100+ Hypermiling / ecodriving tips for better MPG
Adjusting the nut behind the wheel is arguably the most important modification a person can make to his or her vehicle. While a modified vehicle will get better MPG regardless of the driver, driving techniques have the added advantage of being free and portable - you can bring your fuel saving skills to any vehicle you drive. Read more...
Junkyard rejuvenation: reviving a scrapped Honda Insight hybrid
"In January of '08 I found a 2000 Honda Insight in a junk yard. For a total of $2000 bucks I brought my new 'beater' home in hopes of getting it back up and running to replace my current daily driver (2001 Jeep Wrangler)." Follow Red's progress as he nurses a given-up-for-dead hybrid back to health to become his fuel-sipping commuter. Read more...
Opengauge / MPGuino: DIY open source fuel economy computer
The key to evaluating vehicle mods or driving techniques is feedback - fuel economy instrumentation. Owners of OBD-II vehicles typically opt for the ScanGauge, but where does that leave everyone else? That's what various EcoModder members (lead by dcb) plan to address with the Arduino-based, Opengauge/MPGuino project. Read more...
DIY long wheelbase recumbent bicycle project
Ecomodders love their bicycles! More than a few of us harbour plans (or mere ambitions) for building/modding bikes to make them more comfortable, efficient or just plain fun. Forum member jwxr7 is doing more than dreaming about it - he's undertaken a recumbent bike fabrication project, and is documenting it in an EM thread. Read more...
Building a highly aerodynamic human powered vehicle
Continuing the "it's not just about cars & motorcycles" theme, EcoModder member trebuchet03 is documenting the construction of a super slippery shell (Cd of .09 in CFD testing) for his university's human powered competition vehicle. Lots of fabrication inspiration and aero talk here. Read more...
Car and Driver magazine ecomods a Pinto - MPG improves 25%
34 years ago in response to the 1973/74 oil embargo, Car and Driver ran a feature article called Project Car: Crisis-Fighter Pinto, documenting six relatively simple and inexpensive modifications which actually saved gas. Read more...
5th generation civic hatchback - improving aerodynamics (and more)
AndrewJ says... "following the footsteps of the pioneer Basjoos before me, I too am setting out on the road of improving the aerodynamics of a 5th generation Honda Civic hatchback." Follow his epic build thread as he constructs wheel skirts, a massive front air dam (with cockpit adjustable opening), smooth wheel covers, partial Kammback, alternator kill switch (with deep-cycle support), and much more. Read more...
ForkenCycle: dirt cheap, DIY electric motorcycle made from forklift parts
What do you do if the company you work for says you can have - for free - a worn out battery powered forklift that’s collecting dust in the corner of a warehouse? If you’re Russ Gries you say, “dirt cheap, home-built electric motorcycle, here I come!” Read more...
"Here is what I want my Prius to end up looking like."
A factory drag coefficient of .26 is pretty darned impressive, isn't it? Not if you're ambitious Prius owner Bestmapman, who is considering how best to approach some radical aero mods that would surely bring his vehicle's Cd into the mid teens range. His project list includes a full boat tail, skirts on all four wheels, front end smoothing and a number of smaller details. His tentative plans have the attention of more than a few people, as you can see in the thread discussing his car. Read more...
Modding, old school: 17 year old builds a faster and more efficient Model T in the 1930's
Modding for efficiency is nothing new, as this dramatic example proves. Shown is a Model T Ford that was rebuilt by its 17 year old owner in the 1930s. In addition to the hand-built, streamlined body, a second transmission was installed inline with the original to provide better gearing. The result was both improved top speed and better fuel economy. More details and images in the thread. Read more...
Project ForkenSwift - the $672 electric car
What do you get when you cross a Geo Metro with an electric forklift, a golf cart, and a bunch of used batteries? You get a ridiculously inexpensive, home-built, electric car. This street-legal grocery getter was built entirely from used parts - some scrounged for free - by two friends in Ontario, Canada. Read more...
Professional quality aerodynamic pickup truck cap going into production
Brett Herndon is a genuine craftsman who has combined his skill in clay modeling with his knowledge of aerodynamics to produce a professional quality aerodynamic truck cap which will literally pay for itself in gas savings. It's unlike anything you've seen before: it can be used as a big hatchback, transformed into a conventional box cap, or have its top removed to make room for oversize loads. Brett is taking his handiwork into commercial production, and is a success story waiting to happen. Read more...
Aerocivic - how to drop your Cd from 0.34 to 0.17
Ecomodder member "basjoos" is doing what most people would at first think impossible: getting 95 MPG in an old Honda Civic. How did he achieve such an outstanding feat? Ecodriving and aeromodding. Basjoos is well known for being one of the first to perform some radical aerodynamic modifications to his car. And he's had radical results: "95 mpg is what I typically get while driving at a constant speed from 30 to 65 mph on a flat road in 80 degree F temperatures with well broken-in tires." See many more photos in the Aerocivic thread. Read more...
Electric Kawasaki
"Last summer, I converted an old, non-running motorcycle to run on batteries and an electric motor. It's a blast to ride. Easy to steer. No clutch, no engine to kill or restart, just twist the grip and go. It is also quiet. There were a few times I would just hop on and zip off to the grocery store. When I got back, my wife would never know I left because the thing is so sneaky quiet." Read more...
"Ecomod my Ride" design contest - win $100.00 in free gas
Detroit didn't try hard enough! At least that's the opinion of Ecomodder member XFi, who's turning to the collective wisdom of the forum to come up with a plan to modify his recently acquired 1997 Ford Escort station wagon for max MPG. If you think you can beat the pants off Detroit too, here's your chance. Just post your build plan along with the others in this thread and you may find yourself rewarded for guiding yet another vehicle down a more efficient path. Read more...
Project Convertible XFi: lightweight, alfresco efficiency
Coyote X has been driving his modified-for-efficiency 1993 Geo Metro XFi hatchback for years, and has managed to achieve an impressive "lifetime" 60.5 mpg (US) since he bought it. The only problem is the car has been rusting out from beneath him. So he recently picked up a 1991 Metro convertible for $150 and has launched an ambitious build that's much more just a powertrain swap: the Metro 'vert is getting a complete custom tubular frame for aggressive weight reduction, and some interesting aero mods are in the works. Read more...
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