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.
I think this is where a participant in this race would take a lesson from the cannonballers. For one thing, the route is even more important in this race than for a cannonballer: plan out the route with attention to elevation changes, RATE of elevation change, staright-aways, etc.; teammate selection - there's no way one person can do this alone, one would have to find two equally skilled driver for a team. Also, in the rules, I specifically did not restrict the type of equipment alloweable to the team, so I can easily see the driver concentrating on the driving, while the co-driver checking things out on a scan-gauge, or even a laptop, for data analysis. I want this to be bigger than a regular MPG competiton at a hybrid fest. I want this to not just be a hybrid MPG competition. Category 3 is open to ALL vehicles, so if you think you can drive a Yaris to get better mileage than a hybrid, by all means, go for it! If you think you can modify the Civic for a Cat 2 run to beat all comers, bring it! and yes, that's why costs would be big, and I am open to all suggestions.
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.
regarding the 100 hours and 30mph average. That is by design, why I choose that. Keep in mind the 100 hours is the time when you must FINISH the race. You can finish earlier if you want, but speed is not the important factor here, MPG is. Else, this'll just turn into another cannonball. the 30mph average is purposefully low, so that those who REALLY want to maximize it can do so, but can't just plod along for the entire trip. This makes it so the winning team really have to balance speed against efficiency, finding the best time to go faster, and the best stretch of road to go slow, etc. And then, if 2 teams happen to finish with the exact MPG over the trip, then whomever comes in faster gets the tiebreaker. And since that's an AVERAGE time, EV driving is already considered. This makes it possible for EV users to drive 60mph, but then have time enough to stop and recharge, so that their overall average end up being 30mph or above. I really expect actual driving speed to be above 55 for most of the trip. bathroom breaks, fuel stops, tire changes, etc. would then bring down that average. 100 hours for the entire race then, is not too strict a time limit to allow teams to maximize efficiency, but not completely relaxed that this stops being a RACE.
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.
