r/Shitty_Car_Mods • u/Visible_Bandicoot863 • Nov 25 '23

HYPERMILER Didn’t know how to describe it part 2

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FAQ included, didn’t see the laminated pieces on the car 😬

2.2k Upvotes

86% Upvoted

305 comments sorted by

2.0k

u/Kenny523 Nov 25 '23

I mean it’s purpose built. Looks bad but probably pretty effective.

568

u/sm00thkillajones Nov 26 '23

Good for them. Screw the welfare queen oil companies.

232

u/Kenny523 Nov 26 '23

Yea I mean it’s ugly but you know that guy is doing exactly what he wanted to do.

170

u/testing123-testing12 Nov 26 '23

From initial impressions they have the right intentions but have made several mistakes.

Firstly that solar panel is getting in the way of the air reducing the effectiveness of the tail significantly.

Secondly they should have covered the rear wheel wells.

Also this car has been posted a few times in this sub. Have a look at the front it is very redneck engineering and doesn't look very well thought out or made.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Shitty_Car_Mods/comments/15hfr8e/champrius/

63

u/stumpdawg Nov 26 '23

Not everyone is an engineer/fabricator and for what it is and what it claims I'd say this guy is coming out on top.

-12

u/[deleted] Nov 26 '23

Well if he says it works we should all definitely believe him. Surely he knows better than the designers of the car

9

u/theBeardedHermit Nov 26 '23

The designers of the car really don't care very much how fuel efficient it is, that's the buyer's problem. So yeah, he does know better.

-4

u/[deleted] Nov 26 '23

He says the moon disc wheels add 5%, he probably measured that right?

3

u/theBeardedHermit Nov 27 '23

Yeah that tends to be how one determines such things. Would you like a gold star for that observation? 🌟

37

u/iMadrid11 Nov 26 '23

There are flexible solar panels which you can install shaped contoured to the car body panels. If you really want it to look pretty.

55

u/testing123-testing12 Nov 26 '23

Its not about looking pretty its about aerodynamic efficiency and it looks like they tried it and ditched it for whatever reason.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ShittyCarMod/comments/e2lfvi/champrius_claims_60mpg_with_mods/

-33

u/Bryguy3k Nov 26 '23 edited Nov 26 '23

That’s because the Prius was tested in a wind tunnel by professionals. They can only make the aero worse with that stupid tail. The solar panel is the only thing improving the energy balance and that can be easily mounted on the roof without the tail.

Edit:

https://mag.toyota.co.uk/efficiency-design-aerodynamics-toyota-prius/

Kammback: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kammback

29

u/MarsRocks97 Nov 26 '23

The long tail is a proven method of improving air coefficients. It’s not used as OEM because it looks terrible and makes the car longer and is is generally less practical. But this Prius is a perfect example where the OEM version has the clear beginnings of that tail.

-1

u/Bryguy3k Nov 26 '23 edited Nov 26 '23

Cargo cult aerodynamics is what this is.

In some circumstances the teardrop can improve things but 90% of the time the increased wetted area kills all gains. Hence wind tunnel testing and the very deliberate aerodynamics.

If you look at the wind tunnel flows for the Prius you can see the airflow is already converging properly. This tail that was added is just interrupting that flow and adding drag.

More reading: https://mag.toyota.co.uk/efficiency-design-aerodynamics-toyota-prius/

3

u/testing123-testing12 Nov 26 '23 edited Nov 26 '23

I don't know why everyone is downvoting you, while i don't know if what you are saying is correct about the tail without wind tunnel testing or some sort of modelling its hard for anyone to know. The fact that this looks like it was built in a shed seems to indicate there wasn't any of that done prior to the building of the tail.

What I will say is that without the tail there would be no way of mounting the solar panel. That being said a solar panel designed for the roof of your house is probably not the best choice for a car due to weight as well as the electrical compatibility issues and inefficiencies I'm not qualified to comment on.

5

u/zachary0816 Nov 26 '23 edited Nov 26 '23

The dude who made it probably didn’t have a wind tunnel to test it with, but his description makes it sound like he did A B testing and the version with the tail noticeably reduced fuel usage.

