Right Lane Cruiser
10-16-2009, 08:07 AM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg A small diesel generator, which runs on 100 percent biodiesel made from cooking oil collected from the campus kitchen, keeps the batteries going. (http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/10/biodiesel-hybrid-bu/)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/1974_VW_Super_Beetle.jpgKeith Barry - WIRED (http://www.wired.com) - October 15, 2009
An interesting attempt -- will this be the next wave of garage DIY type conversions? --Ed.
Students at the University of Kansas have built what may be the coolest hybrid ever — a 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle–series hybrid that burns biodiesel and gets about 50 mpg.
The Super Beetle had been rusting away on a used car lot until it was donated to a mechanical engineering class led by professor Chris Depcik. He turned it over to a group of environmentally conscious engineering students who call themselves the EcoHawks. Over the course of a year, they installed a series of 10 lead-acid batteries and a biodiesel generator. It isn’t very fast — even by Beetle standards — but it runs.
“We have driven it around and reached approximately 30 mph, but this was more of a proof-of-concept drive without pushing the boundaries,” Depcik told Autopia. “We are currently getting the vehicle into road-ready shape to be driven safely in order to determine these values.”
Depcik estimates that it will be ready to pass a Kansas state inspection “with flying colors” by May 2010. Yeah, but why a Beetle, of all things?
Depcik says it was a natural, given the ready availability of parts. It’s not as if there aren’t a lot of Beetles out there, given that VW built 21.5 million of them before production finally ended in 2003.
They also liked the idea of making an old car cleaner and more efficient. And then there’s the fact the team saw the Beetle as a pop-culture icon that could draw attention to the project. That ploy worked — we love this thing. It’s like a really cool Chevrolet Volt but without the plug-in capability.
Depcik figures the project cost about $25,000 and most likely wouldn’t turn a profit if replicated on a larger scale. Still, he has hope for vehicle recycling and conversion as an alternative to electric cars built from scratch. The EcoHawks say rebuilding and repurposing the... http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/10/biodiesel-hybrid-bu/
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/1974_VW_Super_Beetle.jpgKeith Barry - WIRED (http://www.wired.com) - October 15, 2009
An interesting attempt -- will this be the next wave of garage DIY type conversions? --Ed.
Students at the University of Kansas have built what may be the coolest hybrid ever — a 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle–series hybrid that burns biodiesel and gets about 50 mpg.
The Super Beetle had been rusting away on a used car lot until it was donated to a mechanical engineering class led by professor Chris Depcik. He turned it over to a group of environmentally conscious engineering students who call themselves the EcoHawks. Over the course of a year, they installed a series of 10 lead-acid batteries and a biodiesel generator. It isn’t very fast — even by Beetle standards — but it runs.
“We have driven it around and reached approximately 30 mph, but this was more of a proof-of-concept drive without pushing the boundaries,” Depcik told Autopia. “We are currently getting the vehicle into road-ready shape to be driven safely in order to determine these values.”
Depcik estimates that it will be ready to pass a Kansas state inspection “with flying colors” by May 2010. Yeah, but why a Beetle, of all things?
Depcik says it was a natural, given the ready availability of parts. It’s not as if there aren’t a lot of Beetles out there, given that VW built 21.5 million of them before production finally ended in 2003.
They also liked the idea of making an old car cleaner and more efficient. And then there’s the fact the team saw the Beetle as a pop-culture icon that could draw attention to the project. That ploy worked — we love this thing. It’s like a really cool Chevrolet Volt but without the plug-in capability.
Depcik figures the project cost about $25,000 and most likely wouldn’t turn a profit if replicated on a larger scale. Still, he has hope for vehicle recycling and conversion as an alternative to electric cars built from scratch. The EcoHawks say rebuilding and repurposing the... http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/10/biodiesel-hybrid-bu/