1,527 MILES ON ONE TANK: PASSAT BLUEMOTION SETS NEW WORLD RECORD
03/10/10 from Volkswagen
A Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion has set a new Guinness World Record for the longest distance travelled by a standard production passenger car on a single tank of fuel.
The attempt, carried out by a team from The Sunday Times, involved driving from Maidstone in Kent to the South of France and back. The Passat BlueMotion finally ran out of fuel close to Calais after completing a distance of 1,526.63 miles.
The route mainly followed French autoroutes, but included some town driving, resulting in an average speed of just over 45 mph.
Gavin Conway, for The Sunday Times, drove the Passat BlueMotion during the three-day record-breaking trip, accompanied by a navigator and video crew. Two AA patrolmen followed the entire attempt in their van to witness the journey independently for the Guinness World Records organisation, which accredited the record.
Powered by a Volkswagen 1.6-litre common rail TDI engine developing 105 PS, the Passat BlueMotion used for the record attempt was a standard production model. In common with the Polo and Golf BlueMotion models, the Passat is fitted with aerodynamic modifications to the bodywork, a lower ride height, Stop/Start, programmed battery charging, longer gearing and low rolling resistance tyres. The result is a vehicle that is completely conventional to drive, service and maintain yet among the most efficient vehicles on the road today.
The Passat BlueMotion’s fuel tank was drained before the record breaking journey and filled with 77.25 litres of standard forecourt diesel, resulting in an overall fuel consumption of 89.83 miles per gallon. This substantially exceeds the Passat BlueMotion’s official combined figure of 64.2 mpg. The resulting fuel cost for the journey works out at just 6.17p per mile travelled.
In setting the record the Passat BlueMotion travelled a distance equivalent to driving from London to Malaga, without needing to refuel or from New York to Los Angeles with a single stop for diesel.
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About Christopher DeMorro
The “negative comments” could be taken several ways, not just the defeatist (or libertarian) stance you portray. It simply comes down to trade-offs. All those technologies increase complexity, and require certain behaviors. There are real costs associated with increased effciencies, and it’s disingenous to downplay the required trade-offs.
What are you even talking about?? We are talking about 2025, not next year. Most people will be driving electric cars by then in my opinion so I call this a non argument.
@ Eric
I have a Bluemotion and I get extreme mileage out of it. The rest is history.
I have been saying this over and over again and will repeat it every chance. It’s up to you people to boycott auto manufacturers who do not deliver environmentally responsible vehicles. Again, the key here is “boycott” and its YOUR responsibility to enforce it so don’t wait for the corrupt government or corporates to dictate what you Have to buy! Until then buy used cars and let the new cars dry up on their lots until “they get it”.
We share a passion for the environment, but you may wish to re-evaluate your supported solutions.
Getting a single engine into production is now over $B USD and there are a couple thousand engines on the market – you are supporting the concept of the auto industry spending a few $T USD to increase MPG by what factor? Maybe x2?
Spend the same amount of funding on truly sustainable 2nd Generation biodiesel production and MPG has far less significance. We and thousands of other firms are executing on the solution today.
etcgreen.com Article: Are you driving your last gasoline powered car?
That is AWESOME! And we can stick it to those folks who say it it not possible to raise gas efficiency to those levels. Same folks who are the reason we are massively in debt and actually don’t have the highest standard of living. In other words, folks who lack vision and the will to get us there. It’s time to move the cheese.
I think that doing things like this along with investing in electric cars will prove to be more useful and will help keep costs and pollution down. I think a multi-pronged approach is best.
BTW, for those in the anti-government crowd, the government is just a big institution like any other that either exists to support all of us or not. In fact, all institutions, big or small, government or private should exist for the sole purpose of empowering as many people as possible – as close to 100% of the population. If not then they should reformulate their mission or disband when they outlive their usefulness.
“This is the country that put a man on the moon…”
Check. With the help of a German engineer.
“…split the atom…”
Wrong. Splitting atoms was done first by Otto Hahn in Germany.
“…and has a higher standard of living than anywhere else in the world.”
Been to Switzerland lately? You should get out more.
“So why is it that the distance record for a single tank of gas now belongs to a Volkswagen Passat?”
Because Murrican cars haven’t been tops at anything for quite a while now, so the record is bound to go to a German or Japanese company.
oh, mike. you so crazee!
“VW claims it is more like 89 mpg… but again, that is using Euro standards.”
Please note that they did achieve 89 miles per Imperial gallon (the one they use in the UK). The Imperial gallon is 20% larger than the one used in the USA. Those of us who enjoy the BBC’s Top Gear are accustomed to multiplying MPG numbers by 4/5.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1898
114.2 MPG over 1500+ miles. In a vehicle that is not modified, and not new.
Sorry, but I am throwing the bullshit flag on this. There are very few details about the conditions during this run to believe it was anything but a rigged set up.
First, we must remember they were using *imperial* gallons, not US gallons. The imperial is about 20% more in volume. If you convert accordingly, it means this car got about 60 MPG, not 74.
Second, ‘hyper-miling’ is dangerous. Anything that puts you outside the norm on highways makes you a danger to yourself and others. NHTSA statistics show speed killed in only 2% of the accidents since records started being kept. The reality is lack of speed kills; we are tripping over each other due to poorly designed roads, and drivers piloting vehicles outside of the flow of traffic.
Third, I am certain if we found out the route of this vehicle, it would be the flattest roads possible with the least traffic control devices. Run that thing on a London loop of one-half city and one-half interstate driving and see if it gets anywhere near 60 MPG. I will bet it will not come close.
Fourth, car companies don’t make factual claims. Facts don’t sell cars. Nobody buys a car because of the sexy airbags. The only way Volkswagen would pull this off is if they knew the results going in. This is PR masked as “news”.
Fifth, and this one took some digging – the driver was ‘coached’ by the AA, the same people who were alleged to be ‘independent’ witnesses. Gee, do you think it’s possible AA had a vested interest in the outcome?
Sixth – I simply won’t believe the results until we have a full accounting of the test conditions and – more importantly – truly independent verification. The fuel system should be sealed with tamper-proof materials, and a random route of 50/50 city/rural driving assigned. Last, but most important – the driver should *always* run with the flow of traffic.
My bet is under these conditions, the miracle car would get a very unremarkable MPG rating.
@ Buster
The record-breaking run was verified by Guinness World Records. I cannot think of anybody better to account for such a record…save maybe “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not”.
it must have had very large fuel tank. LOL
no but it did very good coz there is no such car with same specification and in this segment to even touch that record. Good one VW.