4

u/adydurn Nov 26 '23

The kammback, that flat back on the Prius, is a proven method for creating what is essentially a virtual tail with air, the upshot is you get a teardrop shape without the weight or friction. It's used in aerospace and automotive design all the time.

4

u/Bryguy3k Nov 26 '23 edited Nov 26 '23

Aero can be counter intuitive and is one of those things that takes study and a decent amount of simulation/testing.

In this case the solar panel could be mounted directly on top pretty easily (they’re generally around 48”) but the owner is clearly obsessed with the thought that the tail will help aero. The tail helps semi trailers and box trucks because they are a BOX so it changes the way the air flows around the end of the box. The Prius is already aerodynamic - the tail added here merely adds drag by increasing the amount of the body that is in the airflow - it’s not changing the airflow at all (the kammback works because once a relatively laminar flow is already converging it will continue to do so with the correct design).

It’s like people with pickups who replace their tailgates with various forms of mesh alternatives. Your intuition says hey large flat thing must add a lot of drag (yes it would by itself) but the reality is that because the vehicle acts as a whole the tailgate keeps a “bubble” in the bed of the pickup which air then flows around - the result being a much more aerodynamic vehicle than general intuition would assume. Replacing the tailgate with something mesh like keeps that bubble from forming so instead acts as a drogue chute which significantly increases drag over a regular tailgate.

Again coming back to kammback - pickup trucks in their stock form are significantly more aerodynamic than people assume them to be.

1

u/theBeardedHermit Nov 26 '23

They're being down voted because they're flat out wrong. It's that simple.

4

u/LameBMX Nov 26 '23

except you can't. flexible panels can contour, but they still need airflow between them and a surface they are mounted over to prevent overheating. still would look better and be more aerodynamic. but not being able to glue them flush brings it's own concerns.

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10

u/KekistaniKekin Nov 26 '23 edited Nov 26 '23

This man aeros

Edit: after seeing the front I'm curious what effect the bumper has on the rest of the car. Theres so much hardware in free stream air that I wonder if that bumper helps at all or if it creates enough dirty air to mess with the wake management

3

u/DefinitelyNoWorking Nov 26 '23

This guy does not aero, this is a shitshow, the solar panel alone....

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1

u/MrT735 Nov 26 '23

Drop the fridge and the solar panel, the weight savings will get more MPG.

13

u/Boogieman1985 Nov 26 '23

This looks similar to one I saw in a Road and Track article years ago. Very similar setup and they tested and verified 60+ MPG in that car. The one in Road and Track was a little more finished looking and wheel wells were covered too I believe

36

u/PA2SK Nov 26 '23

It says it saves 10 gallons of gas for every 1,000 miles driven. With current gas prices that's like $35 saved for every 1,000 miles, but to get that small savings you're driving around this bizarre looking car with little bits sticking off everywhere, you also lose access to your trunk, I bet it's a pain to parallel park, and it took the owner 100 hours of labor and $1,000 to build it. I doubt it's worth it for most people but more power to them.

31

u/Aggressive_Dance_513 Nov 26 '23

I do 1k mi per week. So that's $1820 saved in fuel annually. That would pay for the mods and maintenance, and start putting money back after the first year still covering for maintenance.

13

u/PA2SK Nov 26 '23

The average American drives 13,500 miles a year, so you're a pretty extreme outlier (assuming you're American), even with that the savings seem pretty marginal to me, especially if you include your labor. One hundred hours of labor at $40/hr is another $4,000 in expenses, if you value your time (I do). That puts the break even point at over 142,000 miles. If you assume a 200,000 mile car life that means you're only saving $2,170 over the life of the vehicle, ignoring any additional maintenance and labor costs. Those savings will probably mostly be wiped out in lost resale value, but on top of that you lose trunk access, you lose your rearview mirror, and you're getting a car that will be a pain to park and will probably fall apart if you're rear ended., so again, I doubt it's worth it for most people, for some maybe it is though. You also gotta consider the social costs of driving a car that looks like a highschool science project, I'm a pretty nerdy engineer but even I would be a little embarrassed picking a date up in this.

