je
Veteran Member
From today's Globe and Mail:
Riding shotgun with the new green machines
DAVID ANDREATTA
Globe and Mail Update
June 20, 2007 at 9:29 AM EDT
Michael Angemeer is not so different from any other motorist when he says that his ideal driving weather is sunny without a cloud in the sky.
What distinguishes him from almost every other Canadian on the road is that it's the sunshine that helps power his ride.
His car, a 2007 Toyota Prius, is fuelled in part by solar panels on the roof and can travel more than 200 miles per gallon with the help of a lithium battery in the trunk.
It is touted (not so discreetly, with advertising on the rear windows) as the "first plug-in hybrid solar electric vehicle in Canada."
Enlarge Image Michael Angemeer says his car is the 'first plug-in hybrid solar electric vehicle in Canada.' (Philip Cheung for The Globe and Mail)
The 45-year-old business executive from Hamilton is one of a small, but growing number of so-called mileage hackers, people who soup up their hybrids, and hypermilers, those who adjust their driving skills, to squeeze every last bit of road out of a tank of gas.
Some are grease monkeys in it for the bragging rights. Some are looking to save a buck. Others are compelled by a sense of social duty to save resources. Most, however, are a combination of all three and are convinced their way of life is the way of the future.
"I get thumbs up on the highway, people follow me, I get stopped in parking lots by people who want to talk about solar power," said Mr. Angemeer, president of Veridian Corp., an electrical distribution company in the Toronto area.
Yesterday, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty plugged in to the hypermiler mindset when he launched a $650-million plan to promote environmentally friendly technologies in the automotive sector.
The move followed a federal budget proposal in March to provide rebates for fuel-efficient vehicles.
Mr. Angemeer says his Prius, which replaced a sport utility vehicle as his company car eight months ago, got 212 miles per gallon after it was retrofitted with a $12,000 lithium battery that charges in part by plug.
He said he has not tested the fuel efficiency since the solar panels were installed two months ago at a cost of $7,000.
The modifications boost the total cost of the car to about $50,000 and dwarf the off-the-assembly-line-advertised gas mileage of 55 miles per gallon.
"The car is sort of taking over my life," Mr. Angemeer said. "I'm always thinking of ways to improve it."
Few people go to such lengths in the pursuit of maximum distance on minimum gasoline.
Even the most eco-conscious individual, in most cases, is bound by cost.
Indeed, the retrofits on Mr. Angemeer's car were paid for by his company and sponsors, whose logos are plastered all over the vehicle.But more economical innovations to fuel efficiency have emerged from hypermiling clubs across Canada and the rest of the world. Some of them are common sense, including driving slower and avoiding stops where possible.
Jack Wear, a 69-year-old civil engineer in suburban Toronto, milks his Toyota Prius for upward of 62 miles a gallon by wrapping the radiator in a special blanket to keep it warm, keeping his tires inflated at the optimal level, never running the heater or air conditioner and staying off highways.
His 45-kilometre commute to work takes him about an hour on the back roads.
"When you think of a hypermiler, it's a retrofit of your driving style, not a retrofit of the vehicle," Mr. Wear said. "It's not slow, it's methodical. It's common sense."
Hybrids combine a conventional gas engine with an electric motor. The vehicle is powered by the electric motor at low speeds, and by gas as it accelerates. If the car battery is fully charged, drivers can travel a set distance on electric power alone.
How far depends on the model - and the driver.
In Japan, home of the Prius, a hypermiler and mileage hacker nicknamed "the Shogun" reportedly drove 1,600 kilometres on a 13-gallon, or 49-litre, tank of gas. That's about 715 miles per gallon - enough to travel from Saskatoon to Vancouver without filling up.
"These folks are a cultural phenomenon," said Felix Kramer, founder of the California Cars Initiative, an Internet-based organization committed to the development of plug-in hybrids, a concept that has been developed by car makers but has not hit the market.
The original hypermilers were a group of four U.S. men who travelled 1,397 miles over 47 hours in a Prius on a single tank of gas two years ago.
Their feat was caught on film by a crew from HBO and helped fuel intense interest in the MPG Challenge at Hybridfest. The annual celebration of going the extra mile each July in Madison, Wis., sees participants vie for the title of most fuel-efficient driver in the world.
Erik Haltrecht, 62, a retired computer programmer who founded the Toronto Prius & Hybrid Meetup Group, plans to take a shot at it this year. But considering he managed 82 miles per gallon last year, and the winner hit 150, he's not optimistic about his chances.
"It feels like I'm saving the world," Mr. Haltrecht said. "Hypermiling with a hybrid is a win-win. You can't say you're doing it for the gas economy or the environment. You're doing it for both."
