paul burney dot com
Stay gold, Ponyboy...
7/23/2001
Fuel Consumption Study
Background
Due to rising gasoline prices around the nation and especially in California, the topic of my automobile's fuel consumption has been heavily on my mind. I own a 1997 Saturn SL2 that has almost 150 K miles on it. I decided to study its fuel consumption over approximately one month of driving (1000 Miles).
Objectives
At the end of this study, the following will have been determined:
- The current fuel efficiency (MPG) of the vehicle.
- The comparison that fuel efficiency to the EPA estimates.
- The current cost per mile of the vehicle.
Data
| Miles | Gallons | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 0.0000 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 |
| 264.00 | 10.002 | 17.990 |
| 511.00 | 18.102 | 32.400 |
| 775.60 | 28.103 | 49.590 |
| 973.30 | 35.105 | 61.630 |
Analysis
Plotting the Total Distance versus the Total Fuel Consumed produced the following plot:
As you can see, the x coefficient of the curve fit is 27.819. This means that the vehicle achieved an average fuel efficiency of approximately 27.8 miles per gallon over the 1000 miles.
The EPA estimates for the vehicle are: 26 City / 35 Highway.
The results fall within that range. Although most of the driving is done on the highway, those highways are LA-congested, rush hour freeways, roughly comparable to city driving elsewhere.
Plotting the Total Price versus the Total Distance produced the following plot:
As you can see, the x coefficient of the curve fit is 0.063029. This means that the vehicle achieved an average cost per mile of approximately 6.3 cents per mile over the 1000 miles.
Because my place of employment is 35 miles from my home, it costs me $2.21 in gasoline to get to work each way, or approximately $1,100 per year.
Discussion
It appears that the vehicle is operating within normal parameters, and that the costs associated with it are comparable to others with similar vehicles. I could save a great deal of money annually by moving closer to my place of employment, but the savings would most likely be lost in extra rent.
Further study should be performed to determine:
- The effect of using Cruise Control on fuel efficiency.
- The effect of my Lead Foot on fuel efficiency.
Further calculations should be performed to determine:
- The total cost of ownership of the vehicle per mile.