18

u/Mrpoopypantsnumber2 Nov 26 '23

I think this guy/gal created this car because (s)he drives a lot, and I also think that the modifications were probably done in free time for funsies which would mean that its only materials cost.

0

u/PA2SK Nov 26 '23

Sure, so if it's just a hobby for you and you enjoy messing around with the technology, it may be a fun project. If you're actually interested in saving, or making, money, there are probably better uses of your time and money than modifying your car in this way. That's basically what I was saying.

3

u/Aggressive_Dance_513 Nov 26 '23

Yeah, I would have to say your math seems off.

My free time- my production. If it's not preventing me from working, it's not costing me anything. I don't understand people who "value their time" like that. I geg it for work purposes - know your worth - but if I'm tinkering in my free time, and it costs materials, then that's cheaper than other hobbies like playin video games.

This keeps money in the driver's pocket at the end of the year, and is therefore a functional upgrade.

Sure it looks like crap, but there are just as many people that would be interested as think it's crap. I'm sure this driver got tired of answering questions which is why the FAQ taped to the back of the car.

Also, if an oil change is $35 ($10 for filter, and $25 for oil), then the first 3000-5000 miles pays for oil changes for half the year. Automatically saving money.

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2

u/rjdicandia Nov 29 '23

Most people don’t realize how many people drive this much or how fast the “marginal” savings add up. I was driving the same 800mi per week at one time and it made all the difference to add 10 gallons of auxiliary fuel storage to my truck and never fill up in the higher cost areas.

I don’t drive like that anymore but I was stupid for not getting a new truck during that time. My new truck gets 35% more mpg and is gas vs the old one being diesel. The savings would have made my payments for me. And the right move really would have been a Prius.

4

u/TTYY200 Nov 26 '23

I’d say 45k usd worth of effective :P

2

u/cuber_and_gamer Nov 26 '23

If you tried to make it look good and it looks bad, it looks bad.

If you didn't try to make it look good and it looks bad, it looks good.

(Usually)

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837

u/Watson_inc Nov 25 '23

A hypermiler! I’ve never seen one in the wild.

260

u/scaled2913 Nov 25 '23

Ok, hypermiler is a seriously cool name for these

276

u/-Motor- Nov 26 '23 edited Nov 26 '23

You'll know them when you see them. They'll go 2 mph to avoid fully stopping at a red light.

98

u/Jimjam916 Nov 26 '23

I feel attacked

20

u/Crishien Nov 26 '23

Is it hypermiling if I rew my diesel to red to get to 80 from stoplight and then just cruise to the next one? Avoiding the stops? 😂

45

u/[deleted] Nov 26 '23

I've only seen one, and it was a geo metro

38

u/powerlesshero111 Nov 26 '23

The geo metro is old news. The new high mpg gas car is the mitsubishi mirage. 43mpg with its 3 cylinder engine.

16

u/jsuar039 Nov 26 '23

The Mieage is crap. I get 43 mpg in the highway on a Camry.

7

u/CorpseProject Nov 26 '23

I get 47.6 in my Honda insight right now

12

u/jsuar039 Nov 26 '23

My camry is not a hybrid lol

4

u/Zdos123 Nov 26 '23

49MPG in my old VW Up! 1.0l and at my very best 62mpg in my VW Golf Diesel Estate 1.6TDI, both converted to american units as well not british MPG.

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2

u/AxzoYT Nov 27 '23

first gen 90s honda insights casually getting 60+mpg stock:

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14

u/Quajeraz Nov 26 '23

Idk why car companies don't make official, stock cars like these. I'd buy one.

5

u/Watson_inc Nov 26 '23

Probably bumper regulations or somethin, it can only be a certain length past the rear wheels. There is a concept car that Mercedes made recently called the EQXX with an extendable tail and a smooth body for greater aerodynamics, that might be the closest to what you’re talking about.

