In an article on Reviews, there was this interesting topic about 11 technologies that automakers use to improve fuel economy. According to the article, “these range from turbocharging an engine, to improving the transmission, to electrifying specific components.” One of the old technologies used were the turbochargers. Some other newer innovations that cut fuel use, such as the use of idle stop and dual-clutch transmissions. They also said in the article that “consumers are trying to cope with increasing gas prices, and governments are pushing for reduced carbon dioxide emissions, which relate directly to fuel economy.” I am no expert obviously in the topic, but the definition of fuel economy as stated in the web is that it’s a “number that corresponds to the amount of miles that a vehicle can travel on a gallon of gasoline, referred to as miles per gallon (MPG). The higher the MPG of a vehicle, the more eco-friendly it is likely to become, and the less it is dependent on non-renewable resources.” From that point on, I think it’s safe to say that the automakers are going to change the face of production in regards to the environment. Indeed, if they can create new technologies and produce great cars that are eco-friendly, the benefits (profit and social) are going to be exponentially positive. Everybody likes a good invention that is efficient for today’s world and eco-friendly at the same time; especially in these “very climate sensitive times” !
They say that fuel economy is a well-defined measure familiar to anybody who has bought a car in the U.S. I stumbled on another term: fuel efficiency. Which according to John Heywood, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and past Director of the Sloan Automotive Laboratory, is a looser, descriptive term referring to how efficiently a vehicle uses fuel.Heywood, whose research looks at potential strategies for lowering transportation’s fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, notes that both terms are important in thinking about how to change the U.S.’s gas-hungry car culture. What we really ought to be thinking about, he says, is fuel consumption, measured in gallons per mile—not the customary miles per gallon. Reducing our fuel consumption, developing hybrid and electric cars, and establishing access to alternative fuels, will be of vital environmental and economic importance.
