I’m posting a few links below which will take you to the facebook page and related news stories about the smart car expedition that has just about finished, a Mercedes-Benz Canada initiative for the smart fortwo involving 12 days, 3 legs, 7 smart fortwos, 3 support vehicles and 34 journalists…

First off, here is the facebook page. Tonnes of pictures, links to news stories, and even a few videos. Here is a direct link to the Inuvik pictures.

Here’s a well written news story from the Winnipeg Free Press. Paul Williamson provides a great recounting of how this project came together, including his own skepticism.

The cars that went on this Arctic trip are all standard equipment passion coupe models fitted with Continental Snow Tires. This model is referred to in the enthusiast circles as model ‘451′, which is a designation within the VIN # of each vehicle. This model has a 3 cylinder 1-litre gasoline engine, which is different than the first smart cars that Canada had in 2005 and 2006, which were equipped with an 800 cc 3 cylinder turbo-diesel. (I took one of the diesels across all 10 Canadian provinces and back in 2005. You can read about that here.)

I’ll post a few more items on this trip in th next day or two. I’m not expecting the fuel economy to be stellar per se, and though it certainly won’t be 100 mpg like I can get in a scangauge equipped diesel smart, it will probably still be pretty decent considering the extreme temperatures and road conditions.

Price reduced again for our Canadian Customers! Just $169.95 Canadian funds or $159.95 US funds…. your choice!

Available to ship now! Contact 100mpg.ca by e-mail with any questions.

ScanGauge II with X-Gauge. The Ultimate Fuel Economy Computer for virtually all cars and trucks 1996 and newer. This is what I use to achieve over 100 mpg in a diesel smart car.

We ship orders within 1 business day. All units backed by a one year warranty. We are an authorized ScanGauge retailer, and are currently shipping the latest version with firmware v. 3.17

$169.95 in Canadian funds. Includes FREE XPRESSPOST shipping in Canada, or AIR MAIL-Small Package to the USA. Orders ship from within Canada (BC), so there are no customs fees!! Please order using the button below to pay in Canadian funds, or scroll further down if you want to pay in US funds:

Residents of NL, NB and NS are subject to 13% HST.

Residents of BC are subject to 7% PST and 5% GST.

Residents of the rest of Canada are subject to 5% GST only.

GST Registration # 85201 9892 RT0001

If you wish to pay in US funds, it’s just $159.95 USD. Use the botton below. This price also includes free XPRESSPOST shipping in Canada, or AIR MAIL-Small Package to the USA. Orders ship from within Canada (Abbotsford, BC). US orders will not incur any customs fees. (Scroll back up for the option to pay in Canadian dollars…)

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IN STOCK AND READY TO SHIP!

We are an authorized AREA 451 Parts retailer.

$474.95 USD includes shipping within Canada and USA!

US orders are shipped via insured Expedited Parcel and should deliver in 4-8 business days.

Canadian orders are shipped via XpressPost from within Canada - no customs or brokerage fees!

Residents of NL, NB and NS are subject to 13% HST.

Residents of BC are subject to 7% PST and 5% GST.

Residents of the rest of Canada are subject to 5% GST only.

This cruise control will work with all North American 2008 and 2009 smart cars, model 451 with the 1 litre gasoline engine.

Please review the installation instructions below BEFORE purchasing!! Complete instructions are available here:

AREA 451 Parts install instruction page

You may require a professional installer to install this electronically integrated cruise control into your smart. Please review the installation instructions BEFORE purchasing. We will not refund purchases due to difficulties encountered while installing this product. This product is now installed in hundreds of smart cars around North America, and has received high marks.

For those with the patience and some know how, this is a 1 to 4 hour install.

For user feedback on this product, and to view the very detailed installation instructions, visit:

The Area 451 Parts Forum

This cruise control is warrantied against manufacturing defects. If there is a manufacturing defect, the defective part will be exchanged. We want you to be satisifed with your AREA 451 product.

By Keith Hebert, Fuel Efficiency Analyst

Send Keith an e-mail. To order a Scangauge, visit here.

Hopefully you are wondering by now, if you have read any of my latest articles, just who are the champions of fuel economy anyway? With all the hypermiling drivers getting 100 mpg or better, who has achieved the highest? Maybe you’re thinking there must be some Guinness Worlds Record holder(s)? Or perhaps you’d like to know who has made a lasting contribution to the world of fuel economy?

