Momentum V174

[Coss]

Elio Motors Momentum v174

This week's Momentum takes a look at two recent automotive trends: a lesser-known impact on fuel-efficiency and a look at gas price trends.


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[Coss]

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Momentum v174
Two Recent Trends
September 26, 2018

Mo

MPG and PVI

Regardless of the type of vehicle, efficiency is a major topic of interest and consideration. When factoring a vehicle’s fuel efficiency, there are several factors that immediately come to mind: the aerodynamics of the design, the weight of the vehicle, and the size of the engine. There is, however, a little-known factor that affects every type of vehicle, from motorcycle to semi-truck: Pavement Vehicle Interaction (PVI.)

So, what exactly is PVI? It consists of three factors: texture, deflection, and roughness. The texture of the road is important, as a rougher road reduces efficiency, especially during wet driving conditions. The term deflection refers to the curve of the road surface after heavy use. Roughness is a common phenomenon, often in the form of potholes and fractured streets.

According to USA Today, “All vehicles, whether gasoline, diesel or electric, use energy to move — but some of that energy is being wasted. On roads with poor surface conditions or subpar structural properties, vehicles consume more fuel than what’s needed to move. Researchers are now focusing in on that excess fuel consumption by taking a hard look at PVI.”

While not as important as the obvious factors of fuel efficiency, PVI still has a meaningful big picture impact. According to the article, researchers found that “PVI accounted for 1 percent of overall fuel consumption on California highways. At a scale as vast as the California highway system, that one percent amounted to 1 billion gallons of excess fuel consumption over a 5-year period due to PVI factors.” An emphasis on a naturally efficient vehicle and improved PVI can make a meaningful difference in the future.



Less is More

A recent headline from the Dayton Daily News presents both a question and an unsettling reality: “Time to downsize? Gas prices jump 70 cents from last year.” The article points out that fuel prices currently average $2.86 a gallon, which represents a 73-cent increase in a year.

According to the article, stronger demand for gasoline has kept gasoline prices high. Per USA Today, “Within the last four weeks, Americans consumed about 9.7 million barrels each day, up 2 percent from last year…The United States only produces about half of what it needs, DeHaan said. The rest it imports from other nations.” There are two main reasons for the increased demand for gasoline. As temperatures have remained warm after Labor Day, Americans continue to travel and use more gasoline during the Fall season, keeping demand high. Additionally, more Americans have purchased gas-guzzling vehicles in the past few years, further increasing demand.

 

[RUCRAYZE]

"The texture of the road is important,...."
Funny for the fact that it was during this shooting in mid-town NY, that the fender fell off. :-(

 

[Made in USA]

Over inflating your tires a little also will give you better mileage, but is also a rougher ride and harder on your suspension. They also didn't mention keeping your vehicle waxed/polished as a way to lower wind resistance. Probably the most important, and this is my "problem", is the lead foot syndrome. Accelerating slowly and staying at-or-below speed limit helps a lot too.

 

[W. WIllie]

The main cure for good mileage is tightening up the "Loose Nut On The Steering Wheel."

 

[Coss]

"The texture of the road is important,...."
Funny for the fact that it was during this shooting in mid-town NY, that the fender fell off. :-(

They explained why it fell off, they take the fenders off to get it in the trailer, and whoever put the fenders back on, didn't tighten the bolts, that's why it fell off. So it was human error that caused the problem, (aka loose nuts on fender)