Very cool Polular Mechanics article about inovative auto design ideas on the horizon that will increase MPG.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive...to/3374271.html

Windows that darken only when sunny to reduce AC load, but are clear at night for safety when AC is not used.

Tires that automatically vary pressure to lower rolling resistance at all temps and loads.

Body that changes shape at various speeds, even while turning, to lower drag.

Reduce weight of cables in cars by using tiny transmitters.

Glass weighs more than metal so use new lighter materials with glass film sputtered on surface.

The aerodynamics of the bottom of a car can be more important than the top.

They even mention the national security implications of saving gas.

 

Hi,
I would also caution that sometimes Popular Mechanics 'fact checking' needs a little help:

"Steve Lapp, a professor from Ontario, says the moment has nearly arrived. "I've actually gotten over 100 mpg on some trips in my 2001 Toyota Prius," he says. The secret? He mounted solar panels on the car's roof to keep the batteries charged when the sun is shining. If Lapp, a backyard big thinker, can get triple-digit mileage occasionally, why can't the world's carmakers hit the mark on every drive?" There is one version out that claims to charge the 12 VDC battery gives better mileage and that one is really wrong. I haven't seen Lapp's system so I'll defer judgement. Hopefully he is charging a plug-in battery assembly. Just be wary of any that is specific to the 12 VDC battery.

The rest of the technology discussed was handled well.

Bob Wilson

 

Of course any time an separate energy source, be it the sun or the electricity from your wall outlet, is used you can no longer say you are getting X MPG.

 

They made the point that making a car to get 100mpg on a typical driving cycle would be difficult to do for a reasonable amount of money due to the expense of using carbon fiber materials etc. However, many of their ideas could be done in such a way as to cost almost nothing extra, and they are things I think should already be done on most cars, even without talking about drivetrain changes:

1) The insulation and window films. Use of electrochemically controlled self-dimming windows is going to be excessively expensive, but why not insulate the doors, roof, and floors -- which would both improve driver comfort and noise levels. Also, use of a visibly transparent film that blocks the UV spectrum on the windows shouldn't cost much for a manufacturer, and would go a long way toward reducing solar heating. Reducing heat/AC loads could be taken a step further by optionally venting them directly into porous seat cushions.

2) The aerodynamics changes. No exotic materials are needed here, just some plastic panels underneath the car, air deflectors in front of and behind the tires, and perhaps a taller, but narrower chassis as they suggested, but using standard materials.

3) Use of transmitters etc to cut down on use of wires sounds a bit excessive, but vehicle electrical systems could certainly be streamlined. Use a higher voltages to cut down on resistance losses in all the wires, using LED lights in all the taillight/amber light fixtures, and use of xenon headlights (but at lower power output than the optional HID available now) would be able to cut electrical load associated with lighting to a small fraction of what it is. Reducing headlight draw, which adds a substantial load to the car, would MUCH more for economy than shaving at most a couple pounds of weight for the same cost.