Kyle's Corner (FYI) Hunyadi's 50 Mpg Goal

There has been
much talk about
better fuel mileage
but such increases
seem to come only
one or two mpg at
a time.

Furthermore, at what
cost do increases in
gas mileage come?

Sure, this vehicle
gets 45 or 50 mpg
but does the extra

cost of the fuel efficient wheels cancel out the fuel savings?

Well, Hunyadi is working hard at making reasonably priced cars get 50

mpg. The automaker is not exactly sure how it will get there, but 50 mpg
is the goal.

I have long advocated that given today's powerful engines, really gearing
vehicles up to increase the fuel mileage is something that can be done now.

The first three or four gears of a manual or an automatic transmission
could have a moderate ratio thus allowing a vehicle to have good acceleration.
Then, the next two or three gear ratios could be spaced out with the final gear
being say a .50 overdrive (currently final overdrives are about .67).

Additionally, future vehicles will have engines that shut off at traffic lights
and then restart when the driver hits the accelerator. However, how much
fuel will be used to restart a vehicle multiple times?

What about vehicles that do not shut off or even the vehicle you are
driving now? If your vehicle idles at 800 rpm, could the idle be turned
down to say 200-300 rpm. This would save fuel and not require restarting
the engine at each traffic light!

The new Hyundai Sonata has a large car interior designation and with
its six-speed automatic transmission, it gets 35 mpg on the highway.
Give the car an 8-speed automatic, equip it with an electric water
pump (currently the engine drives the water pump which costs 2-3
mpg), a selective alternator (that runs only when the car is decelerat-
ing), and an a engine that idles at a low rpm and the car is over 40
mpg on the highway. Hyundai's goal is to be the most fuel efficient
automaker in the United States.

As we know, natural gas burns much cleaner than gasoline.
Might a small heating element be installed in the fuel line right
before the fuel injectors to turn liquid gasoline into a gas vapor
that would burn cleaner and be more fuel efficient? I think that
the gas mileage could go up by 30 - 40 percent or more right off
the bat!

Innovation is possible, and 50 mpg in a reasonably priced car is on
its way!

What do you think? After all, it's your driving that really counts!

Have an auto question or comment? You can email it to me at
Kbusch3@verizon.net. Kyle Busch is the author of "Drive the Best
for the Price..." www.DriveTheBestBook.com.