In the five years that I’ve been closely following fuel economy trends in both the passenger vehicle and class 8 highway tractor truck market, I’ve come across nearly everything you can imagine. Including a whole lot of hype for products and concepts that clearly don’t help you get better gas mileage. On the other hand, I’ve also seen what works in person, come across hundreds of websites, and read about as much on fuel efficiency as one can. As a Fuel Efficiency Analyst for two different trucking companies (each with 200+ vehicles), I’ve been able to take a mere curiousity to the next level, and make a difference on a massive scale. I estimate the fuel savings as a result of programs I’ve implemented have resulted in savings of 2,500,000 litres or 660,000 US gallons, annually. That’s close to 7,000 tonnes of Co2, never mind a lot of money.

And with that, here is Part One of my own list of ‘Fuel Economy Champions’.

1. Helen and John Taylor

Helen and John first came across my monitor in 2006 during their Around The World in 78 Days’ record setting journey. They are in fact, holders of 82 driving records of one kind or another, including many Guinness Records. Here’s an excerpt from their fuel academy website:

Adventure. Insanity. Challenge? What inspires two people to drive 30,000 kilometres (18, 000 miles) around the world, through the harshest of extremes, with minimal air conditioning or heating, using less than 40 tanks of fuel? And why would we support it? The simple answer is that John and Helen Taylor, and Shell share a passion for fuel economy. And together we’ve taken economical driving to a new level and set a new Guinness World Record for the lowest round the world fuel consumption.

2. Advanced Technology Vehicle Program (Transport Canada)

I know I just finished asking in a previous article ‘what has the government done for us lately?’, but the story of how the diesel smart car came to Canada is truly fascinating. It was actually Transport Canada staff who had been testing several smarts acquired in Europe, who ended up convincing Mercedes-Benz Canada to bring the car over. The ATVP Program had been showcasing their european vehicle fleet at autoshows across Canada, and staff could tell there was a built in market just chomping at the bit to get behind the wheel of a frugal sipper. This from the former ATVP website:

The Advanced Technology Vehicles Program (ATVP) has been in operation since June 2001. The goal of the ATVP is to support Transport Canada’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation sources and achieve a transportation system for Canada that is sustainable. The program is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from on-road vehicles by:

* evaluating the fuel efficiency, emissions and safety performance of advanced technology vehicles;
* identifying opportunities and market potential for the introduction and use of advanced technology vehicles;
* identifying barriers to the introduction and use of advanced technology vehicles and recommending remedies;
* raising public awareness of advanced technology vehicles; and
* supporting Transport Canada’s environmental programs.

I had a chance to visit the ATVP program and drive some of their vehicles back in September 2005 during my own hypermiling across Canada journey. Thanks again to Brian Bond and John Neufeld.

The program has now been renamed and has a new website ecoTECHNOLOGY for Vehicles. Although their website is a bit clunky to navigate, you can read their Summer 2009 eTV Newsletter for more information.

3. Darin Cosgrove, metrompg.com

The tagline on Darin’s metrompg.com website is ‘fuel efficiency geekery’. No doubts about that. That said, Darin is the most thorough backyard fuel efficiency technician I know of.

His website contains a plethora of information on vehicle modifications and test protocol, and although originally geared towards owners of the Geo Metro / Suzuki Swift / Pontiac Firefly cousins of the late 90’s, the site has actually grown, and continues to grow in applicability. Everytime I go there, something new is found. Who knew there was a ecomodder in 1930? Speaking of which, Darin’s other website ecomodder.com is a great resource with discussion forums for those who wish to delve into the world of replacing the highest gear in your manual transmission or taping cardboard on your honda Civic to reduce it’s wind drag.

In all seriousness though, Darin has so much material to share, you really should just go and visit. And he’s a fuel economy champion to me personally, because he introduced me to the ScanGauge fuel economy computer back in 2006 not too long after it hit the market.

Part Two to follow later this week.

By Keith Hebert, Fuel Efficiency Analyst

Send Keith an e-mail. To order a Scangauge, visit here.

