Bellingham man's car goes from Canada to Mexico on one tank of fuel

[msirach]

119.1 miles per gallon

Kie Relyea - BELLINGHAMHERALD - September 04, 2010

Proper design can really put efficiency through the roof! Why has this car not been mass produced? --Ed.

Bellingham resident Craig Henderson has driven the car he built in the 1980s from Canada to Mexico on one tank of diesel, getting an average of 119.1 miles per gallon, he said, and shattering the old record the car set back in 1986.

Henderson started his border-to-border drive Sunday, Aug. 29, from Blaine. He finished Wednesday, Sept. 1.

Known as the Avion, his sleek, red car covered 1,478 miles on 12.41 gallons of fuel, he said.

"Not bad, huh?" Henderson said during a phone interview from Los Angeles.
The average speed on the journey was 55 mph.

The car weighs 1,500 pounds. By comparison, a 2010 Toyota Prius weighs 3,042 pounds, according to the company.

Before embarking on his most recent border-to-border trip, Henderson said he swapped out the car's engine and replaced the tires with ones donated by Goodyear that were expected to add 4 percent to the car's fuel economy.




... [Read More]

[robert]

Yupper, this guy...
took the technology of the Moody Mobile diesel car...85-90 miles per gallon average...and dressed it up.?
That man Tom Moody...was NASCAR's best pit crew chief...could not argue credentials.
That was 1980's...Congress would not let it in the market.
No big deal here.
Robert

[ALS]

The best way to go would be to sell it as a Kit car.

[saturnsc2]

Wow that is a sharp looking car too! I'd drive it around for sure.

[Jough96Accord]

I'll take one, in black.

[Chuck]

If I was going to get another car, my sights would be on this one!

Their site: http://www.100mpgplus.com/index.html

[xcel]

Hi All:

Remember that DOT/EPA certs and NHTSA/IIHS crash tests make this a no-go for the average consumer. I can almost see what the new roof crush strength test would do to the Avion let alone a 35 mph side-impact or 40 mph frontal offset.

Good Luck

Wayne

[Harold]

Yes , I don't think you would survive much of a fender bender and I'll bet it don't meet the air quality standards. But it does show what can be done!!! Hal

[Chuck]

Recently, I thought of doing an article on why we need vehicles weighing thousands of pounds?

Most at CleanMPG do not see the necessity of 8000 pounds of vehicle to move a 200-pound person, but even the lightest cars weigh 1900 pounds.

Fuel economy simply has not been a priority, nor do I see all the solutions as expensive. Just making cars lighter and more aerodynamic would make a big impact. I know some will be concerned about the disparity with 18-wheelers and big rigs - just give them clearance. As for the proliferation of pickups and SUVs over the last twenty years - it never should have happened.

[NiHaoMike]

Make one with just 3 wheels and call it a motorcycle.