Description:
A discussion by one guy modifying his Honda Civic hatchback to be highly aerodynamic.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Finding out stock drag coefficient?
Description:
A discussion about drag coefficients, listings of "stock" (unmodified vehicle) drag ratings, etc.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Index to Coefficient of Drag for Many Vehicles Plus Index to Horsepower vs Speed Curves
Description:
This is a long table of drag coefficient data. It was harvested from a small computer program that has the capability to show speed through the gears, top speed, time to get there plus a lot of other neat stuff.
Measure the drag coefficient of your car
Description:
The purpose of this experiment is to determine your vehicle's drag coefficient Cd and coefficient of rolling resistance Crr. This is done by measuring your vehicle's speed as a function of time while coasting in neutral.
Why would you want to know Cd and Crr for your vehicle? Well, suppose you're interested in modifying your vehicle for improved fuel efficiency. You might consider modifications such as air dams, wheel skirts, removing mirrors, switching to low rolling resistance tires, etc. Cd and Crr offer a quantitative method of comparing vehicle performance before and after these types of modifications to see if you made any improvement.
metrompg.com
URL:
Description:
First, a source of info for anyone wondering whether to get one of the Suzuki-designed 3-cylinder fuel economy champs: Geo Metro / Chevrolet Metro, Sprint / Pontiac Firefly / Suzuki Swift, Cultus, Forsa. Second, a source of info about DIY efficiency mods, fuel-efficient driving, and fuel economy in general.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Ecomodders make fuel good to the last drop
Description:
A series of pictures showing 'ecomodding' which is a practice to make modifications to a vehicle to make it more efficient. It's possible with a small amount of work and with inexpensive materials to greatly improve fuel efficiency. Turner spent $400 on hardware store materials including aluminum bars and sheeting; polycarbonate, corrugated plastic; screws; and pop rivets. Now he says he gets up to 74 miles per gallon in the summer. A Civic from that era might normally achieve an average of 33 miles per gallon.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Suniva, a solar photovoltaic maker, readies for production with $50M
Suniva is a company spun off from Georgia Tech's Center for Excellence in Photovoltaics. They have developed solar panel technology which today is 18% efficient, over 50% more efficient than normal solar panels, and they have a clear roadmap leading to 20% efficiency Real Soon Now. Further they claim an inexpensive cost, under $1 per watt, again Real Soon Now. They are just entering mass production with funding for a production facility capable of producing 25 megawatt's of panels per year.
HYmini
URL:
Description:
They make a very portable wind turbine, and a very portable solar panel. These are configured as a portable way to recharge the batteries in portable gadgets. The small size of the wind turbine and solar panel means the power level will be very modest.
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