"Nice ones." "Fuel cut." "Surf
drafting." There are certain phrases that, when you hear them, you know
you've not at your average automotive event. In fact, the drive we're setting
out on today is something that has never been done before: taking three 2014 Audi TDI vehicles – a Q5, an A7 and an A6 – from Los Angeles to New York in
48 hours while attempting to beat the vehicles' official EPA fuel economy
numbers. It's going to be an interesting combination of careful green driving
and non-stop movement.
Two years ago, we had our first serious lesson on hypermiling with world record holder Wayne Gerdes and the CleanMPG crew. That endeavor saw a heavily packed Ford F-150 get 30+ mpg coast to coast. This time around, there will be more people, more vehicles and more speed. Even our bathroom and refueling breaks will be timed because this is a big country and 48 hours is not a lot of time. This is why Gerdes, during his pre-drive pep talk last night, ran us through the items listed above, as well as how to use the paddle shifters to improve our fuel economy and a bunch of other tips.
For the record, the EPA says the three vehicles are capable of the following:
Two years ago, we had our first serious lesson on hypermiling with world record holder Wayne Gerdes and the CleanMPG crew. That endeavor saw a heavily packed Ford F-150 get 30+ mpg coast to coast. This time around, there will be more people, more vehicles and more speed. Even our bathroom and refueling breaks will be timed because this is a big country and 48 hours is not a lot of time. This is why Gerdes, during his pre-drive pep talk last night, ran us through the items listed above, as well as how to use the paddle shifters to improve our fuel economy and a bunch of other tips.
For the record, the EPA says the three vehicles are capable of the following:
2014 A6 Quattro: 29 combined, 24 city and 38 highway
2014 A7 Quattro: 29 combined, 24 city and 38 highway (yes,
the same as the A6)
2014 Q5: 27 combined, 24 city and 31 highway
We'll see what we get between here and New York. You can
follow along on Twitter (both through the AutoblogGreen account and
from other participants using the TruthIn48 hashtag)
and on the CleanMPG
site. Eleven guys and one gal in three cars for 2,800 miles without
so much as an extended meal break? It's gonna be a cramped, smelly weekend. Oh,
and a lot of fun.
source: http://green.autoblog.com/2013/09/07/audi-tdi-truth-in-48-la-to-nyc-mpg/
by Sebastian Blanco
http://www.boscheuropean.com
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