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When I saw 'civil engineer' I almost started laughing. Have a look at the link for comments, including:
Riding shotgun with the new green machines
DAVID ANDREATTA
Globe and Mail Update
June 20, 2007 at 9:29 AM EDT
Michael Angemeer is not so different from any other motorist when he says that his ideal driving weather is sunny without a cloud in the sky.
What distinguishes him from almost every other Canadian on the road is that it's the sunshine that helps power his ride.
His car, a 2007 Toyota Prius, is fuelled in part by solar panels on the roof and can travel more than 200 miles per gallon with the help of a lithium battery in the trunk.
It is touted (not so discreetly, with advertising on the rear windows) as the "first plug-in hybrid solar electric vehicle in Canada."
Enlarge Image Michael Angemeer says his car is the 'first plug-in hybrid solar electric vehicle in Canada.' (Philip Cheung for The Globe and Mail)
The 45-year-old business executive from Hamilton is one of a small, but growing number of so-called mileage hackers, people who soup up their hybrids, and hypermilers, those who adjust their driving skills, to squeeze every last bit of road out of a tank of gas.
Some are grease monkeys in it for the bragging rights. Some are looking to save a buck. Others are compelled by a sense of social duty to save resources. Most, however, are a combination of all three and are convinced their way of life is the way of the future.
"I get thumbs up on the highway, people follow me, I get stopped in parking lots by people who want to talk about solar power," said Mr. Angemeer, president of Veridian Corp., an electrical distribution company in the Toronto area.
Yesterday, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty plugged in to the hypermiler mindset when he launched a $650-million plan to promote environmentally friendly technologies in the automotive sector.
The move followed a federal budget proposal in March to provide rebates for fuel-efficient vehicles.
Mr. Angemeer says his Prius, which replaced a sport utility vehicle as his company car eight months ago, got 212 miles per gallon after it was retrofitted with a $12,000 lithium battery that charges in part by plug.
He said he has not tested the fuel efficiency since the solar panels were installed two months ago at a cost of $7,000.
The modifications boost the total cost of the car to about $50,000 and dwarf the off-the-assembly-line-advertised gas mileage of 55 miles per gallon.
"The car is sort of taking over my life," Mr. Angemeer said. "I'm always thinking of ways to improve it."
Few people go to such lengths in the pursuit of maximum distance on minimum gasoline.
Even the most eco-conscious individual, in most cases, is bound by cost.
Indeed, the retrofits on Mr. Angemeer's car were paid for by his company and sponsors, whose logos are plastered all over the vehicle.But more economical innovations to fuel efficiency have emerged from hypermiling clubs across Canada and the rest of the world. Some of them are common sense, including driving slower and avoiding stops where possible.
Jack Wear, a 69-year-old civil engineer in suburban Toronto, milks his Toyota Prius for upward of 62 miles a gallon by wrapping the radiator in a special blanket to keep it warm, keeping his tires inflated at the optimal level, never running the heater or air conditioner and staying off highways.
His 45-kilometre commute to work takes him about an hour on the back roads.
"When you think of a hypermiler, it's a retrofit of your driving style, not a retrofit of the vehicle," Mr. Wear said. "It's not slow, it's methodical. It's common sense."
Hybrids combine a conventional gas engine with an electric motor. The vehicle is powered by the electric motor at low speeds, and by gas as it accelerates. If the car battery is fully charged, drivers can travel a set distance on electric power alone.
How far depends on the model - and the driver.
In Japan, home of the Prius, a hypermiler and mileage hacker nicknamed "the Shogun" reportedly drove 1,600 kilometres on a 13-gallon, or 49-litre, tank of gas. That's about 715 miles per gallon - enough to travel from Saskatoon to Vancouver without filling up.
"These folks are a cultural phenomenon," said Felix Kramer, founder of the California Cars Initiative, an Internet-based organization committed to the development of plug-in hybrids, a concept that has been developed by car makers but has not hit the market.
The original hypermilers were a group of four U.S. men who travelled 1,397 miles over 47 hours in a Prius on a single tank of gas two years ago.
Their feat was caught on film by a crew from HBO and helped fuel intense interest in the MPG Challenge at Hybridfest. The annual celebration of going the extra mile each July in Madison, Wis., sees participants vie for the title of most fuel-efficient driver in the world.
Erik Haltrecht, 62, a retired computer programmer who founded the Toronto Prius & Hybrid Meetup Group, plans to take a shot at it this year. But considering he managed 82 miles per gallon last year, and the winner hit 150, he's not optimistic about his chances.
"It feels like I'm saving the world," Mr. Haltrecht said. "Hypermiling with a hybrid is a win-win. You can't say you're doing it for the gas economy or the environment. You're doing it for both."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I saw 'civil engineer' I almost started laughing. Have a look at the link for comments, including:
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