The E BIKE Thread

[tx2sturgis]

Years ago before all the emissions crap and ethanol fuel, it was fairly common to see the tiny econo-boxes (gas) get close to 40 and 50 mpg and they did that on pre-ethanol gas at 55mph or maybe 60 mph.....but that is not the case now unless you buy a hybrid. Ethanol gasoline has less energy for non-optimized gasoline engines. The EPA uses certification gasoline in its mileage test. Certification gasoline is ZERO ethanol...E0. But what we mostly buy is E-10 so we get about 10% less MPG....most of us do, anyway. And speed limits are way up. 75 is more or less normal now days and cars and especially SUVs and vans burn more gas at that speed.

And even modern diesels get fewer MPG now, and you have to figure in the cost of DEF. Thanks to the EPA and CARB.

In the trucking world, we hit all time highs of 7-8 mpg (average) around 2010...give or take a year or two, then fuel mileage went DOWN again because of all the emissions crap. Then it went back up again. I'm out of the loop but I suspect it has flat-lined in the last few years. in 40 years of trucking the highest mileage truck I ever drove (Peterbilt 579 with a big 15 liter Cummins) )averaged about 9.7 mpg.

That's AMAZING for 80,000 pounds, day in and day out.

As is, the scooter got about 66 mpg IN TOWN mileage, during break-in, on ethanol gas. No car can beat that unless its a hybrid or you hypermile a tiny econobox or hybrid (like a Prius) on the highway.