100 plus MPG!!!

BITW TECHNOLOGIES Vincitore' 1000

The Green Grand Prix was a great event! We got to run the VK on the Watkins Glen International road course. We won our class( Diesel) and exceeded our MPG numbers to date,.. by a large margin. The number was 6.667 MPG above 100. That would be 106.667 MPGa. 100 MPG was the benchmark that we had been working to achieve, and we exceeded it! This was done on a racetrack with hills and hairpin turns with traffic! There were 45 entries that competed during the rally. There were also teams that had competed in the X Prize that were in the GGP. West Philly High School, Cornell University, and Enginer. The Dirigo car was also there. Many Diesel entries competed.

Diesel Competitors at Watkins Glen International

We found that the TSD format was challenging. It required a navigator to keep track of lap times and overall time to stay at the correct average speed for the rally. The navigator has a tough job keeping time and holding back a driver that wants to speed up. We will definitely do this at the next opportunity!

George meets Mr. Turtle

After the rally, everyone received a treat, literally! Mr. Turtle, from Demet's Candy Company, brought in the original Turtles candy. That made us forget about lunch for a while while the MPG's and scores were determined.

There was also a competition for high school students to build and race electric karts, the Electrathon. Some very nice and competitive karts ran in it.

Two Chevy Metro based cars won their respective classes. The car to the right was entered by Corning Community College. It is a 96 model with a 3 cylinder gasoline engine.

We would like to thank all of our sponsors! Their support helped make our goal possible! 100 MPG is achievable in a production type car. I mentioned in the last blog that there were two new sponsors. Here they are:

Lucas Oil and RenDiesel. Lucas Oil lubrication products were used in the VK to help improve efficiency. RenDiesel is a Synthetic Diesel producer. We are testing their product and used some during the GGP. We would like to also thank our other sponsors, XS Power (light weight battery), Blue Cotton (Team Uniforms), Diesel USA Group (Technical Support and other things) and the National BioDiesel Board for spreading the word!

BITW Technologies supports the research and development of alternative fuels sources for use in Diesel engines. BioDiesel and Synthetic Diesel are both fuels that have many benefits for improving the world we live in and securing a future of energy Independence for our children.

Practical Is

One thing that we have not talked about in depth is the practical values of the Vincitore' 1000 (VK). In this blog we will highlight these to give people something to think about regarding selection of a high MPGe automobile.

Four Doors, Four Seats, Four Wheels:

Easy access for adult passengers. (George is 6'4" tall)

Seating for four adult passengers, with comfort.

Stable platform for safe driving and sure handling.

Ample trunk space, over 10 cubic feet.

Great Diesel Performance:

Excellent economy without resorting to hypermiling techniques.

Great torque for climbing hills or pulling a load, such as a jet ski or Parade Float.

Multi Fuel capability. Fuels include Diesel, B-20 Diesel, B-100 Diesel, Veggy-Diesel and Strained Cooking Oils. Other potential fuel includes synthetic Diesel and Algae Diesel, plus many other lipid based fuel stock.

Click on link for Bio Diesel information

http://www.indianasoybean.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12&Itemid=86

Fueling in less than 5 minutes, anywhere Diesel is found. Diesel is an existing part of the national fuel infrastructure.

Click on link to view St Louis Trip

http://www.youtube.com/user/BITWTechnologies#p/u/8/7T2McLnOWSI

Long Range, the VK can travel up to 1000 miles on a tank of fuel. That means non stop until the tank is empty. Drive coast to coast with 3 fill ups.

Click link to view Nashville trip.

http://www.youtube.com/user/BITWTechnologies#p/a/u/2/dB11FHzxhV0

Reliability, Diesel engine is very simple and thus reliable. Starts easy and is ready to go quickly.

Maintenance is easy and mechanics will appreciate the drivetrain access.

Comfort:

The VK has basic accessories such as Air Conditioning, Heat and Defrost, bucket seats, radio and windows that roll down.

The VK was designed as a daily driver and has met and exceeded this role since being assembled. It is not a concept, but a reality at a cost less than $20K. As a commuter car, a fleet car or a family car, the VK can do it all. On or off road when hauling people, luggage and trailers, the VK is nothing, if not Practical!

Tell the world what you think is practical, too! Vote BITW as Most Practical!
http://www.progressiveautoxprize.org/fan-favorites

School of Hard Knocks

George drives with the windows down during the city run.

Now that we have had a chance to sleep a little more than in the past 6 months, a reassessment of strategy has come about for BITW Technologies. What next, park the VK (Vincitore' 1000) for 20 years and wait for the next contest, or attack the market with some proven solutions. Being a student of General GS Patton, waiting is not the answer. If you want to get noticed, you need to be seen. We will be working on a visual marketing strategy for the next couple of months that will unleash the full fury of the internet and other media outlets. A plan will be developed and the value of the small displacement diesel will be exploited.






