Repeal World Record for VW Diesel TDI?

Should the Guinness Record for “Lowest fuel consumption – 48 US States (non-hybrid car)“, be nullified? In light of what was revealed by VW in the news recently will this award still be valid? It seams to me that the rules were bent using software which switched the regulatory emissions restrictions off. Is this just “over-hypermiling?” I don’t think so! It is so not green at all, just spewing more pollution. This is a point is part of why we hypermile in the first place. The following is a part summation of what was reported on the Record in question.

In the pursuit of hypermiling you are consistently tying to break your previous record best, VW has done exactly that.  In order to demonstrate just how economical a normal diesel engine can be, VW sent a team out from its US headquarters in Herndon, VA, in a Golf TDI. Their mission would have been to visit every one of the Lower 48 on only using as little fuel possible. Throughout 16 days, they traveled 8,233.5 miles, burned through 101.43 gallons of fuel, and marked a frankly astonishing average of 81.17 mpg. As a result, hypermiling automotive journalist Wayne Gerdes (@CleanMPG) and electronics engineer Bob Winger (@bobwinger) picked up a whole new Guinness World Record to the lowest fuel consumption achieved in a non-hybrid car over the 48 contiguous states.

The first sort record, it’s important to note, had already been set by VW and Gerdes, who piloted a 2013 Passat TDI just a hair under 80 mpg. But here’s the kicker: in raising the diesel economy bar even higher, the group also beat the record for similar achievement inside a hybrid vehicle by over six mpg.

[box color=”lgreen”]So the very next time someone tries to tell you a hybrid is a bit more efficient than the usual diesel, you’ll be able to point them towards this record.[/box]

The below statement comes from VW’s own website, I’ll state that the original links from their press page is now gone but this statement from their website still remains!

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Press Release
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE DIESEL ENGINE!
Aug 9, 2013

Volkswagen commemorates the 120th anniversary of the first diesel engine

Herndon, VA – On August 10th, 120 years ago, Rudolf Diesel fired up his first engine that ran on the compression-ignition principle, one that is more commonly known by his surname. The diesel.

It is highly unlikely that Diesel—who died 100 years ago this September—could have possibly conceived how the engine bearing his name would revolutionize the world’s energy and transportation platforms. And, no doubt, he would have been surprised and delighted that more and more car buyers in America are discovering the advantages of Clean Diesel engines: excellent fuel mileage, smooth running, and mid-range torque that gives effortless passing power.

More than 75 percent of the diesel engines that are sold in the passenger car and SUV segments in the United States can be found under the hoods of Volkswagen models. Ever since 1977, when Volkswagen first offered a diesel in the Rabbit, the company has sold more than one million cars and SUVs powered by these engines in the U.S.

So far in 2013, Volkswagen has sold 56,480 TDI® Clean Diesel cars, representing nearly a quarter of the cars it sells. Volkswagen offers Clean Diesel technology in seven different models, six of which get an EPA estimated fuel economy rating of 40 mpg or more on the highway. Nearly 40 percent of Passat models sold in July had the 2.0-liter, turbocharged, direct-injection, common-rail TDI engine, which has an EPA estimated highway fuel economy of 43 miles per gallon when equipped with the six-speed manual transmission. This enables the Passat TDI to go 795 highway miles before needing to refuel.

To demonstrate the benefits of the TDI Clean Diesel engine, two teams of expert drivers recently set mileage records in a Volkswagen Passat TDI with a manual transmission. In 2012, a Passat recorded 1626 miles on a single tank of clean diesel fuel, at an average of 84.1 mpg. This past June, Wayne Gerdes and Bob Winger set a new Guinness World Records® achievement for the “lowest fuel consumption—48 U.S. States for a non-hybrid car” category at 77.99 mpg after an 8122-mile drive around the country, more than 10 mpg better than the previous mark. The achievement also beat the hybrid vehicle record of 64.6 mpg.

The good diesel news will continue to get even better in 2014, when Volkswagen will introduce its new EA288 2.0-liter TDI Clean Diesel engine, offering both more horsepower and even better gas mileage. At the recent Center for Automotive Research’s Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Michigan, Oliver Schmidt—Volkswagen’s General Manager of the Office of Engineering and the Environment—confirmed the new engine. “The Volkswagen Group is a leader in clean diesel technology,” said Schmidt. “With the introduction of the new EA288 engine, we are excited that our family of TDI Clean Diesel vehicles is continuing to improve and will be even more clean, fuel efficient, and powerful.”

Clean Diesel engines are just one part of Volkswagen’s approach to sustainable mobility, encapsulated by the Think Blue.® philosophy. Volkswagen employs a wide range of powertrains—diesel, electric, hybrid, and intelligently downsized turbocharged gasoline engines—in its quest to be among the most eco-conscious automakers in the world. That approach extends to the factories in which the cars are built and the processes by which they are made.

About Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc., an operating unit of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VWoA) is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. VWoA’s operations in the United States include research and development, parts and vehicle processing, parts distribution centers, sales, marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Volkswagen Group is one of the world’s largest producers of passenger cars and Europe’s largest automaker. VWoA sells the Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Eos, Golf, Golf R, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Passat, CC, Tiguan, and Touareg vehicles through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers.

Notes:
This press release and images are available at media.vw.com. Follow us @VWNews: #VWTDI, #VWThinkBlue.

“TDI”, “VW”, “Volkswagen”, all model names and the Volkswagen logo are registered trademarks of Volkswagen AG. “GUINNESS WORLDS RECORDS” is a trademark of Guinness World Records Ltd.

Features and technical data apply to models offered in the USA. They may differ in other countries.

Available EPA fuel economy estimates are provided and identified as such. All other fuel economy values are forecast manufacturer estimates for the USA; EPA estimates for those models were not available at time of release. Individual mileage will vary and depends on several factors including driving habits and vehicle condition.
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