4 ms·
MPJ - Miles per Joule As we move toward alternative fuels, we need a fuel-independent metric.
by vaporstun 17y ago
MPJ - Miles per Joule
As we move toward alternative fuels, we need a fuel-independent metric.
- ccc3 17y agoAgreed. It'll have to be a measure of energy consumption per mile. Consumers will also have to develop an understanding of the relative cost of different energy sources. Maybe we rate cars in Miles/Joule and rate energy sources in Joules/$. Makes the math pretty simple.
- sp332 17y agoYou might need to add some cargo/people capacity in there. A tiny electric car will have a hard time beating a diesel MAC truck for efficiency when it's hauling a few tons :)
- ynniv 17y agoJust as a Vespa would have poor gas mileage carrying heavy truck cargo - this has nothing to do with the energy source.
- sp332 17y agoI thought that was the idea - removing different energy sources from the picture and looking at which vehicles are more efficient.
- ynniv 17y agoThere is no intuitive way to convey what you are proposing. If you tried to move 4 tons of cargo, a big rig would use less energy than a Civic. If you are trying to get yourself across town, a Civic will use less energy than a big rig. It would be complicated and expensive to calculate the full spectrum of efficiencies for a vehicle under different cargo loads. Personally, I would use the data, but I suspect the average person would find multiple efficiency graphs to be overwhelming.
- krschultz 17y agoBut 1 Joule of one energy does not cost the same as 1 Joule of another, which is why MPG gasoline and MPG diesel are not directly comparable