Cottonball Run

When you start talking official sanctioning bodies and publicity,
the costs start ratcheting up immediately. That's pretty clearly
what's going on with the greatrace stuff. Rallies and other
low-key events keep costs down by using volunteers and being
low-profile and informal. The MPG competitions at Hybridfest
[and ex-Tour de Sol, and other more local events] are similar.
.
And yes, it's a challenge in fine control, although you generally
have more time to make decisions when you're not going 200 mph
and the price of the wrong decision is much lower.
.
_H*

 

A fuel economy run wouldn't need to be sanctioned if the cars are all insured and there is no incentive to break a law. This is like an observation trial, people out for a drive following a set of directions, that's all it is.

 

As one who competed in the Hybridfest MPG Challenge, I'm not sure I could do it.

Like Larry says, it requires considerable attention to so many details, maybe even more than in a speed race. Environmental awareness of course is essential, but so is constant attention to things inside the car. In particular (in the Prius anyway), timing of acceleration and braking (or better, avoiding braking) and maintaining precise go-pedal positions are all vital. Then there is the issue of running for hours on end with the windows closed and no climate control.

Bottom line: Unless teammates (well, me anyway) limited their driving segments to an hour or so, I don't think I have the attention span, and I don't think my (long) right leg could properly work the pedal without cramping up.

 

I have done the hypermiling routine from Wadsworth, IL to Elkhart, IN which is ~4 hours for me. I could probably do 8 hours at a time but I don't know if I could do it every day for a couple of weeks.

 

Cool idea! guess there would have to be alot of details to work out- especially monitoring everyone.....
I would suggest starting in NJ- Manhattan is a pretty tough place to stage a bunch of cars........

 

Cross the U.S. in 100hrs ?? That only requires about 30mph average. That's dangerous on the open road. Bump it up to no less than 5 under that speed limit ... like following a semi ... but not TOO close. The 30mph average also hurts the EV's if they have to stop & charge. To be fair, they'd have to set up modular battery change out stations ... which I'm way in favor of doing anyway ... rather than have EV's that you have to wait hours for a refill.

 

What would be the problem with daytime only travel?

 

This sounds interesting and fun. I'd certainly be interested in competing if I had the opportunity.

It seems that your biggest hurdle is going to be finding a way to prevent cheating. You'll need some pretty detailed rules as to what is and is not allowed, and you might need to assign a race judge to each car to either ride along or follow.

I assume that for Category 3 you'll find some way of equalizing "energy units" for the various potential fuels (diesel, bio-diesel, gasoline, E10, E85, etc).

Depending on what the rules allowed, I suspect that you'll find that most cars will not stop as often or for as long as you think. I certainly wouldn't be wasting time stopping for bathroom breaks, fuel, food, etc when I could be covering ground at a lower speed and higher efficiency instead.

I assume all liquid fueled vehicles will need some sort of after market fuel flow meter installed to determine fuel usage? Would the racers need to fork over the cash for this device, or is it something the race committee would be providing? Do you intend to have some sort of entry fee?

 

While the New York to Paris MPG Challenge is a once-in-a-lifetime event, in the original NY to Paris MPG Challenge press release you may have noted this phrase "...This is the first in a series of MPG Challenges..."

With all the interest in Hybridfest and the MPG Challenge, expect to see more MPG Challenge events in the future.

I will be sure to keep everyone informed as more is officially rolled out.

Also, we are always looking for volunteers to help out at the events as well, so be sure to drop me a line if you are interested.

 

Well, I guess that counts the human hybrid out.

Ewww. I don't wanna be your copilot.