We have also analyzed some things that were done to the VK during the run up to the Knockout event. We found that out testing methodology has been consistent and in accordance with standards used in various industries and institutions, so we will continue to use those methods. Our competition prep has shown some weaknesses, including the event procedure. We will make better checklists and increase inspection frequency. Simple things like an inspection could have made the difference in the Knockout event, as was noted in our previous blog. Perimeter security is also something that will need to improve. It's good to show the car, but some areas should be guarded and discipline in our area maintained.








Vehicle performance is another thing that has been analyzed. The strengths of the VK are as follows:




The car is solid. It breezed through the Durability run in the shakedown. Wish there was more video of that event( There was a camera crew at the hairpin curve). No breakdown. No overheating. The VK responded to harsh driving with spirit. Ask any trackworker that saw it.








Handling is good. No problem with the accident avoidance maneuvers. The car has a full independent suspension with Kumho Solus tires on Volk Racing wheels.



Braking was good. The VK passed the braking test, although one of the videos showed the VK locking up in a stop. That was more of a human error problem.



Acceleration gave us a little trouble in the Shakedown event, but our fix answered that problem.


Range is well over 200 miles, as shown during the drive home.


Space and accessibility are excellent. Four adults can get in and out quickly, via there four doors. Plenty of trunk space.


MPGe is higher than what was obtained during the efficiency run. 99% reliability still means 1 % failure. The lack of boost cost us the run. We know what the vehicle would do in portions of the test and were disappointed with the problem. We will demonstrate the MPGe capabilities and post them.




That is a start, we are still compiling data and will continue to improve the VK and the BITW Technologies team. The data will also be used to build the next generation VK.




The events also gave us a good perspective of the variety of methods employed to improve efficiency in automobiles. Lots of neat ideas at the competition. The X-Tracer vehicles were very impressive. Ethan got to ride in the E-Tracer on Saturday. He was impressed. A few vehicles may even score spots in hollywood productions. We met a lot of very interesting people, some of whom had a lot of influence on various vehicles that we respect and admire. Very educational.

Mid Ohio Road Course

During the past couple of years, we have done a lot of work to get prepped for the Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize. Spent a lot of late nights crunching numbers, compiling data and researching things that most people didn't know were in their cars. There were some bright spots like when we got the new engine or drove the car for the first time. The SEMA show was enlightening. We met many vendors and saw a lot of great equipment. Yesterday, we hit on a major fun part of this competition. The requirement that drivers, George and I, had to have a high performance driving certification.

I heard about the Mid Ohio School from my sister-in-law, Jill. We looked into it and they had openings available in the nick of time for us. We went out there and found a racecourse in the beautiful hills of central Ohio. The school was great, instructors knowledgeable, and the cars fast! The Honda S-2000 is a fun roadster. Growly engine with torque to spare. There was a variety of students there. Some were there to learn how to control there sport cars better. One student had taken the teen driving class, which sounds like a great class for driving safety, and wanted to expand her skills. We came in at the buzzer and sat next to Jack Chan of the Enginer team and the Liberty Motors guys. The Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize dominated the front row of the classroom with 3 teams present. The class started with a test. They put us in an Acura TSX, and had us drive an autocross course. I had an OK time. We then went back to the class to discuss vehicle dynamics and then back to the course. We drove the skid car and then worked on improving our lines. That is a fun thing to do, which culminated in driving on the track for an hour playing follow the leader with the instructors. The Acura was really hooking up! It brought back the memories of sprint kart racing from close to 20 years ago. These cars were a bit faster than a Yamaha KT 100 racing kart, however.

It was great fun and George and I received our certification along with relief from the computer screen and piles of paper . I look forward to going back for the advanced class.

Lugar Energy Patriot

As you may have noticed, the BITW Technologies team was honored by Senator Richard Lugar as a Lugar Energy Patriot. We are proud and excited about this recognition. One of the goals of BITW Technologies is to promote energy independence by building a vehicle that can be powered by sustainable fuels, such as Bio Diesel and WVO (waste vegetable oil). Anyone that has a diesel vehicle can modify it to run on Bio Diesel or WVO. Some of the newer diesel vehicles are not capable due to emission system design. Bio Diesel and WVO are clean alternatives to petro diesel. At this time, there are many research projects examining the potential of algae derived Bio Diesel. This technology looks promising and has the potential to make the American Farmer energy independent if the farmer chooses to use some of the farm ponds as algae incubators. If every farm in America had an algae Bio Diesel processor, think of the petroleum that would be left in the countries that are hostile to the U.S.! We at BITW Technologies like the idea, coupled with super efficient vehicles! Independence and ingenuity conjoined are a uniquely American trait. It is what fueled the industrial revolution and what inspires the BITW Technologies team to build the Vincitore' 1000.