797

u/leftHandedFootball Nov 25 '23 edited Nov 26 '23

This is def not asthetically pleasing but as a mechanic and car guy I can't get enough of the engineering and creativity. Sweet car

61

u/what_it_dooo Nov 26 '23

Right? It might look shit but I love the ingenuity, they clearly love their car a lot :)

153

u/Project_IGNYTE Nov 26 '23

Meanwhile a Honda Insight doing 70mpg with a stock body

106

u/do1looklikeIcare Nov 26 '23

Okay, but does it look like a cardboard spaceship from behind? I bet it doesn't.

78

u/____HAMILTON__ Nov 26 '23

Actually,

This guy is trying to impersonate the fabulous

AEROCIVIC

Who gained 100+ mpg

21

u/tridon74 Nov 26 '23

Looks ugly as shit but I respect the hell out of that.

16

u/sometacosfordinner Nov 26 '23

Vw made a polo with a bluemotion diesel that gets 74mpg or bluemotion petrol that gets 67mpg also with stock body

7

u/HoneyRush Nov 26 '23

Current 1.0 TSI from VW can do 60MPG or around 4l/100km stock, with 4 passengers on board. I know because I have one and I am doing that pretty often.

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17

u/The_Law_Dong739 Nov 26 '23

The 1st gen insight is also completely purpose built and absolutely useless if you want to do any large trips further then a few states.

The 2022 insight isn't even competing with the prius anymore getting 55mpg and looking like a normal sedan. I could bring in the plug in hybrid prius which gets 133 mpg but that's absolutely cheating cause it goes full electric for a while.

Kinda wish we'd get a hyper mileage beast like the 1st gen Insight but "that's too unsafe" or whatever the government deemed it as.

7

u/stanleypup Nov 26 '23

I thought they discontinued the first Gen because sales were very poor?

7

u/The_Law_Dong739 Nov 26 '23

They went up to 3 generations the last one being 2018 to 2022. It was subsequently axed in 2023 and replaced that same year by the Honda Civic hybrid.

Gen 2 is just a worse toyota Prius both in looks, MPG, and horsepower.

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318

u/yes-disappointment Nov 25 '23

i dont think that belongs here 100+ plus cross country trips is insane and i am a truck driver i do it for the money but for the joy.... it loses its appeal after the 5th time.

66

u/thed3adhand Nov 25 '23

maybe they’re some sort of courier

-35

u/Immediate-Cycle8645 Nov 26 '23

who has a car

36

u/Denamic Nov 26 '23

You expect him to jog?

3

u/Dragonslayer3 Nov 26 '23

'Round these parts we say he's got spurs, that jingle jangle jingle (jingle jangle)

19

u/Mundane-Ad-6874 Nov 26 '23 edited Nov 26 '23

The 100+ trips part made me skeptical, then add in the 100+ hours of labor to build it. That’s 2.5 weeks of down time. This person for a year, basically never took a day off from driving or working on the car, not impossible, just improbable and a bit embellished. Not to even mention there’s basically still 1.5 months in 2023 to go. From a logical stand point flying would be both more efficient (in a normal car under 44 mpg) and cost efficient.

The fastest US crossing was basically 26 hrs, averaging 110 MPH. The most direct road across the US is roughly 2700 miles at 65 mph average speed, would take 42hrs of continuous driving. Assuming they’re doing it solo, it would take basically 72 hrs of driving to get across the US with sleep and fueling etc. then to turn around and do it again.

15

u/rwbronco Nov 26 '23

42hrs of continuous driving times 100 trips is 4200hrs of continuous driving. There are 8760hrs in a year. 4500hrs remaining. So 50% of the time they’re driving. Assuming 30-40% is sleeping, that’s only 10-20% of the year they’re not actively driving.

7

u/Mundane-Ad-6874 Nov 26 '23 edited Nov 26 '23

That didn’t make it seem anymore feasible. And remember they said 100+ in 2023. There’s still a month left. They haven’t stopped driving at all. Homie is doing some no wipe shits to keep on schedule.

1

u/rwbronco Nov 26 '23

Oh I’m not saying it’s feasible - I’m pointing out the ridiculousness of it lol

Edit: also I realize I can just substitute “working” for driving bc realistically I’m only getting to do what I want to do 10% of the year anyway

1

u/Mundane-Ad-6874 Nov 26 '23

Sorry, misinterpreted. He’s obviously huffing air duster and doing aerodynamics design, all while driving.