It was four years ago today, that my quest to beat 100 mpg in my diesel smart car was realized. It was on a 393 km segment between Birch Hills and Yorkton, SK that I achieved 113 mpg imperial. The total for the day (over 400 miles) was 103 mpg imperial. And this, from a car with a conventional internal combustion engine that you could get in Canada, but not the United States. (This is a topic for another story, later.) I went on to achieve better than 100 mpg on 5 tanks during the trip, all without any gimmicks or modifications to the vehicle. At the time, I didn’t even have the benefit of any fuel consumption instrumentation, a Scangauge would have been pretty handy!

In 2006, still on the quest to beat 100 mpg US, and test how the smart performed on biodiesel, I headed back out to Saskatchewan. Through various trials and tests, I was able to yield 126 mpg imperial / 105 mpg US on a B20 blend of biodiesel. You can read about that here and here.

Then in 2007, another diesel smart car owner proved that 100 mpg could be beat on a full tank of greater than 600 miles. (more…)

Thanks for visiting 100mpg.ca! We’ve recently added onehundredmpg.com to our domain in order to help our US customers find us quicker.

To order a Scanguage, visit here.

Be sure to check out my article ‘Hypermiling for better fuel economy‘, which has helpful tips for saving fuel. My ‘daily mpg reports’ for recent trips can be found here. Yes, a smart diesel can beat 100 mpg!

The new LiveSmart BC website is up and running. They have an excellent document showing the estimated savings by reducing your speed.

The Calgary herald ran an article about my fuel economy pursuits on August 29th. It was written by automotive writer Greg Williams, and you can read it here.

The Abbotsford Times ran a nice article about my hypermiling efforts on Canada Day, which you can read here.

Also in 2008, I did two interviews with News 1130, one on fuel economy, and one on the water4gas scam.

A recent and well written article on hypermiling can be found at USA Today.

And, because some question how anyone can realistically drive between 80 and 90 kmh (50-55 mph), I only ask that you remember the 1973 Oil Crisis. It became US law that 55 mph (88 kmh) be the maximum speed, and this remained in effect for over a decade. Is it time to bring this law back? I say yes.

By Keith Hebert, Fuel Efficiency Analyst

Send Keith an e-mail. To order a Scangauge, visit here.

No doubt most of you are aware of the US program ‘Cash For Clunkers’, where the taxpayers were subsidizing new car purchases by up to $4500. My take on this is that if there was to be any real, lasting benefit for the environment, it was a poorly executed plan. But it seemingly was meant primarily as a short term economic stimulus, and really, the environmental benefits were just a side dish. True, the MPG of the vehicle purchased were better, with some sources online claiming the average MPG improvement was better than 50%.

But for me, it’s even doubtful that the ‘economic stimulus’ will have worked in the end analysis. There was no requirement for the purchased vehicle to be American, or even North American built. Despite this, the popular Toyota Corolla (built in California) was a top choice, but if it were me handing out 3 billon dollars, I would want to know I was getting the best possible value for the money.

In Canada, there was a 2 year program called Eco-Auto Rebate, which was more demanding on the purchaser to buy a very fuel efficient vehicle. Up to $2000 was available, but most qualifying cars and tiny SUVs only qualified for $1000. Also, there was no requirement to turn in a clunker with the federal program. Canadian provinces also had a variety of programs, most notably BC, with a Scrap-it clunker program, and a sales tax rebate, each for up to $2000. This made it possible at one point for the purchaser of a Toyota Prius or smart car to get up to $6000 in total savings.

The idea of rebates though, has to fade away. It’s not sustainable to commit the taxpayer to paying for it all, especially when it just goes onto some mysterious national debt. What’s the real cost at the end of the day? And no one really seems to want to bring this up: If we’re wanting to impact climate change, then it naturally follows that we should see an economic downturn in our traditional sectors of oil, gas and automobiles. Reducing consumption is going to impact the economy. I have no issue being down 10%. 40% was a bit steep all at once, but some reduction is to be expected if we want a sign that we’re making any progress.

Governments really have done little for such a long time, mostly by not requiring improvement in fleet fuel economy averages, that it’s no surprise they roll out quick fix ideas. But, with the USA now mandating improved mpg from the automobile producers, I have some optimism that we’re moving in the right direction. Government needs to support the research and developement of advanced vehicle technologies. And, what’s more, taxing inefficiency should also be considered. BC has the carbon tax, which applies to gasoline and diesel purchases… I think this is a model that North America should consider carefully, and implement properly.

