Fast-forward 22 years. On Oct. 11, Henderson and Green once again set the world record for fuel economy, this time averaging 113.1 miles per gallon in a new race from the Canadian border to the Oregon border. "It was a personal goal of ours to restore our car and break the old world record," Henderson said. The redesigned and improved Avion has new parts from a Smart Car, including an engine and six-gallon fuel tank, Green said. CollegiateTimes.com - Move over, Prius: Avion pushes 110 mpg
It's impressive what individuals can do without any of the resources a typical car company has access to.
I really like the shape of that car for a sporty, two seat, high mileage car. Isn't the punctuation in that headline incorrect? Shouldn't it be; Move over Prius; Avion pushes 110mpg. Note that this is not a Hybrid.
Definitely kudos are in order, but there's really not much new here that I can see. A small light aerodynamic car with a small engine driven by an expert hyper-miler can get really good mileage. The primary challenge is making the car safe, able to meet people's needs, and able to perform efficiently with an average Joe at the wheel. While its not the final answer, I think the Prius is a great step in the right direction. A safe family car with acceptable performance that anyone can sit in and get 40-45 mpg is a great place to start. If all our cars shed half their weight, we'd be in much better shape, but its going to be tough to pull that off when we're sharing the road with 6000 lb SUVs. Rob
