35mpg

[Trek]

Remember if you're dealing with Imperial gallons which they use some places in Europe, they are 1.2 times bigger than the US gallons. So in order to find out what the comparable gas mileage is in the US, you have to divide by 1.2. So the 72.4mpg above would be 60.33 here in the US....still pretty good but not 72.4.

You're absolutely right as that's off the VW UK website and they use Imperial Gallons. Good catch! And my BMW example above would actually be 29.8 MPG. Still both excellent mileages for those cars.

 

[boots]

Small car when it hit the wall at 70mph worrid about safty

Video: Smartcar Slams Into Concrete Barrier at 70MPH

 

[jazz4cash]

Here are the stats on a VW Polo 80ps TDI (diesel)

Pferdestärken* 80
Engine cubic capacity 1400
Fuel Consumption
Urban 51.4mpg - 5.5l/100km
Extra-urban 72.4mpg - 3.9l/100km
Combined 62.8mpg - 4.5l/100km
Engine emissions 119g/km
Engine noise levels 71.0dB
Engine maximum Speed** 108mph - 174km/h
Engine acceleration 0-62mph 12.8secs
Maximum output PS 80 at RPM 4000
Maximum torque 144 lbs.ft / 195 Nm at RPM 1800
Insurance group rating 5

That's about an 80 horsepower engine. Many American drivers would find it underpowered. I presume these fuel ratings are with manual trans?

 

[Trek]

That's about an 80 horsepower engine. Many American drivers would find it underpowered. I presume these fuel ratings are with manual trans?

That's funny. I was giving a Finnish friend a ride the other day and she said, "you're not American" and pointed to my manual transmission gear lever.

 

[Trek]

That's about an 80 horsepower engine. Many American drivers would find it underpowered.

I think the engine would find many American drivers overweight.

 

[FinanceDude]

That's about an 80 horsepower engine. Many American drivers would find it underpowered. I presume these fuel ratings are with manual trans?

I think 80hp today is a lot more responsive than 80hp 15 years ago...........

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I was a lot more responsive 15 years ago.

So what sort of donkey is this 80hp engine attached to?

 

[Trek]

So what sort of donkey is this 80hp engine attached to?

Volkswagen's Polo Blue Motion: 62 MPG of Diesel-Sipping Fun (TreeHugger)

 

[travelover]

My step daughter has a VW diesel and really loves it. But I kid her that I could practically breath the exhaust from my hybrid.......

 

[Zathras]

I'd buy one of those, wish I had heard about them 2 months ago

 

[Rustic23]

We were lived in Germany in the 80's. We looked at buying a German standard auto and importing it to the US because of Fuel economy and price. Turns out, according to the mechanics over there, you could not convert the cars. Not just EPA items would have to be added, but internal engine parts. Then there were the safety items, like air bags, door beams, roof standards. They said by the time you converted it, it would cost more, and be just as in-efficient as a US standard vehicle.

 

[jazz4cash]

I think 80hp today is a lot more responsive than 80hp 15 years ago...........

Like modern athletes, horses nowadays are probably alot better conditioned.

I agree, tho....fuel injection, etc does make todays engines more responsive. Original VW beetle was about 35-40hp....my first new car in 1974 was 75hp, but no air, power accessories, etc.

 

[Texas Proud]

Forgot to post on this one....

I had a Mazda GLC with a 1.4 engine... maybe 75 to 80 hp.... but seemed peppy enough if you kept the RPM very high....

You could run around all day 'racing' to 6K rpm and get a low of 32 mpg... regularly got 35 to 38 mpgs on the car...

If you want to get better mpgs... you have to have less HPs..

 

[Beer man]

If I could afford it and forget the cost of gas... BMW335xi. 300 horsies(active safety feature), all wheel drive(practicle),29mpg hiway. But I'll probably keep driving my old guzzler because its cheaper to buy gas than a new car, and I can invest the would have been car payment-incremental cost of gas. That still leaves me way ahead at the end of the year. I just hate feeling that hugo chavez is benefitting from my savings plan.

 

[redmcclain]

We converted our diesel VW into a greasecar and people frequently ask to smell our exhaust

 

[calmloki]

We converted our diesel VW into a greasecar and people frequently ask to smell our exhaust

There is a diesel VW new Bug running around Salem with Kettle Chips logos all over it (big potato chip making plant here). It's been converted - they have all kinds of oil to run it from the deep frying of the chips - and it smells delicious when it passes!

 

[ERD50]

We converted our diesel VW into a greasecar and people frequently ask to smell our exhaust

Do you use used oil? Do you need to go through the chemical conversion process, or do you use a pre-heater system?

This has a lot of attraction for DIY types. As I understand it though, maybe not so good for wide spread adoption? I'm not sure there would be enough oil to go around if lots of people did it.

Still a cool idea though.

Did I read that you can just add used, filtered veggie oil in something like 20% mix to regular diesel, no mods? Maybe a higher % in summer, lower in winter? If so, that sure seems simple. It might be easier (and more cost efficient) to get 10 people to use a 10% blend with no start-up cost and almost no effort, than to get one person to go 100%?

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

There is a diesel VW new Bug running around Salem with Kettle Chips logos all over it (big potato chip making plant here). It's been converted - they have all kinds of oil to run it from the deep frying of the chips - and it smells delicious when it passes!

I read somewhere that potato chip companies don't have *any* 'used' oil - it all goes into the chips, and they just keep topping off the kettle?

But driving around with the chip smell and logos sure would be good advertising!