We can’t lay blame solely on the government for a lack of fuel efficient vehicles on our shore, but they deserve a hefty chunk for sure.

Thanks for stopping by.

It was four years ago today that I set out from Victoria, BC on the 100 MPG Challenge. Over the next month, I’m going to share what I’ve learned about fuel economy issues.

By Keith Hebert, Fuel Efficiency Analyst

Send Keith an e-mail. To order a Scangauge, visit here.

It was 4 years ago that I embarked across Canada in a diesel smart car for over 30 days and 10,000 miles on the 100 MPG Challenge. In addition to allowing the City of Abbotsford to utilize my smart car for promoting the One Tonne Challenge via a full wrap with colourful graphics, I also set up this site to promote greater awareness of how automobiles impact climate change.

Since then, the ScanGauge fuel economy computer, and the term ‘hypermiling’ have taken many fuel economy enthusiasts, dare I say professionals, on quite the ride. I’ve even landed one or two jobs as a fuel analyst for large trucking companies, helping shave millions of dollars off the annual fuel bill. My current employer is Van Kam Freightways in Surrey, BC.

Beyond this, we’ve had $150 per barrel oil prices, near collapse of some automotive companies, and a mad race towards electric cars. North America had high hopes for new diesel models, but we’re still waiting. Presidents and almost-Presidents have made their mark on the world too, conveniently or, well, you know…

So really, where does this leave us in 2009 and beyond?

In the coming month, I’m going to share my experiences and thoughts here at 100mpg.ca and onehundredmpg.com.

Thanks for checking in!

Thanks for your interest in the diesel smart. It has been sold. We are now going to see how the 2008 gasoline model does for fuel economy on a longer term basis. In mixed city / highway driving, we’re at almost 50 mpg, and the car is not yet at 5,000 kms.

2006 diesel smart car for sale, convertible, blue panels, black tridion, more info below…

$14,500 firm

This car cannot be imported into the United States

This car is equipped with OEM cruise control, which is installed and works great. This is a $500 option, and is hard to come by… you could NOT get it from Mercedes directly. BTW - I can supply a cruise control for 2008 smart cars - contact me if interested.

Sale of this car will include a SCANGAUGE Fuel Economy Computer, to help you achieve better mileage. This car is capable of 100 mpg

Send me an e-mail for more details.

one owner, no accidents, no claims whatsoever
0.8 litre, 3 cylinder, common rail turbo diesel with intercooler
power soft-top, fully convertible
only 43,000 kms
metallic blue panels
black tridion
grey interior
locking under seat storage
CRUISE CONTROL!!!
Scangauge Fuel Economy Computer
luggage cover
6 speed with automatic gear program
floor mats
alloy wheels with near new SNOW tires!!
power windows
keyless entry
cd
clock and tachometer
natural air conditioning only - no A/C - no, you cannot add A/C
under warranty until April 2011/80,000 kms
private sale

Thanks for looking.

If you want a diesel - you should know that there are no more diesels available from the dealers, save for occasional trade-ins.

Did you know that the smart car, according to a German automotive survey, had THE LOWEST quantity of breakdowns per thousand vehicles when compared against 77 other competing models? See here.

Just an update for regular readers. I have purchased a new 2008 smart 451 coupe. Cruise control is installed (and I have them available for sale too…) I’ve also got a Scangauge installed, and my wife will break in the car during the week with her local travels.

Once the car hits 3000 to 5000 km, I’ll be reporting on the fuel economy, and taking it out for some fuel economy runs. You can be sure I’ll get some low numbers, but how low? Already I am noting the possiblity of getting 75+ mpg imperial at lower speeds (40 mph roughly).

I am very impressed with this car. The transmission needs 1 more gear IMO, but it shifts economically in automatic, and seems to be great for city driving.

ScanGuages are still in stock, and I’m really impressed with how well the driving community is taking to them. I estimate that I’ve saved fellow drivers 45,000 litres of fuel per year thus far in total, which is over 100 metric tonnes LESS CO2 being emitted. I’ll provide some back-up for this in due course. (Note: The average Canadian is personally responsible for about 5 tonnes of CO2 per year.)