| Our previous article talks about careful planning in | | | | making these vehicles more |
| order to | | | | attractive.Accessories like air-conditioning, power |
| save unnecessary trips, adopting carpooling to | | | | steering, windshield |
| share out the | | | | wipers, and others use the energy generated |
| costs, avoiding traffic jams at peak hours to | | | | from the engine. |
| avoid | | | | These use up to 2.2% of the energy. Efforts in |
| unproductive burning of fuel, avoiding carrying | | | | developing more |
| unnecessary | | | | efficient alternator systems and power steering |
| loads and other tips that will help in some way or | | | | pumps can |
| another to | | | | improve the fuel economy by up to 1%.Driveline |
| save on fuel consumption.I did touch a bit on | | | | losses can account for up to 5.6% of the total. |
| more efficient smaller cars that are | | | | The |
| lighter and do not have to carry excess and | | | | energy is lost through the transmission and other |
| unproductive weights | | | | parts of the |
| in their frames, chassis and body. However, very | | | | driveline. To reduce these, technologies such as |
| often, these | | | | automatic |
| smaller and lighter cars are not as comfortable to | | | | manual transmission (AMT) and continuously |
| ride compared | | | | variable transmission |
| to the heavier ones.So, in this article, I won't | | | | (CVT) has been developed.Next comes the |
| compare lighter cars with heavier | | | | shape of the vehicle. Aerodynamic drag accounts |
| cars. I will explore with you the kinds of | | | | for 2.6% of the energy losses. As the speed of |
| efficiency losses | | | | a vehicle |
| that are quite typical even within the same class | | | | increases, the drag caused by expending energy |
| of cars.If you look through the sales brochures of | | | | to push air out |
| new cars, very often | | | | of the way increases. By designing the shape of |
| you can find figures that indicate the fuel | | | | a vehicle for |
| efficiency of the | | | | smoother air flow, significant drag reduction can |
| car. With that information, you can compare and | | | | be achieved.Rolling resistance is another loss |
| find out the | | | | encountered in a vehicle. It |
| most fuel efficient vehicle that will meet your | | | | accounts for 4.2% of the losses. This rolling |
| needs. Even | | | | resistance is a |
| within a specific size class, there is a tremendous | | | | measure of the force necessary to move the |
| range of | | | | tire forward. To |
| MPG (miles per gallon) performance that you can | | | | counter this, tires technologies like thread and |
| find.Just for example, for the same model year | | | | shoulder |
| compact cars, we can | | | | designs, and the use of improved materials on |
| find fuel efficiency ranges from 21 to 48 MPG. If | | | | the tire belt and |
| you choose | | | | traction surfaces are being developed.For |
| the 48 MPG car, you could be saving hundreds | | | | passenger cars, a 5~7% reduction in rolling |
| of dollars in fuel | | | | resistance |
| costs each year. I think that should be an | | | | increases fuel efficiency by 1%. However, these |
| important point to | | | | improvements |
| note when buying a new car.Having decided on | | | | must be balanced against traction, durability and |
| the model that fulfils your needs, you might | | | | noise.Related to the driver's behavior is braking |
| be interested to know where the energy | | | | loss. This can |
| goes.Idling losses could account for as much as | | | | account for as much as 5.8%. Each time a |
| 17.2% of all the | | | | vehicle moves forward, |
| losses. In urban driving, this much of energy is | | | | the vehicle's drivetrain must provide enough |
| lost to idling | | | | energy to overcome |
| at stop lights or in the traffic. There are | | | | the vehicle's inertia. This inertia is directly related |
| technologies | | | | to the |
| available such as integrated starter / generator | | | | weight of the vehicle. So for lighter vehicles, less |
| (ISG) systems | | | | energy is |
| that help to reduce this type of losses. It does | | | | expended to overcome the inertia of the vehicle |
| this by | | | | compared to a |
| automatically turning off the engine when a | | | | heavier vehicle. The less a driver brakes, the less |
| vehicle comes to a | | | | energy is |
| stop and restarting it instantly when the | | | | expended to move the vehicle again.As you can |
| accelerator is pressed.Another very significant loss | | | | see, there are many factors that can affect the |
| is through the engine itself. The | | | | fuel |
| internal combustion engine of gasoline-powered | | | | efficiency even of similar vehicles. Factors like the |
| vehicles is very | | | | vehicle |
| inefficient. Over 62.4% of the fuel's energy is | | | | condition, tire pressures and design, driver's habit, |
| lost through the | | | | planning |
| engine combustion process of converting the | | | | trips, reducing excess loads, avoiding drag, idling |
| fuel's chemical | | | | at peak |
| energy to mechanical energy. Energy is lost to | | | | traffic and many others can affect the |
| engine friction, | | | | efficiency.With a better understanding of the |
| pumping of air into and out of the engine, and | | | | measures you can control, you |
| removing the | | | | should be able to achieve the best optimum |
| wasted heat.Advanced engine technologies have | | | | efficiency in your |
| been developed to address | | | | vehicle and save money in the process.Thomas |
| these losses. Some of them are: variable valve | | | | Yoon specializes in cartoon |
| timing and lift, | | | | illustrations that will make an impact on people's |
| turbocharging, direct fuel injection, and cylinder | | | | opinions. |
| deactivation.Diesel engines are about 30~35% | | | | Subscribe to engineering facworld ezine. |
| more efficient than gasoline | | | | More information on engineering at Marine |
| engines. New advances in diesel technologies and | | | | and M & E Engineer. |
| fuels are | | | | |