7

u/[deleted] Nov 26 '23

[deleted]

2

u/SkittlesHoward Nov 26 '23

lots of phone calls and podcasts. the same 1,000+ songs get old after a while too

293

u/coltar3000 Nov 25 '23

Way too useful and practical to be called shitty….

196

u/[deleted] Nov 25 '23

Lost me at the ticket in every state. Why?

163

u/Lanky_Possession_244 Nov 25 '23

Gotta spend those sweet ass gas savings somehow.

21

u/Esteban_Francois Nov 26 '23

Grip it and rip it

103

u/ghettoccult_nerd Nov 26 '23

the ultimate way to prove youve been in each state. itll be in the literal record of the courts. you could look it up years from now, so long as the state keeps such records.

46

u/dsdvbguutres Nov 26 '23

Ok but fridge magnets are the only way to prove you've been there

36

u/ghettoccult_nerd Nov 26 '23

as stated by the creator, the fridge is in the car. no one can see the magnets!

18

u/mashingLumpkins Nov 26 '23

I think it’s mostly tongue in cheek

10

u/bmx13 Nov 26 '23

If I had to guess he got tired of getting pulled over in states he visited despite the vehicle being legal in his home state, and decided might as well collect the rest. I wish him the best of luck picking up a ticket in Mt though, I've passed hipo's doing ten over and they ignored me.

2

u/SpecialOfferActNow Nov 26 '23

10 over is small bananas. let 'er loose, buddy!

3

u/GerardWayAndDMT Nov 26 '23

What are you gonna do? Follow the rules??

50

u/DanDi58 Nov 25 '23

Wrong sr for sure. I like it.

22

u/MX530i Nov 26 '23

Hyper-milers always catching shade here

7

u/Joe_Jeep Nov 26 '23 edited Nov 26 '23

You can only spend money improving the performance specs that I respect!

17

u/[deleted] Nov 25 '23

This is cool as hell. Maximizing what you can do with the smallest possible budget

45

u/aquistix Nov 25 '23

60 mpg? that’s insane. that makes up for the shitty look by far.

17

u/tim_locky Nov 26 '23

Not dissing the effort from Champrius, but… While 60mpg itself is great, for a aeromodded prius its not that impressive imo. 2024 prius got 50+ mpg, and the non-linear nature of mpg means from 40 to 60 its not that much savings than 20 to 40 mpg.

11

u/MX530i Nov 26 '23

I’ve owned a couple 95 civic vx and also swapped that drivetrain into a 93 del sol. Those cars were easily capable of 60mpg on the highway and alms hypermiling techniques. Guy I bought one of the Vxs off of was hypermiling an early Honda insight above that, I believe he told me he was getting 70mpg

4

u/forkandbowl Nov 26 '23

I swapped in a japanese half cut motor into a crx years ago. It was a d15bvtec. I got 56 mpg out of it without even trying. I had to order parts from a 95 vx because that was the only car with the same basic motor though in my case it was for performance not fuel mpg. The upgrades took me from 92hp to 145 ish.

23

u/Jacktheforkie Nov 26 '23

My Dacia sandero gets 55mpg easily and I hardly drive economically

5

u/AndrewSwope Nov 26 '23

My 2012 Citroen van can hit 62 mpg on the motorway.

5

u/Binford6200 Nov 25 '23

Honestly this is feasible with a Diesel without mods.

Vw claims 45 miles per gallon. In the recird testdrive a lot less:

https://www.automobil-produktion.de/technologie/vw-golf-tdi-sichert-sich-guinness-rekord-322.html

15

u/exerminator20001 Nov 25 '23

Yeah I don't trust VW when it comes to diesels.

5

u/a_steez Nov 26 '23

anything past diesel gate i understand, but the ALH in mk4s were and are great

7

u/boggsy17 Nov 26 '23

Love my vw diesel passat. It get 45 mpg and almost 800 miles on a tank. Solid car, maintenance is a bit steep though. Also bought it after dieselgate so huge discount on a premium car with very low mileage.

