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Efficiency
Energy efficiency means to do more with less. Efficiency is achieved by
improving technology, so that less energy is consumed while getting the
same or better results. A new automobile that gets better gas mileage
without reducing power or performance is an example of how advances in technology
can save energy by increasing efficiency, rather than relying on conservation
(reduced performance) as the only way to save energy.
Fuel Efficiency
If a car or truck averages 15 miles per gallon (15 mpg), it will take
10 gallons of gasoline to drive 150 miles. If the price of gasoline is
$4.00 per
gallon, the 150 mile drive will cost $40.00 (10 gal x $4). However, if
a car or truck averages 30 miles per gallon, it would only need 5
gallons
of gasoline to drive 150 miles, costing the driver $20.00 (5 gal x $4).
The driver of a vehicle that averages 30 miles per gallon will
be able to drive twice as far (per gallon of gas) as the driver of a vehicle
that only gets 15 miles per gallon. If an oil shortage occurs and gasoline
is rationed, limiting each
vehicle to 10 gallons per fill, the vehicle that only gets 15 miles per
gallon will be restricted to a driving range half that of the vehicle
that gets 30 miles per gallon.
Some
people like to fool themselves by thinking that a larger gas tank is the
same as higher gas mileage. But if gasoline shortages occur, caused by
either a
natural or deliberate disaster—or another oil embargo, fuel prices will
spike again, everyone will be subjected to gas rationing, and a larger
fuel tank
will
not help.
When
the world economy recovers from the current economic recession, and
if world oil supply cannot meet growing demand, experts predict the
price of gasoline will quickly return to $4 per gallon and could soar to
$6. This prediction does not consider an actual
oil supply interruption — this
prediction assumes global oil production remains steady, but demand
continues to push supply to its limits — a scenario which
makes the possibility of a supply interruption very real.
During the
Arab oil embargo of 1973-74 and the Iranian Revolution of 1979-80, Americans
were subjected to gasoline rationing and long gas lines
at the gas station. As a result, gas guzzling cars and trucks were called “Gas
Hogs” and their value dropped to nearly zero.
Today,
people who own SUV’s
and pickup trucks are hurting — $4
gasoline caused the value of their SUV’s and trucks to drop
faster than the value of their homes. The gas guzzling cars and trucks
are
not selling — GM
and Ford have stopped making them, and autoworkers whose jobs depended
on SUV and Truck sales are
now unemployed.
And, the amazing thing is that all of this has occurred without any
real shortage or interruption in the supply of oil. If a real shortage
occurred, gas prices would spike beyond $6 and reach $10-$15 per gallon
overnight. Americans would be faced once again with gasoline rationing.
If gasoline rationing forces drivers to wait two hours or more in long
gas lines before taking their turn at the pump, drivers will add the
value of their time to the price they pay for gas. Fuel efficiency is
not only about the price of gas; it is also about how far you can drive
on a limited amount of gas.
Fuel efficient cars and trucks will help protect families from the rising
cost of gasoline and will also ease the pain of any future fuel shortage
or
gas rationing.

A typical gasoline powered automobile is only about 25% efficient.
In other words, out of the 100% thermal energy potential of a gallon of
gasoline, only about 25% of the energy is converted to real mechanical
work that turns the wheels of the car — the other 75% is lost in
the form of wasted heat and friction.
Automobile transportation in the USA consumes about 140 billion gallons
of gasoline per year. If the average fuel efficiency of the automobile
is increased from 25% to 50%, then annual gasoline consumption in the
USA would be reduced to about 70 billion gallons per year, cutting the
demand for oil to make gasoline in half.
The goal of achieving 50% energy efficiency for automobiles is the primary
reason behind the national push for the development of fuel
cells.
The national fuel cell development effort should continue to receive
public support, but Americans do not need to wait
for fuel cell cars before realizing
significant automotive fuel efficiency gains.
In addition to advances in gasoline engine technology already underway,
automotive engineers are developing Alcohol
Engines, advanced Diesel Engines,
Hybrid Cars, Plug-in
Hybrids, all Electric Vehicles,
and Multi-Fuel Vehicles.
New Hybrid gasoline/electric cars and SUV's are available now and offer
much
of
the efficiency promised by fuel cells.
Invention could make a big difference in fuel efficiency
The September 2004 Special Issue of Popular Science magazine featured
a story by Charles Graeber, titled Obsession:
Mr. Singh’s
Search for the Holy Grail, about an inventor in India who has
received a U.S patent for an invention that could increase your car's
gas mileage by as much as 20%. The inventor's name is Somender Singh,
he lives in the city of Mysore, located a few hours south of the city
of Bangalore—the center of India's new high tech industry. This
invention is something that car manufacturers could add to next year’s
cars and SUV’s because it does not require a new engine design,
just a simple modification to the standard designs.
Singh applied for a patent in January 1999, and the U.S. Patent
Office issued him patent No. 6,237,579 in May 2001. Two months after
his application hit the patent office Web site, engineers from General
Electric applied for a nearly identical patent for an aftermarket design,
which they claimed, as Singh had, would result in increased turbulence,
and thus better fuel efficiency, with fewer emissions.
“It’s very interesting, I think, that General Electric
developed this idea after my patent became public,” Singh says
with a smile. “But their design is very stupid. An add-on will
never survive the intense forces of the combustion chamber. If I had
come up with this idea, I would have been too embarrassed to tell anybody
about it, let alone apply for the patent.”
This roadside mechanic in Mysore had seemingly beaten a billion-dollar
R&D department. But what had he actually invented? Did it really
work? Singh had his patent and his prototype. Now all that remained
was to introduce his invention to the world.
— Charles Graeber
September 23, 2004
If the above link to the article doesn't work,
go to www.popsci.com
and type "Somender Singh" into the Popular Science search field.
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