It was exactly one year ago that I installed the Blade on my car. From the beginning I have logged my fuel economy per tank on my Mileage Tracker. Excluding some individual mileage tests (mostly short highway runs of about 100 miles) I have used 40 tanks of gas, and driven over 10,000 miles. My average mileage per tank during this whole time was 31.7 MPG. The EPA fuel economy rating for my car is 30 combined. My best tank was 38.9 and the worst came in at 26.6. I did notice a decrease in mileage over the winter, as any car would. Also, it could be that since my cartridge needs to be replaced now, that it lost some of its effectiveness in the last few weeks. This could explain the slightly lower results for spring of this year compared to last.

Now, what everyone wants to see is similar mileage tracking on the car with NO Blade. Well, now you shall have it! Much to my reluctance (since I am not one to consciously increase pollution), I will remove the Blade from my car and keep track of the mileage just as I did before. Let’s see what happens!

Writer Paul Knight has just come out with a very interesting article in the Miami New Times about some problems with the Toyota Prius. Specifically, there have been some well-documented issues with the Prius accelerating on its own, along with similtaneous brake failures. Don’t get me wrong. I love the Prius. Still, it’s a complicated car and it is possible that something could go wrong with any machine. Driver error is no less commonplace. What I ask from ALL companies in the auto industry is that they step up to the plate to address the issue. It is not clear that Toyota is doing so. Please, show us that you are really just a little better than GM. Read the full article here.

If you have logged into my Mileage Tracker recently, you will notice a slight decrease in my average MPG. I have a couple of guesses as to why. Those of you who live in the Midwest know that we have had a terribly cold and snowy winter. The cold can hurt MPG in general just because a cold engine is going to burn fuel less efficiently than a warm one. It could also be that all of the road salt we have been using this year is starting to clog the Blade. I have emailed Sabertec to ask them about this possibility and I will post back with their response.

My favorite small car is about to get greener! The all-electric Mini Cooper is coming! Before we go further, let’s take a moment to remember the last all-electric pilot program by a major manufacturer: GM’s EV1. That was 1996. It is now twelve years later, and low and behold we are exactly where we were twelve years ago! Good thing we ripped out all of those recharging stations. Oh, and a decade after hydrogen was a decade away from a reality, it is still a decade away! Before you accuse me of talking in circles, think about the fact that as a society we have made no measurable progress when it comes to bringing zero-emission vehicles to mass-market in the last ten years. Check out Who Killed the Electric Car for some of the reasons why. Maybe things will be different this time.
Mini has announced the November application process for its new pilot program for an all-electric Mini Cooper. Only 500 lucky souls will get to lease the zero-emission Mini, and only for 1 year. And, similar to the EV1, the Cooper will only be available for lease in select markets: Southern California and NY/NJ metro area. Learn more here and check back for follow-up posts here at the Green Ride Rules!

I have updated my “Mileage Tracker” page so that it now reflects all of the driving I have done with the Sabertec Blade installed on my car. In addition to the mileage, I have included notes about each usage period where it was relevant to do so. As I have said before, it is very difficult to obtain consistent results outside of a laboratory. Just last night I got into a argument with a gas station owner because his faulty pump did not shut off. Gas came spewing out of the nozzle while still in my tank, spilling probably 1/4 gallon onto the pavement, and overfilling my tank in the process. Ugh! Notes such as these should help you draw your own conclusions about the mileage for that period and the effectiveness of the device.

Three months ago, I installed a device on my car called the Blade which reduces emissions and is supposed to improve fuel economy. You can read about the installation here. First and foremost, the Blade is primarily an emissions-capturing device. As I have discussed before, this it does remarkably well as certified by this independent lab. Second, the Blade is reported to have a side benefit of improving gas mileage. Everyone wants to know “does it work?” I believe that it Read the rest of this entry »

Though I am a fan of auto design first and foremost, I also love to think about architecture and home design. Elegant lines, form, efficiency, and livability are hallmarks of both mediums. Truth be told, I consider staring at the skyline of Chicago an activity. When walking, I routinely run into people because my eye is fixed on some grand facade above. And I have been known to attend open houses just for fun. I am excited to tell you that there is one open house that everyone Read the rest of this entry »

A few weeks ago an interesting opportunity arose for me. Sabertec’s CEO Bill O’Brien and Engineer Skip Hansen were in Chicago to discuss their Blade product with NBC 5’s Ginger Zee. In addition to promoting the benefits of the device, they installed a Blade on Ginger’s car so that she can report the results in a future segment. I was contacted to participate in the interviews since I am one of the few people who have a self-installed Blade. Unfortunately, all of my interview segment ended up on the cutting room floor! It is hard to fit much substance in a 1:30s spot. However, they did film my car in various Read the rest of this entry »

Every time she sees a Smart Car, my wife lets out an adorable exclamation, “Smart Car! Smart Car!” Beyond just being a cute expression for my amusement, these words sum up a feeling of exuberance that many share upon seeing this car on US soil for the first, second, or even third time. Finally, we have access to this great ride that Europeans have had for years. So how does the American version Read the rest of this entry »

I am the type of person who will specifically NOT purchase something that was advertised to me in a way I find offensive.  Call it a foolish stubbornness if you will, at least it helps me identify what bothers me. Mobile Billboards (MBs) are an example of one such offensive delivery.  We should do away them for several reasons.   Read the rest of this entry »