-ERD50

 

[travelover]

Do you use used oil? Do you need to go through the chemical conversion process, or do you use a pre-heater system?

.............
-ERD50

MY SIL uses old cooking grease in his F350. He heats it and strains it and puts it in the regular tank. He must start and stop the truck from a small tank of regular diesel fuel. In his area (Oregon) it rarely gets below freezing.

 

[jazz4cash]

MY SIL uses old cooking grease in his F350. He heats it and strains it and puts it in the regular tank. He must start and stop the truck from a small tank of regular diesel fuel. In his area (Oregon) it rarely gets below freezing.

Went to a local civic assoc meeting where several county and state politicians spoke. One of the county council reps mentioned 'fighting' to stop legislation to tax used veggie oil for the few dozen 'french fry' cars we have in the area. A lot of the savings is bypassing the tax for on-road fuel.

 

[travelover]

Went to a local civic assoc meeting where several county and state politicians spoke. One of the county council reps mentioned 'fighting' to stop legislation to tax used veggie oil for the few dozen 'french fry' cars we have in the area. A lot of the savings is bypassing the tax for on-road fuel.

He gets his oil free from restaurants, but technically it might be illegal due to dodging fuel tax.

 

[ERD50]

He gets his oil free from restaurants, but technically it might be illegal due to dodging fuel tax.

So on one hand, the govt will subsidize a hybrid vehicle, with marginal (or even negative) petroleum savings, but they want to eliminate a subsidy (that requires no administration on their part) for utilizing a waste product to 100% replace petroleum.

This country is not just lacking an energy policy, we have an 'anti-policy'.

-ERD50

 

[redmcclain]

We recycle waste or used oil collected for free from several local restaurants. Our car has a two-tank system so the engine heats the waste vegetable oil to the desired temperature/viscosity prior to it's use.

The whole system and process has been much easier than I expected. I don't usually perceive my spouse and I as being the DIY type (we pay for oil changes) but this has really worked for us. I guess it comes down to each person's priorities - what they are willing to give up and what must they keep. For us I don't want to sacrifice travel or eating out occasionally or giving to charities but I find no joy in purchasing gasoline so that was an easy one to eliminate. I drive a lot with my job (and am reimbursed for mileage) so we're saving between $200-300 a month that we were spending on fuel.

You're correct that there isn't enough waste oil for everyone but it's been my limited experience that few people want to try something like this. Basically it's "too weird" or "strange" and requires one to think outside the box.

There are two cities that I'm aware of in California using waste vegetable oil from local restaurants to power their wastewater treatment facilities. Not only are they reducing landfill waste and greenhouse emissions but they're significantly decreasing energy costs by hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

There are several forums on Good Grease or Greasecar that could answer your question about mixing waste vegetable oil and diesel - that sounds correct but it's not a method we're using (temperatures are too cold here).

 

[redmcclain]

My understanding is that there have been problems in Illinois and North Carolina although in each case the state ended up writing laws to exempt the individuals after the situation was in the media. In Illinois I believe the couple would have owed between $4-5 a month for the state gas tax which isn't a huge sum. I know of some greasecar drivers who have researched paying the road tax but there really isn't a system in place for doing so. In my situation we live in one state but work in another and drive frequently to other neighboring states to visit friends/family. With each state having a different tax rate I cringe to think of tracking where I drove which miles and trying to determine which state should receive my 5 or 6 dollars for the month.

The problem is that while some states reward hybrid owners such as the Prius, there are few laws recognizing cars running on waste vegetable oil since they are somewhat rare and unusual. I believe that situation will change in the future - I know of at least one state where the legislature is discussing exemptions for greasecars.

 

[ERD50]

My understanding is that there have been problems in Illinois and North Carolina although in each case the state ended up writing laws to exempt the individuals after the situation was in the media. In Illinois I believe the couple would have owed between $4-5 a month for the state gas tax which isn't a huge sum.

Wow - that Illinois article was infuriating to me. The state sent two officers to his house, knocking on his door before he is even up and dressed (he is 79 YO!), and inquire about the 'illegal activities'. This is their first contact with him - were they afraid he was going to flee the country? Not only do they want him to pay back road taxes, but ...

"That averages out to $4.07 a month," Wetzel noted, adding he is willing to pay that bill.

But the Wetzels would discover that the state had more complicated and costly requirements for them to continue to use their "veggie mobile."

David Wetzel was told to contact a revenue official and apply for a license as a "special fuel supplier" and "receiver." After completing a complicated application form designed for businesses, David Wetzel was sent a letter directing him to send in a $2,500 bond.

Eileen Wetzel, a former teaching assistant, calculated that the bond, designed to ensure that their "business" pays its taxes, would cover the next 51 years at their present usage rate.

A couple of weeks later, David Wetzel received another letter from the revenue department, stating that he "must immediately stop operating as a special fuel supplier and receiver until you receive special fuel supplier and receiver licenses."

This threatening letter stated that acting as a supplier and receiver without a license is a Class 3 felony. This class of felonies carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.

Some quotes:

David Wetzel wonders why hybrid cars, which rely on electricity and gasoline, are not taxed for the portion of travel when they are running on electrical power. He said he wants to be treated equally by the law.

David Wetzel, who has been exhibiting his car at energy fairs and universities, views state policies as contradicting stated government aims.

"You hear the president saying we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil," Wetzel said. "You hear the governor saying that."

fortunately, his state reps are going to bat for him, but how wrong-headed was it to hassle this guy in the first place?

-ERD50