100 MPGe - Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE

The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE is a $10 Million competition to produce the best production-capable 100 MPGe vehicles. The term miles per gallon gasoline equivalent (MPGe) is a measure of distance traveled per unit of energy consumption. It is useful for comparing the energy consumption of alternative fuel vehicles to those of gasoline based vehicles in terms of miles per US gallon, a unit familiar to US consumers.



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[TalladegaTom]

@Adreitz7 - In my example, both cars A & B had the exact same amount of energy available to utilize. One gallon (or liter if you prefer) of fuel for each vehicle.
Car "A" did NOT use any more energy than car "B".
They both did equal amounts of work with the same amount of energy and have EXACTLY the same overall efficiency.
If you are comparing a 1, 000 pound car to another 1, 000 pound car THEN you can make the distinction that one is more efficient than the other using MPG as an indicator.

[TalladegaTom]

@Adreitz7
Think of the the same vehicle fully loaded and unloaded.
The power plant is the same as is the aero package and powertrain losses.
Only the MPG changes due to the weight and the energy required to move that weight.

Are you suggesting that an over loaded Yugo is MORE (or less) efficient than an unloaded Yugo because it travels a shorter distance and that it pushes less overall air out of the way?

[TalladegaTom]

@Adreitz7 - You are assuming that a high MPG rating means that it is efficient.
It does not. That is my point. Weight matters.
What percentage of the fuel energy was used to do useful work? Heck, what's the Otto cycle? 25%...on a good day?
The Yugo in our discussion here has the same cruddy efficiency loaded or unloaded. 'bout the same as every other gasoline powered pos running around.

[circusboy]

forget the equivilant, I know there can be a direct gasoline engine that do the same thing better.

[TalladegaTom]

Argh! - MPG is a DISTANCE rating and NOT a true measure of efficiency!
MPGe also perpetuates the illusion that distance traveled equals fuel/energy efficiency, which it does not.
Car A weighs 4, 000 lbs and can go 10 miles on a gallon/liter of fuel.
Car B weighs 1, 000 lbs and can go 40 miles on a gallon/liter of fuel.
They are both equally efficient as both did the same amount of work, yet the MPG rating can make folks think otherwise.