One-third of car fuel consumption is due to friction loss

[flapdoodle]

It really bothers me that they think they have just figured this out. I got a big jump in mileage just by switching to synthetic lube in my differential.
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No less than one third of a car's fuel consumption is spent in overcoming friction, and this friction loss has a direct impact on both fuel consumption and emissions. However, new technology can reduce friction by anything from 10% to 80% in various components of a car, according to a joint study by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) in USA. It should thus be possible to reduce car's fuel consumption and emissions by 18% within the next 5 to 10 years and up to 61% within 15 to 25 years.

There are 612 million cars in the world today. The average car clocks up about 13,000 km per year, and in the meantime burns 340 litres of fuel just to overcome friction, costing the driver EUR 510 per year.

http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-01-...ption-due.html

[kamesama980]

I know how you feel. At my old school district an employee got a 20k promotion for being the "efficiency expert" by telling the district to turn lights and computer monitors off at night.

[markweatherill]

I am sure a conversation similar to this took place in the laboratories when they realised what they were on to:

"Excellent!" I cried.
"Elementary," said he. "It is one of those instances where the reasoner can produce an effect which seems remarkable to his neighbour, because the latter has missed the one little point which is the basis of the deduction. The same may be said, my dear fellow, for the effect of some of these little sketches of yours, which is entirely meretricious, depending as it does upon your retaining in your own hands some factors in the problem which are never imparted to the reader.

[GasSavers_Erik]

To bad there isn't more info in that article, this figure needs to be qualified in terms of load.

I can believe the 1/3 figure at idle, but I don't believe it is true when driving at highway speeds.

[madnessspirit]

Reminds me of back when I was on the farm and they realized they could save on the fuel bill by not idling the engine in the trucks or pickups while they were doing nothing in fields.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by Erik

To bad there isn't more info in that article, this figure needs to be qualified in terms of load.

I can believe the 1/3 figure at idle, but I don't believe it is true when driving at highway speeds.

It depends on what types of friction we're talking about. The only energy I can think of that doesn't end up as friction is shed directly as heat. Brake friction, tire friction, air friction...

[GasSavers_Erik]

Good point- I suppose one could consider drag as "air friction"

[flapdoodle]

Perhaps they included power steering, air conditioning, etc. with friction.