GM’s recent “230″ PR campaign (previously covered HERE and HERE) has certainly caused a lot of controversy, most of it centered on the fact that the EPA initially “backed away” from the automaker’s optimistic (?) Chevy Volt mileage claims.
Despite the fact that the 230 mpg rating will likely stand (once GM gets a final-production Volt into the hands of the EPA, that is), so much attention has been paid to the matter that the good in charge at Progressive’s Automotive X PRIZE decided it was time to chime in, asking “Is MPG still relevant?”
Short answer: No.
Read the X Prize group’s long(er) answer, and learn about their proposed MPGe rating system, after the jump.
The Progressive Automotive X PRIZE, for those of you not “in the know”, is an international competition to complete an economically viable 100 MPG vehicle capable of being built in numbers of 10,000 or more, per year. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why the Auto X PRIZE group (AXP) was at least as concerned about GM’s 230 mpg announcement as anyone else!
The AXP was quick to realize this might cause considerable confusion among AXP competitors, and responded immediately with a flurry of questions. From their site:
- How was that 230 number derived?
- How will it hold up under real-world driving conditions?
- How do you calculate MPG for a vehicle that doesn’t run on gasoline alone?
The AXP argues that these questions – along with the growing use of ethanol and bio-derived fuels – seem to point to the fact that the EPA’s current MPG rating is rapidly becoming irrelevant as a consumer tool. The answer, they say, is to move over to a new standard that compares the total amount of energy used by a given vehicle, compared to a purely gasoline vehicle. In other words: a mile-per-gallon equivalent, or MPGe.
MPGe is what the AXP calls “the system of merit” that AXP competitors will be measured against, and – if the AXP gets their way and the EPA adopts their point of view – it just might become the new consumer standard!
If you’re curious how your own hybrid, flex-fuel, or electric vehicle “stacks up” in terms of MPGe, there is a lengthy explanation of how MPGe is calculated at the AXP site … but that’s no fun. This easy-to-use and simple-to-understand spreadsheet, however, certainly is! (Windows users, don’t forget to scan the file!)
Simply type in the relative numbers and calculate YOUR MPGe – leave the results in the comments, below, and maybe I’ll send a cookie to whoever posts the highest numbers.
Enjoy!
Image Credit: Progressive Automotive X PRIZE.
PDF 
About Jo Borras
I got a MPGe of 79.7.
I got a MPGe of 79.7.
I got a 110 on 93 octane. Yay, scooters!!
I got a 110 on 93 octane. Yay, scooters!!
kitted 2008 Zero X high performance electrio motorcycle
1,701.0 MPGe
and made in the USA
pwned
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/fastest.php
kitted 2008 Zero X high performance electrio motorcycle
1,701.0 MPGe
and made in the USA
pwned
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/fastest.php
Use kWh per mile – what is so hard about that?
Use kWh per mile – what is so hard about that?
Driving from Canada to Portland on I-5 Oct of 2008 I averaged over 113mpg on deisel or 101.6 MPGe
In the Avion average speed 55mph and distance 260 miles
Driving from Canada to Portland on I-5 Oct of 2008 I averaged over 113mpg on deisel or 101.6 MPGe
In the Avion average speed 55mph and distance 260 miles
1. Remember that what’s at your corner station is 10% ethanol, 90% gasoline, for lower energy content.
2. The take home message: 100% electric drive for the efficiency, performance and luxury win, whether you also have a range extender system (use Craig’s diesel?)or not. Maximum torque from 0 rpm up to about half of the maximum speed, instant, smooth, seamless acceleration at all times and luxury quiet when in all electric mode.
3. Using the highly debatable DOE combined method that reports 82 kWh is equivalent to 1 gallon of gasoline:
kitted 2008 Zero X high performance electrio motorcycle
4,100.0 MPG (DOE combined method)
and made in the USA
still pwned
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/fastest.php
4. “The Department of Energy has come up with guidelines that draw from several competing approaches. Citing those guidelines, Nissan says 82 kilowatt hours of electricity are the equivalent of one gallon of gasoline for the all-electric Leaf. Using the same standard, the GM Volt’s [it uses E-10 or maybe E-85] city fuel economy could drop to about 130 mpg, if the car’s expected electricity consumption were factored in.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125123863033558403.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
1. Remember that what’s at your corner station is 10% ethanol, 90% gasoline, for lower energy content.
2. The take home message: 100% electric drive for the efficiency, performance and luxury win, whether you also have a range extender system (use Craig’s diesel?)or not. Maximum torque from 0 rpm up to about half of the maximum speed, instant, smooth, seamless acceleration at all times and luxury quiet when in all electric mode.
3. Using the highly debatable DOE combined method that reports 82 kWh is equivalent to 1 gallon of gasoline:
kitted 2008 Zero X high performance electrio motorcycle
4,100.0 MPG (DOE combined method)
and made in the USA
still pwned
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/fastest.php
4. “The Department of Energy has come up with guidelines that draw from several competing approaches. Citing those guidelines, Nissan says 82 kilowatt hours of electricity are the equivalent of one gallon of gasoline for the all-electric Leaf. Using the same standard, the GM Volt’s [it uses E-10 or maybe E-85] city fuel economy could drop to about 130 mpg, if the car’s expected electricity consumption were factored in.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125123863033558403.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
I like the spreadsheet approach, but I think keeping to the gasoline energy standard is short sighted given the changes we’ll see in the near future.
Advantages: allows for multiple fuel types, simple, standards based, and it keeps everyone on a familiar energy unit (gallon of gas) – it’s a good transitional strategy.
Disadvantages: MPG is growing more outdated everyday and it’s time to transition to a more inclusive energy measurement like MPe that uses kWh (like Russ suggested) or Joules as a central measurement.
What’s the equivalent Btu/units for Pizza so I can measure my bike ride commutes?
I like the spreadsheet approach, but I think keeping to the gasoline energy standard is short sighted given the changes we’ll see in the near future.
Advantages: allows for multiple fuel types, simple, standards based, and it keeps everyone on a familiar energy unit (gallon of gas) – it’s a good transitional strategy.
Disadvantages: MPG is growing more outdated everyday and it’s time to transition to a more inclusive energy measurement like MPe that uses kWh (like Russ suggested) or Joules as a central measurement.
What’s the equivalent Btu/units for Pizza so I can measure my bike ride commutes?
A quick look at my Cycleanalyst meter shows 5.97 miles and 2.04 amp-hours for the trip I took yesterday evening. That translates into 1,461 MPGe on the spreadsheet. Here’s my ride:
http://biodiversivist.blogspot.com/2009/05/hybrid-electric-bike-with-afterburners.html
The overarching factor for efficiency is the power to weight ratio.
A quick look at my Cycleanalyst meter shows 5.97 miles and 2.04 amp-hours for the trip I took yesterday evening. That translates into 1,461 MPGe on the spreadsheet. Here’s my ride:
http://biodiversivist.blogspot.com/2009/05/hybrid-electric-bike-with-afterburners.html
The overarching factor for efficiency is the power to weight ratio.
Very cute, Russ.
Of course, mine has a license plate, is road legal and highway capable.
Very cute, Russ.
Of course, mine has a license plate, is road legal and highway capable.