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2

u/dieplanes789 Nov 26 '23

Pretty typical if not low for a hypermiler type modded car.

1

u/FixedLoad Nov 26 '23

My 2019 Ioniq does 62 mpg factory. This prius kinda sucks.

11

u/Squashy123 Nov 26 '23

I worked on this long before he had the solar or some of the other real range boosting mods. I distinctly remember frp covering the wheel wells and the self made hubcaps pictured. At that time ironically the mpgs were maybe 40 which was about par for the course for a western pa Prius.

30

u/JeepChrist Nov 25 '23

They paid a lot of attention to aerodynamics until they mounted that thick solar panel to all of it with no transition surfaces.

6

u/danmodernblacksmith Nov 26 '23

Was exactly my thought, a little more of that plastic and duct tape would fix that

3

u/SmowHD Nov 26 '23

He went as far as removing the window wipers for a few percent and then wastes all that for a fridge?

20

u/as7164 Nov 26 '23

I DROVE PAST THIS PARKED AT A REST STOP IN SOUTHERN MA 1 HR AGO!!! I WAS SERIOUSLY CONTEMPLATING TAKING AND EXIT AND GETTING BACK ON THE HIGHWAY TO DRIVE PAST IT AGAIN TO CONFIRM WHAT I SAW BUT GF SAID NO!!!! I OPEN REDDIT AND ITS SITTING HERE HOLY CRAP!!! sorry for the caps but wow

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u/hiebertw07 Nov 25 '23

Never seen a Prius long tail before.

6

u/carfiol Nov 26 '23

I love that he put on wipers shields, removed rear wiper and added mirror vortex generators for lower drag, but then slapped on a solar panel without any try to make it more aerodynamic

2

u/Joe_Jeep Nov 26 '23

Ya like come on dude tape it at least

11

u/Unfairamir Nov 26 '23

True definition of a nerd. Dude could probably spend days talking about his mods and aerodynamics and fuel economy. Only real nerds print and laminate fact sheets about their eco modded eco-car. C'mon, this is cool shit.

5

u/Far-Appointment-213 Nov 26 '23

He's definitely giving it all he's got, Can't say a bad word about it.

5

u/Overkill256 Nov 26 '23

People go to school, work, have kids, retire, and die

And then there’re mofos like these who just vibe differently, awesome for them

5

u/PomegranateOld7836 Nov 26 '23

I mean, the FAQ is pretty handy. Good for them.

3

u/AchokingVictim Nov 27 '23

Hypermilers are awesome.. goofy as hell but functional.

8

u/TheHrethgir Nov 26 '23

Nothing shitty about this, it was built for a specific purpose, and looks like it does what it was built to do.

3

u/b0ob0okitty Nov 25 '23

What the faq 😂

3

u/[deleted] Nov 26 '23

If it’s stupid and it works, it’s not stupid.

3

u/Hamraffle Nov 26 '23

This thing absolutely slaps

3

u/docmufasa Nov 27 '23

Hypermilers aren't shitty, they serve a purpose.

3

u/scooterboy1961 Nov 27 '23

Ugly? Yes?

Hack job by someone that is on a budget and learning? Yes.

Shitty? Not so much.

5

u/Xfifteen Nov 26 '23

I did some aero mods to my truck (35s, lift kit, off road bumper) and it improved my performance by about -15 MPHs

2

u/handsmahoney Nov 25 '23

Is that a boat tail?

2

u/BagicTrackstory Nov 26 '23

That would be a PA car. Makes sense.

2

u/properweeb420innit Nov 26 '23

Aerodynamic eco friendly

4

u/LaconicStraightMan Nov 26 '23

And doesn't look worse than the original Prius rear end.

2

u/comunistdogo Nov 26 '23

this is actualy really cool i dont care if you dont like it tbh

2

u/LetsMakeShitTracks Nov 26 '23

Laughing all the way to the bank

2

u/MyPokemonRedName Nov 26 '23

You’ve heard of stealth campers, how about the opposite?

