In response to my previous kvetching about the scarcity of cheap fuel efficient cars, JWK commented that his 2001 Golf TDI gets 48 MPG (it’s rated for 44). Meanwhile, TreeHugger pointed out that Volkswagen’s Polo BlueMotion gets 62 MPG (Volkswagen UK claims the current Polo hatchback gets up to 72 MPG in diesel (I assume that’s about 60 MPG in US measures), and TreeHugger points out the 157 mpg Loremo AG).

Sadly, the Polo has never been sold in the US (and there’s no sign that VW plans to bring it here), and looking around the Volkswagen US website leaves a reader wondering if VW ever did sell diesel cars in the US. In fact most every diesel passenger car has been taken off the US market (compare 2003) because manufacturers are having trouble meeting LEV II regulations.

The irony here is that while the diesel Polo consumes significantly less fuel and emits correspondingly less CO2, it still has greater NOx and particulate matter emissions than a similar gasoline-powered model. L. David Peters thinks keeping diesel passenger cars off our highways is foolish when the potential for reduced greenhouse gas emissions is so great (easy to say, I suppose, when you don’t live with California’s smog (downtown, highways, hills, up high, on the desktop, and creeping into the wilderness)).

Manufacturers are developing newer, cleaner diesels that should be released soon. The Smart Fortwo I mentioned previously appears to actually be a diesel after all (see 2005 review that claims it gets 48 MPG) and it should be available in early 2008.

I’m contemplating signing up for the Smart reservation program, as the car is clearly a leader in all the features that I named the other day, but that 157 MPG Loremo would be a winner for me if it ever gets off the drafting table and into production.

diesel, Volkswagen, TDi, Smart Fortwo, LEV II, emissions, fuel economy, mileage

I’m looking for a new car, but I’m finding that the market for cheap and fuel efficient cars is no better now than it was in 2005.

I drive about 140 miles round trip to work (all highway), so I’m looking for the best available highway fuel economy. I can drive a standard, but Sandee can’t, so we’ll need automatic. I like small cars, but no so much that I want to pay a lot for one. The only luxury items I’m hoping for are a decent stereo with some form of iPod integration (a line-in will work), and cruise control (improves fuel economy, helps me avoid getting tickets). I’m avoiding hybrids because I’m concerned about what happens when the batteries need to be replaced (and disposed of) and because the batteries do little to improve highway mileage.

The Toyota Yaris meets most of my requirements (the liftback isn’t available with cruise control), and the 40 MPG sticker on the 2007 model looks good compared to other available cars. It also helps that it’s cheap.

The Honda Fit is along similar lines, and the sport version has cruise control, but the fuel economy drops to 37 MPG (lower, in fact, than the Civic) and it’s a bit pricier (not much more, but the idea of paying more for less efficiency kills me).

The Mini scores 37 MPG. Cruise control and dozens of other features are options, and it’s available in so many cute colors, but it also demands a premium price.

The Smart Fortwo (a Daimler/Mercedes Benz brand) is coming to the US early next year (previously imported by Zap). The version Americanized by Zap was rated for 40 MPG, and the Smart site claims “the vehicle is designed to achieve 40 plus mpg under normal driving conditions and current standards.” We’ll have to wait to get the finalized details, but Daimler is claiming it’ll cost less than $12,000 for the base model. (All mileage ratings above were for highway/automatic.)

There are other cars, but, but the EPA’s list of the most efficient cars is pretty slim. The worst realization from that list, however, is that there’s really no super efficient, cheap economy box that we can point at any more (even considering the new EPA formula). In 1995 Honda offered a 50 MPG Civic hatchback and a 1990 Geo Metro scored 51 highway MPG (Pete comments that his 93 Metro is still getting 50 MPG).

Sure our cars are generally getting bigger and heavier, but what else is at work? Why don’t we see those little cheap cars anymore? (It’s not like they’re not making them in Japan.)

cars, car, fuel efficient, econo box, cheap, fuel economy, Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris

Here’s an irony: I used to live in the country, a small town with fewer than 900 residents, and I used to speed. Now I live in the city, well, as much of a city as New Hampshire can manage, and I’m driving slower.

Driving slower not just because Manchester’s traffic lights are on timers they leave me listening to crickets chirping at empty intersections while they blindly tick tick tick through the cycles before finally giving me the green (usually just as somebody arrives at the newly reddened light on the other street).

No, I’m driving slower because I can. When I commuted from Warren it was a winding road packed with drivers either speeding or Sunday driving. And if I didn’t want to get stuck behind the off-day Sunday drivers, I had to go fast, and pass at every opportunity. Now, on a multi-lane highway, I can go my speed. And the weird thing is: my speed isn’t as fast as I thought it was.

My elders, and those who are just older than me, have been saying this for a while, so it’s hard to admit. But I ease the pain by knowing that my small change in behavior has led to a dramatic increase in fuel economy.

Previously, I’d be lucky to get 30MPG in my Scion xB, and that figured dropped to as little as 26 to 28MPG on the highway. But now I’m getting 33 to 35MPG with highway driving. Yes, I’m getting 10 to 20% better gas mileage, free.

The risk now is that I’ll become as self-righteous as some hybrid-driving do-gooders.

[tags]gas mileage, mileage, fuel economy, driving, commuting, habits[/tags]

My new scooter. It’s not much of a picture, but we’ve had two weeks of rain and this is what I could get.

fuel economy, moped, scooter, silver, transportation, yamaha

How crazy is it that we can get neither flying cars nor (affordable) fuel efficient cars today?

Anyway, the Reva (shown above) is a tiny little electric that seats two adults, can go 50 miles on a charge, and fully charges in five hours (two hours gets an 80% charge). It’s an Indian company, but they export to Europe and the website has some mention of test-marketing the cars in the US. The sticker price in Britain is equivalent to less than US$15,000. Aside from being rather energy efficient (they claim the equivalent energy consumption of 600 miles per gallon), you’ll save money by not having to maintain a clutch, transmission, or all the many components of an internal combustion engine. You will eventually have to replace the batteries (which could be both costly and environmentally unsound (but so is driving a traditional car)), but the rest of it should last quite a while.

Tip of the hat to Treehugger. More: The Energy Blog, Reva NXG, happy owner.

tags: automobile, batteries, car, commute, compact, compact car, eco-friendly, efficient, electric car, energy, energy efficiency, energy efficient, fuel economy, fuel efficient, fuel efficient cars, gas prices, green, hubbert peak, reva, reva electric car

Gizmodo reported it a while ago, but a Canadian company called Japanoid is importing these and other tiny Japanese cars. How tiny? At or under 1.5 meters (under 5 feet!) wide with engines 660CC or under. They’re called Kei Jidousha, or Keicars, or just K-cars (though not to be confused with Chrysler’s K-Cars). Japanoid has 12 vehicles listed, but my favorites are those four above and this funny looking truck.

The deal is, however, that Canadian law only allows imports of 15-year-old vehicles. There are other restrictions, of course, and all of it is made a little more ridiculous by the fact that the cars are right-side-drive. But at 50 miles per gallon, perhaps some exceptions can be made. But don’t expect US law to make any exceptions. US law only allows import of 25-year-old vehicles, even if they might help ease our fuel crisis.

US drivers might want to look at the SMART, available in the US soon.

tags: canadian law, economy car, economy cars, fuel economy, gizmodo, honda, honda acty, japanese cars, japanoid, k-car, k-cars, kei jidousha, keicars, mini, mitsubishi, mitsubishi minica toppo, nissan, nissan figaro, nissan pao, nissan s-cargo, smart, tiny