Tour de Sol Monte Carlo results
 

Hey Guys,

Just pulled in from the Tour de Sol and what a great event!

I got 62.2 MPG over 170 miles driving from Harriman NY to Saratoga Springs NY! I thought for sure I would win, but another civic driving down from Quebec got 76 MPG!!! I didn't even think that was possible!! I don't know exactly how far he travelled except that it was over 150 miles. The only difference in our cars was his was the CVT and mine was the 5spd. I guess I've got to brush up on my hyper mileing, a LOT!


Anyway the full results aren't available yet but I'm sure they'll be posted on tourdesol.org in a few days. I highly reccomend the event to other Hybrid owners, it was a lot of fun! See you next year!

Re: Tour de Sol Monte Carlo results
 

Well we think we figured it out, the civic was from canada and the tour de sol guys probably forgot to convert his odometer readings from km to mi. 76 km per gal == 47 mi per gal, which is a lot more realistic, considering he said he averages 55mph on the interstate. I sent NESEA an email to try and get it straightened out, we'll see...

Re: Tour de Sol Monte Carlo results
 

How about the conversion between Imperial gallons and US gallons?

Re: Tour de Sol Monte Carlo results
 

nah, they measured fuel used with the click method at a US pump. anyway don't they use liters in canada?

Another error factor, they had everyone drive a 10 mile calibration loop to correct for odometer error, that could have really screwed up his results.

Re: Tour de Sol Monte Carlo results
 

What's the "click method?"

Re: Tour de Sol Monte Carlo results
 

Fill up the tank until the pump clicks off. Actually they were topping off tanks until gas spilled on the ground, which I explained to them was a bad thing to do but they did it anyway. When I started I gave it one extra click, but they still measured my fuel usage a bit higher than it really was and I still got 62 mpg based on fuel usage and distance (the computer only read 60.8 or something)

Re: Tour de Sol Monte Carlo results
 

Wait, they do this after it's over? So, theoretically they're seeing how much room there is in the tank? Oh, boy. Didn't they do their research? The Prius' bladder/filler/emissions system makes this type of measurement extremely unreliable. And, is spilling gas not the antithesis of what they're trying to promote?

Re: Tour de Sol Monte Carlo results
 

Yup not to mention screwing up the evaporative emissions control system on other cars. I had a lengthy discussion with them about it but they didn't listen. Of course the problem is that some entrants DID top off their tanks to the tip top when they started which is they NESEA filled all the tanks to the tip top.

The real problem is how to you ACCURATELY and RELIABLY measure fuel usage? The car computer isn't bad but it's not exactly spot on, it read under on mine. And they corrected for odometer error even. So who knows.

Anyway the REAL point to the event is to raise public awareness of alternative energy transportation technology and they achieved that goal beautifully by being a part of the saratoga auto show, it was amazing to see all the fat old cigar smoking 68 Camero owners milling around looking at all the hybrids lined up. The Tour de Sol is a PR event first and a contest second, you have to watch those guys like a hawk when they calculate your score. I participated in it 3 years in a row in college with our electric scirocco and our bio-d hybrid s-10 and almost every day we found errors in our scoring and had to contest them. Usually we got them fixed but still... Most of the people who put on the event are volunteers working for free and the few who do work full time for NESEA aren't getting rich off it, that's for sure, they were in the red after last years Tour de Sol. The DOE used to give them a lot of funding for the tour, before W got elected and cut the budged. So the Monte Carlo rally is really what saved the event. And overall it was great. Except for the getting screwed out of first place bit which hopefully I can get squared away but I still will have missed out on the awards ceremony. And I'm assuming I was second, which I'm not sure about, but dude, I hit 62 MPG in a hybrid civic over 170 miles! I guess either way thats still something to be proud of. Can I call myself a hypermiler yet? :)

Re: Tour de Sol Monte Carlo results
 

Sure, congrats :)

Measuring gas volume shouldn't be that hard, though. Drain everyone's tanks, fill each with 10 gallons, let them drive, drain a last time and measure.

