Although there is no shortage of conspiracy theories and well-backed stories alike of automakers buying and then burying fuel efficiency technologies, today’s mantra is clear: Car makers that want to be in business five years from now must create vehicles that either get high gas mileage or run entirely on electric power.
The Toyota Prius (about 50 mpg) and the Honda Insight (about 40 mpg) are the leaders, and we’ll see how GM’s Volt performs once it’s no longer just vaporware, but a couple of tinkerers in southern Maryland have found a way to double the mileage, as reported by Slashdot in a short blurb.
Averaging 92 mpg on the highway, you’d think the team’s hacked Honda Insight is a tech-savvy Holy Grail of efficiency. But the secret is surprisingly simple and makes use of already available parts: Replace the gasoline-powered motor with a diesel engine. Specifically, it’s a relatively lightweight 1.2-liter TDI turbo diesel Volkswagen engine connected to the stock electric motor — to wit, a diesel hybrid.
The team’s website is here and you can view a video demonstration of the car below:
I’m surprised no one thought of that earlier, but it’s exciting how such technologies are percolating upward and not solely from the ham-handed automakers who should have started building truly high-efficiency vehicles decades ago.
Photo courtesy of ????, via Wikimedia Commons
