Technical 500 Topolino Hybrid cars ?

[Most Easterly Pandas]

I had a Skoda Superb (officially you cannot make jokes about them anymore) and the sunroof incorporated a solar panel that would keep the A/C working on a hot day whilst the car was parked. It was great coming up from the beach and whilst other people opened their car doors and stood outside whilst the hot air escaped I would just get into a cool car. (not that type of cool, they weren't cool then.)

Now that really is a Superb feature

Sorry couldn't resist.

But seriously sounds really good. So it is possible then, and I assume it was effective enough? So could easily be put into one of these modern electric cars IMO.

 

[306maxi]

Now that really is a Superb feature

Sorry couldn't resist.

But seriously sounds really good. So it is possible then, and I assume it was effective enough? So could easily be put into one of these modern electric cars IMO.

Thing is, if it's running all the time it doesn't need to be all that powerful to keep the car cool.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Thing is, if it's running all the time it doesn't need to be all that powerful to keep the car cool.

True. I'm just curious to if it was full AC operation or just blowers though. I can't see why cars don't have electric AC if its that easy and loose the compressor on the engine system. Same as how power steering is now electronic and not on the engine with a hydraulic pump.

 

[306maxi]

True. I'm just curious to if it was full AC operation or just blowers though. I can't see why cars don't have electric AC if its that easy and loose the compressor on the engine system. Same as how power steering is now electronic and not on the engine with a hydraulic pump.

A quick google says it's just fans.

 

[loveshandbags]

Strange thing is, I watched the second video 3 times but can't seem to remember anything about the car. :chin:

I reckoned that you would not be the only person struggling with that so that's why I posted the first video clip. The statistics are something else...

100 mile range
110mph top speed
0-60 5.6 secs

With that later figure it might justify the comfy dark red leather seats with the 4 point harness system.

I should be positively heroic in that case.

 

[jrkitching]

Can someone explain to me why people are braking going down hills? I know east Anglia Is fairly flat, but when traveling to sisters uni in Preston along the back hill country roads, I simply select a low gear and cruise down hill using fuel shut off (foot off of accelerator) and the mpg gradually goes up and up. Yes you have to loose some going up the next hill, but keep using fuel shut off and it soon evens out ...

Might be easier to understand if you think of it as 'retardation' rather than 'braking'. Without some form of regenerative system, any time you artificially retard the car, whether by using the brakes or the engine, you are permanently dissipating energy you've previously paid for in fuel. Providing the car is running in fuel cut-off mode, it makes not a jot of difference to economy* whether you descend a hill in 5th using the brakes, or in 2nd using the gearbox - the fuel consumed for the downhill segment is zero in both cases. The extra fuel used in very hilly areas is burned going up, not coming down - if the hills are too steep to descend safely in top gear without braking, you will use more fuel than you would on flat terrain, however carefully you drive or whatever method you use to slow yourself down.

*there are of course good safety reasons for descending very steep hills using the gearbox in preference to the brakes, but that's not the point I'm trying to make here.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Might be easier to understand if you think of it as 'retardation' rather than 'braking'. Without some form of regenerative system, any time you artificially retard the car, whether by using the brakes or the engine, you are permanently dissipating energy you've previously paid for in fuel. Providing the car is running in fuel cut-off mode, it makes not a jot of difference to economy* whether you descend a hill in 5th using the brakes, or in 2nd using the gearbox - the fuel consumed for the downhill segment is zero in both cases. The extra fuel used in very hilly areas is burned going up, not coming down - if the hills are too steep to descend safely in top gear without braking, you will use more fuel than you would on flat terrain, however carefully you drive or whatever method you use to slow yourself down.

*there are of course good safety reasons for descending very steep hills using the gearbox in preference to the brakes, but that's not the point I'm trying to make here.

But when in fuel shut off providing your not braking the small engine braking won't decrese your MPG it'll increase it as although your loosing a small bit of the energy from the fuel you've already burnt, your traveling X distance using no fuel. Where as on flat you'd still be using a small amount of fuel.

On the M62 for example, lots of hills. Yes you use more fuel going up hill, however take the ups steady and you don't burn to much, then on the down hill sections you can get miles of fuel shut off. Set a upper and lower speed and fuel shut off from upper to lower, hard accelerate from lower to upper and then repeat.

Doing that I get better MPG dispite the hills on the M62 than I do on a run the same distance doing a steady cruise on the A1 which is a lot flatter. So if used well it is my opinion that hills and good use of fuel shut off can improve fuel economy.

Equally I've started doing similar on the A11 from Norwich to London. I used to do the journey at 50-60 MPH. I now however do it at 70 and on the approach to each of the 10 or so roundabouts from about half a mile before the roundabouts I use fuel shut off to drop the speed from 70 to 40ish without braking. Providing it's clear I then join the roundabouts and leave without braking. 10 lots of 0.5 miles on that journey now mean I've added 5 miles to the journey where I use no fuel and glide on the energy already created by previously burnt fuel. Because of this although the slightly higher speed means I use slightly more fuel, the addition of 5 miles miles covered without fuel means it's off set from the MPG, and I now get the same as I used to get doing the slower speed

 

[loveshandbags]

Realise that we're going slightly off topic but I'm sure we can get back on track again.
Can you remind me again which car you're driving. Is it the 2004 Mk3 Panda Active and does this one have the LPG dual fuel setup ?
For me personally if I'm in eco mode (have to bring up the average to 37mpg ) I would use the mpg readout to 'feed' the throttle and I've found that by getting 'up to speed' I can get into that 6th gear.
Does your car have all the computer geezmo read out stuff ?
I take it that your car has the 1.2 engine that is in the 500.
I wonder is it worthwhile knowing if the battery on the car has a 'full charge'. In some of the old cars they had a volt or was it an amp readout gauge. For those interested in bettering their mpg I wonder if a solar panel for charging the battery when it's 'off the road' be benefical ?

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Nope the Active is sisters 1.1 Panda. My daily driver and the one I do the fuel shut off with is a 1.4 LPG hybrid Stilo.

It does have the MPG trip and computer, but I don't use it really as it's not relevant when on LPG although I can use it as a guide to how economically I'm driving.

 

[loveshandbags]

Michael,

I would take anything eutoexpress says with a bag of salt

...Just paid €1.47 for a gallon of petrol last week (equivalent to st£1.30)...

On one of the U.S. Abarth video clips it was announced that by the end of this year (2012) Fiat U.S. will be releasing an Electric 500. (No sign of the Hybrid as mentioned by Autoexpress).

Noticed at a 'local' builder providers that they had a recharging station. Spoke to the owner about it and he was proud of the fact that he is the first in Ireland to have one installed despite the ESB (Electricity Supply Board) claiming that they were the first (he claims that he has the proof getting his 3 days before their one). He has no plans to charge for the use of it and plans to provide it free to his customers.

Here are some of the Green cars at the Geneva car show (Click here). With petrol now at €1.67 it wouldn't be long before it's at €2 a litre. Have noticed that there's a swing more towards Hybrids (as opposed to pure Electric cars) given the 'Range anxiety' that some seem to be experiencing.