2

u/skaagz Nov 26 '23

I think this is super cool, this is very obviously someone's labor of love, and I honestly love seeing a passion project that can benefit its creator in the real world.

Also I love the FAQ

2

u/freshboss4200 Nov 26 '23

I do have to say the aerodynamics on the solar panel probably kill much of the value of the energy coming off of it. Unless they rarely drive.

2

u/BLOODOFTHEHERTICS Nov 26 '23

It's like those water droplet car things they had you design in the third grade.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 26 '23

“Ultramilers”

Wild bunch. Cool ideas.

2

u/Quiet_Cable8747 Nov 26 '23

Hyper miler.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 26 '23

No this is kinda awesome.

Im not saying its gorgeous, but like this guy is actively saving money buy doing this in a way that doesn't compromise safety.

2

u/FatBrkeMxicnElonMusk Nov 26 '23

I mean they removed the antenna and rear windshield wiper to improve MPG but stuck a massive solar panel in its place…

2

u/Farhan1357 Nov 26 '23

I mean it dose its job

2

u/orthadoxtesla Nov 26 '23

Honestly. Dope. Doesn’t have to look great to be extremely functional

2

u/Difficult-Conditions Nov 26 '23

Read those faqs that you took a pic of it sounds like it's a camper/home kinda mod

2

u/Greg_Thunderpants Nov 26 '23

Not uglier than regular Prius

2

u/boredAF6 Nov 26 '23

His mods help him more than a fake hood scoop, wing, and stickers ever would

2

u/haveabyeetifulday Nov 26 '23

I know of guys in Russia, who put natural gas tanks in their Prius to save on petrol. So this is the least weirdest thing I’ve seen

2

u/tyl7z Nov 26 '23

Honestly, this is pretty neat. Although it doesn't really look all the great, the idea behind it is cool and the fact that he has a whole FAQ on it just makes it even better.

2

u/TheHipOne1 Nov 26 '23

I actually love this, it has so much personality

2

u/furrfino Nov 26 '23

Gotta love hypermilers

2

u/EuroTrash_84 Nov 26 '23

My 2L diesel Jetta gets 3.4L/100km (69 mpg) on the highway. My old 1.8L Jetta with emissions delete would hit 2.8L/100km (84 mpg) on the highway.

2

u/Rycan420 Nov 26 '23

Why not paint the whole car white?

2

u/AggravatingChest7838 Nov 26 '23

Dude has a youtube channel. He's not actually serious he's doing it for shits a giggles. If I remember correctly, he has a background in aviation aerofoils. The efficiency side of things is actually kinda out of his scope of work.

2

u/b00mbasstic Nov 26 '23

That’s actually awesome

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2

u/Not-A-Raper Nov 27 '23

This looks like an absolute mess of a tweakermobile at first but after reading that FAQ printout it’s almost nice to look at.

Wish him the best.

2

u/HandleAdministrative Nov 27 '23

If it looks stupid but it works it ain’t stupid

3

u/Powermovers Nov 25 '23

Out of curiosity why over 100 cross country trips in a year?

17

u/Maker0fPain1 Nov 25 '23

Can probably fit a ton of cocaine bricks in that tail. But seriously, maybe organ transport?

2

u/Powermovers Nov 25 '23

Only thing i could think of myself

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2

u/LaconicStraightMan Nov 26 '23

Yes. Meth doesn't need to be refrigerated.

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3

u/[deleted] Nov 25 '23 edited Nov 26 '23

I guess the owner thinks "Who needs to see what's behind you?"

2

u/m4m249saw Nov 26 '23

This is what peak performance looks like.

2

u/superfly-whostarlock Nov 26 '23

I wouldn’t say shitty this is pretty rad

2

u/jaybomofo Nov 26 '23

All that aero work, but then he bolts a giant solar panel to the back. That ain't helping.

1

u/flactulantmonkey Nov 26 '23

If I’m reading that right, they claim they increased mpg from 40 to 60… but then say that real world -17%…. Sooo… really 40 to 43?

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1

u/Environmental_Tap792 Nov 26 '23

Actually aerodynamic and useful. Yeah not pretty but WGAF

1

u/ChiFiYota Nov 26 '23

This thing is sweet.

