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Consumer Reports: 2016 Prius is the most fuel-efficient hybrid ever
It's been a few years since land-cruising Cadillac Escalades ruled America's streets. Fuel economy has trumped gas-guzzling style since the Great Recession, and hybrid cars surged in popularity. The first mass-produced model was the Toyota Prius, and this year's version goes farther on a gallon of gas than any vehicle Consumer Reports has ever tested.
Tesla Roadster 2.5 gets 119 MPGe rating from EPA, still as expensive as ever (updated)
Move over, Nissan, because there's a new MPGe king in town. Yesterday, the EPA anointed Tesla scored its Roadster 2.5 with an MPGe rating of 119, which would make it the most fuel-efficient car on the market. That places the plug-in ahead of both the Nissan Leaf (99 MPGe) and Chevy Volt (93 MPGe). According to the government-approved mock-up window sticker, Tesla's EV can last for up to 245 miles on a single, eight-hour charge, while getting the equivalent of 112 miles per gallon on the highway and 124 in the city. The original Roadster, meanwhile, received an MPGe score of 111 yesterday, with ratings of 105 on the open road and 116 in the city. Both models scored a perfect 10 for their greenhouse gas and smog emissions, though those ratings probably didn't factor in all the cash you'd have to burn to actually buy one. Update: We just heard from the EPA, which clarified that this is not their official rating for the Roadster 2.5. These numbers are Tesla's, and the window sticker itself is a mockup - not a legitimate sticker from the EPA. Still, if you'd like to see it, it's down after the break.
Senate passes energy bill, hopes to up mileage standards
While we've seen everything from brilliant engineering to run-of-the-mill hacks enable vehicles to squeeze every last inch out of a tank of fuel, it looks like the Senate is taking larger strides in order to raise the MPG bar. The US Senate has reportedly passed an energy bill that would raise fuel efficiency standards to an average of 35 miles-per-gallon, create additional provisions that make it unlawful to charge "unconscionably excessive" prices for oil products, and establish new appliance and lighting efficiency standards to accelerate the use of more efficient lighting in public buildings. Lastly, there was purportedly verbiage that provided "grants, loan guarantees, and other assistance to promote research into fuel efficient vehicles." Of course, the bill still has quite a ways to go before it gets set in stone, and while upping the standard sure seems novel, a quick glance around existing lots will show that quite a few whips sold today aren't quite living up to the 22.7 mpg standard that's already in place.[Via Digg, image courtesy of MPGStickers]
Mileage maniacs hack Toyota's Prius for 116 mpg
In a presumed attempt to prove questionable reports about the Prius' true fuel efficiency dead wrong, a Japanese group of mileage maniacs (or nenpimania) have assembled to push their hybrids to the brink and utilize a sly combination of hackery and zen-ish ways to elicit extreme miles per gallon figures. One such enthusiast burns his gas money on special tires, cardboard surround for the engine bay (saywha?), and blocks of foam rubber that occupy the grill, and somehow manages about 100 mpg by "hacking into the Toyota's computer" and carefully manipulating the accelerator with just his large toe. One upping even him, however, is a fellow mpg freak dubbed Teddy-Girl, who has reportedly become such a master of the "pulse and glide" method of driving that she can crank out 116 miles on a single gallon of fuel. Of course, sustaining such numbers on even mild inclines is entirely unlikely, and we're fairly sure you're hearing best case scenarios with all these gaudy numbers, but until we're all cruising in purely electric whips, this doesn't sound like a half bad approach to keep those trips to the pump at a minimum.[Via The Raw Feed]
Software patch could boost MPG in gas-powered vehicles
No doubt, we've seen more than a few sensational sounding gizmos aiming to provide (nearly) limitless power and create energy out of thin air, but a simple software patch could enable the vast majority of the world that's still stuck in gasoline-powered vehicles to get better gas mileage. John Kessels at the University of Eindhoven has partnered with Ford to develop software to improve engine performance and save "up to 2.6-percent" in terms of miles per gallon. Quite simply, the patch dynamically switches the dynamo, (which charges the car battery) on and off when it is "particularly inefficient for the engine to power it, thus improving the overall efficiency of the engine." Mr. Kessels even stated that "a simple cable and a software upgrade" was all that would be necessary to boost MPG, and thankfully it's not exclusive to Ford motors. Notably, a fuel savings closer to six-percent could likely be achieved if a "powerful starter motor" was installed to allow your engine to cut off entirely and restart quickly in between long traffic jams, but both methods have a good bit of testing to go through before being deemed non-abrasive to batteries and engine components. But hey, there's nothing a firmware upgrade can't fix, right?