Re: Tour de Sol Monte Carlo results
 

From Insightcentral.org:

News flash
Nemystic and his MIMA_L sets tour de sol record

107 MPG for 150 miles through the berkshire mountains. from Greenfield MA to Saratoga Springs.
Proof of the possibilities. Photos and more details to follow.
MIMA Rules

Re: Tour de Sol Monte Carlo results
 

Hey Jeff-
I'm in Rockland County- what route did you take?
I wanted to go to that pretty bad- but the kids had their big nys music solo festival so I had to do mom duty instead.
congrats on your great mileage- maybe next year I'll be there chasing you!
Kate

Re: Tour de Sol Monte Carlo results
 

Basically, we started in Harriman, took 17 to 209 to 9W, hopped on 787 to get through albany, then 7 to 9 to saratoga.

Re: Tour de Sol Monte Carlo results
 

Here is the most detailed account of the Tour I could find:

The Full Story:

http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?sect...ue&newsid=8474

Re: Tour de Sol Monte Carlo results
 

Hi All:

___I am a bit sad as I sold the Little Beauty just before this all went down. I don’t know if Brian’s Insight hit the 107 mpg at 55 + mpg average but I am quite interested in the full results knowing the Insight with no mods other then high pressure in the tires will do > 105 in 75 + degree temps while traveling at ~ 50 mph. Depends on wind and traffic as well …

___Does anyone know if there was a non-hybrid, PZEV, SUV, or P/U truck class? I know where Hot_Georgia_2004, Lakedude, and myself will be when the next one rolls around? Maybe Ericbecky will let me borrow his Insight 5-speed for a weekend ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

Re: Tour de Sol Monte Carlo results
 

xcel,
I'd be more than happy to loan my Insight for this event. In fact I was suprised that I didn't hear from you. This seemed like an event that would eb right up your alley. although some of the restrictions seemed a bit limiting. (For the "stock" category there were limitations on tire pressure, etc.)
Next year, the Insight drivers who have the MIMA (Manual Ingretated Motor Assist) will crush the competition.

Re: Tour de Sol Monte Carlo results
 

Hi Eric:

___I have been asking similar questions over at Insight Central.

Mileage competition May 13-14 2005

___As for MIMA, I still have my doubts. The setup makes sense for more efficient cruise but hypermilers do not cruise. Look at the way Honda setup the AH’s ECO mode with Assist helping to maintain it instead of the loss of lean-burn w/ any assist as the Insight 5-speed’s do now. MIMA is mimicking the AH’s ECO mode w/ assist in some respects. The real item of note. Relying on the pack to maintain ECO mode in the AH is a lossy proposition vs. straight up “DWL w/out assist” while maintaining ECO mode as I saw in GreenAndBlue’s relatively brand new AH last month.

___In my view, pack use still involves a chemical (gasoline) to mechanical (ICE) to electric (alternator) to pack (chemical – battery) to propulsion (generator) conversion vs. a less lossy - chemical (gasoline) to mechanical (ICE) or “Driving w/ Load” (lean burn w/ no assist) while climbing. Until someone pushes an Insight’s lmpg into 90 + over maybe a minimum of five to ten thousand miles with the MIMA setup, I still see the conversion as a lossy overall solution vs. the non-assist climb w/ Lean-Burn or straight up DWL lean burn method myself. Pack use helping to maintain lean-burn is a great help to those without care to maximizing ones FE but driving with a maximum of lean burn and little to no battery charging is still the most FE way to drive an Insight in my book.

___I am sure you saw the 118 mpg gauge cluster shot as well but was that from a cold dead stop or was it an FCD reset while traveling down the road at 50 mph and then coming to a stop after 15 miles? There is a huge difference between starting from a cold dead stop and running up to 117 mpg over how ever many miles vs. running at 120 mpg and resetting the FCD for just 15 miles. I just haven’t heard which was used in the pic yet?

___That 55 mph // 100 mpg // < 45 #’s in the RE92’s is one that would be the tough one to overcome. I know of a way to meet the target with relatively flat terrain (~ ½ of Ohio) but I am not so sure there is a way to hit it with any kind of large elevation changes as is the case with some areas of N.Y. I didn’t just experiment with high FE Mountain climbing on my way out East last month as you can well imagine ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

Re: Tour de Sol Monte Carlo results
 

My thought was that since you have true 90+ mpg hypermiling skills you might have a better shot at using the MIMA to meet the 500 mile/100+ mpg challenge. I figure adding something like a square moving van ahead of you to create draft would help the mpg even more.

I haven't heard which was used either. I mean I can set up a 100+ mpg shot like that by resetting just before one of my long hills and driving easy terrrain with no stops for a while.