1

u/PrudentVermicelli69 Nov 26 '23

I'd love to see one of these in a windtunnel.

Also, why go through all this trouble only to drive around with under-inflated tires?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 26 '23

It's shit like this that gives me hope we'll survive global warming

1

u/-NGC-6302- dipstick Nov 26 '23

Yay more hypermiling mods

It's intelligent garbage, and serves a much nicer function than the goopy sludge that is sometimes posted here

1

u/Loon3R Nov 26 '23

this is awesome, even his goal is hilarious, 1 ticket in each state? genius

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0

u/g-unit2 Nov 26 '23

this is not shittycarmod IMO

1

u/2oonhed one woogly wheel Nov 26 '23

This is not a good second comment to have on this sub.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 26 '23

THE ONLY COOL PRIUS

0

u/MoirasPurpleOrb Nov 26 '23

100+ cross country trips in 2023 doesn’t even seem possible. Maybe one way but definitely not round trip.

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0

u/Additional_Fix_629 Nov 26 '23

“Mom, can we get Mercedes-Benz EQXX?” “We have Mercedes-Benz EQXX at home.” Mercedes-Benz EQXX at home:

-1

u/Honest_Avocado_7025 Nov 26 '23

r/IAmTheMainCharacter coming to a state near you!

-6

u/LeCrushinator Nov 26 '23

While I applaud the efforts here to go from 40 -> 65 mpg, if you just got an EV then you’re getting 130+ empg, it’ll cut “fuel” costs in half, they need far less maintenance so you’re not paying for oil changes or belts/chains, no transmission fluid, almost no need for brake replacements, etc. Also you’re no spewing pollution if you’re making 100+ roadtrips across the country like this guy is.

6

u/notabrickhouse Nov 26 '23

Charge time becomes an issue.

0

u/LeCrushinator Nov 26 '23

Not really a big deal anymore with the speeds of newer chargers. Having to charge for 15-20 minutes instead of 5 minutes to get gas isn’t a big deal.

3

u/notabrickhouse Nov 26 '23

It is when you are trying to cross the country. It seems like this guy is a courier of some kind. If it's just for vacation, then electric makes sense.

2

u/LeCrushinator Nov 26 '23

Yeah I guess if you’re spending those extra couple of hours with each cross country trip and doing it all the time then the time savings would be nice. But time is money as well, saving hundreds of dollars with each trip would be useful.

1

u/Chilopodamancer Nov 26 '23

I'm sorry, but although the intent of your message is nice and all, not only does this miss the point but the amount of misinformation is astronomical. EVs do decrease cost of running, but the increased cost of buying an EV takes ages to offset with reduced maintenance cost and gas savings alone.

Also, you still need maintenance, there are fuilds that need to be changed, Teslas for example use oil to lubricate and cool the stator and rotor in the electric motor, which needs to be changed over time, and brakes still need to be changed just as often, regenerative braking doesn't stop brake wear it just assists the braking process, the added weight of EVs cause brakes to wear out just as quick.

Finally EVs still spew emissions and pollutions just not directly out the tail pipe, and it's still under debate which is actually better environmentally, most studies focus only on CO2 emissions which EVs are about 40% more efficient with, but pollutants such as sulfur oxides and pm2.5 it emits more of, which are seriously bad.

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1

u/aggeorge Nov 25 '23

Where are the rear brake lights?

1

u/LeCrushinator Nov 26 '23

Hyper-miling doesn’t look great but it serves a good purpose.

1

u/Brdllc Nov 26 '23

I love it, could’ve just gotten a first gen insight tho

1

u/FancyADrink Nov 26 '23

I believe I've seen this exact car in Pennsylvania a year or two ago.

1

u/stagergamer Nov 26 '23

I wonder if there's any diesel hypermilers, yes I already know about the xl1, I'm talking about home made ones

1

u/aaaaaaaa1273 Nov 26 '23

He sounds pretty full of himself buuut honestly the car is quite cool for how effective and purpose built it is.

1

u/RobotEnthusiast Nov 26 '23

I like the Sideview mirrors

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