Alternative Energy Foundation » gas mileage http://www.alternativeenergyfoundation.org/blog Tomorrows Energy Today Mon, 01 Aug 2011 06:01:55 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 Less Drag Equals Better Gas Mileage http://www.alternativeenergyfoundation.org/blog/2008/drag-equals-gas-mileage/ http://www.alternativeenergyfoundation.org/blog/2008/drag-equals-gas-mileage/#comments Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:06:38 +0000 Dr. Ryan Hartman http://www.alternativeenergyfoundation.org/blog/?p=126 Reducing the drag imposed on an automobile by air flowing over its surface has potential to improve gas mileage. This idea should not be surprising because auto engineers have been studying the problem for decades. In fact, engineers and scientists have been studying this problem for over 100 years because it impacts automobiles, airplanes, and especially marine vessels.

As a car accelerates and decelerates, the air flowing at the surface cannot keep up. Consequently, flow transitions from laminar to turbulent, which ultimately requires more work from your engine. This means that aggressive drivers will likely suffer from lower fuel efficiency simple due to driving behavior. Optimizing, however, the conditions under which laminar flow is maintained could reduce gas consumption. Mechanical engineers at MIT have recently solved this problem through theoretical predictions. Read more about this 100 year old problem at MIT

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