go, I don't know what kind of bad stuff is coming out of the exhaust.

Do I care? Of course I care.

I might try to get her on a machine to get her tested.

I run 99% petro diesel.

The other 1% is the litre of canola oil I put every fill up.

It helps my pump and injectors (lubricity).

You see, I'm not all bad.

Some of the diesel heads here run SVO (Straight Veggie Oil).

They take used canola oil from the restaurants, filter it, boil it (to remove water) and re-filter it before dumping it in the tank.

It has to be hot outside to run it, but the exhaust smells BBQ or french fries (depending on the oil they use).

Rammstein

Different and efficient by choice!

Hi Rammstein:

___Mods to a hybrid can be even more extensive although much tougher to implement. There is Willy’s 5-speed Insight w/ a Turbo installed. It is an 8 second car IIRC. There is any number of full EV conversions. The Insight is a great platform to begin with given its aerodynamics and low weight. There is a supercharger mod being planned for a few Insight’ers over at Insightcentral.net as we speak. As for me, its high pressure tires, warm air intake, and warm air via blocked radiator mod. Very legal and much less involved as you can well imagine

___This doesn’t include any minor appearance or comfort mods of course as those are only for personalizing our automobiles.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

Wouldn't a cold air intake be more efficient?

TDI's come with a CAI, so I don't know about gasoline cars.

For a diesel, warm fuel (not hot but warm) and cold air is the best mix possible.

Rammstein

Different and efficient by choice!