The Green Gas-Head

When I speak to Johnathan Goodwin, he is right in the middle of filming a movie about the transformation of rock star Neil Young’s 1959 Lincoln Continental to a super fuel-efficient, plug-in hybrid. Young is directing the movie, including the drive from Northern California to Kansas to deliver the vehicle. Like most hybrids, the Lincoln’s new electric engine will power the car; unlike most hybrids, it’s second engine – a turbine – will, with the flick of a switch, power the generator with such force that it recharges a set of batteries in seconds. All this means Goodwin can get 100mpg and twice the horsepower out of the car, as well as cut emissions by 80 percent. Impressive stuff.

Goodwin’s enthusiasm is infectious and he is clearly excited about both the project and the movie. But not content with just one project at a time, he is also racking up an impressive list of alternative collaborations. He’s working with the Discovery channel on a new program called the Daily Green Planet, where people are lining up to have their car’s transformed into more fuel-efficient machines. “We’re going to convert a H3 Hummer for Tim Allen – it will be a V8 but a gasoline engine that runs on diesel fuel,” explains the man dubbed the “patron saint” of green cars. “We will increase fuel economy by 100 percent at 600 horsepower, so it’s going to be a lot of fun.” He’s also worked with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on a fuel-efficient conversion of his gas-guzzling Jeep Wagoneer, and now has plans to transform a boat to a biodiesel machine running at 850 horsepower. “It’s going to be pretty fast on the water,” he laughs.

But while Goodwin clearly enjoys what he does, his work also has important implications for the American auto industry giants. For Goodwin, alternative energy sources are an important factor in the future of mobility and sustainability. “Petroleum is not going to last forever,” he asserts. “Biodiesel is complicated, as is ethanol – if I had to pick a solution I would say hydrogen is our best bet.” And he should know, having worked on conversions utilizing all of these technologies.

The auto industry has long argued that green cars are too small and too slow for US consumers and insisted that charges and taxes should not be levied on high-polluting vehicles. But with Goodwin’s experiments pointing to a future of cleaner and cheaper cars, and with Congress hoping to boost fuel-efficiency targets to 35mpg, the industry might need to reconsider its views on green vehicles if it wants to continue making profits.

Goodwin is not sure how his ideas have been received by the industry in general, but believes Ford are following his Lincoln project closely and understands they are highly excited about the outcome. “They are listening,” he admits, “and there is a definite desire to improve fuel economy and produce a more efficient vehicle. Over the next 48 months there will be some pretty significant changes in the automobile industry, especially on the domestic side of things.”

At the moment he is working on projects to take advantage of ethanol. Ethanol is currently provided in the US marketplace as a supplement fuel for petrol, and the government is giving big discounts in order to encourage people to use it. It costs around $2 for a gallon of ethanol and just over $3 for gasoline. “Ethanol to me, is like a super premium unleaded racing fuel because the octane is so high – you can’t even buy that kind of octane in a regular fuel and even premium gas costs $4/5 per gallon,” explains Goodwin.

To take advantage of ethanol, he has developed a system where it can be run on a number of different engines, including diesel and performance vehicles. “You have to run a high percentage of ethanol to enhance the performance and economy,” he says. “In the GM line, they offer a flex fuelled vehicle; however, it gets 25 percent less economy on ethanol compared to petrol, so even if you have a dollar a gallon saving it ends up being a loss because of your efficiency loss.” He goes on to explain that his new system takes in a counter set that not only picks up the 30 percent that you would traditionally lose with a GM vehicle, but also gains an extra 10-15 percent. “You get your dollar per gallon cost saving plus you pick up an additional efficiency on that vehicle,” he says.

So how long before we start to see this technology becoming more widely available? Well, according to Goodwin, it could be as early as fourth quarter 2008. He also hopes to be able to improve the fuel-efficiency problems associated with large utility vehicles such as the Hummer H2. “When they first came out they were big gas hogs, doing around 10-13mpg, but with a Duramax conversion we can get them up around 27mpg with a lot of horsepower.” It has previously been an expensive process – around $30,000 – but Goodwin now has a method where he can actually take a six-liter gasoline engine and convert it to run on diesel or biodiesel for a lot less. “What that means is that we can increase the efficiency by 100 percent, so whereas before it was getting 13mpg it is now getting 26mpg. We believe the kit will be around $10,000, including installation,” he predicts.

Goodwin’s long-term goal is to get in to the manufacturing side of things within the auto industry, to work with companies that have already got the ability to mass manufacture and sell vehicles, and get to work producing more efficient, cleaner and greener cars. “I think I can offer huge assistance by developing a product line that not only looks cool and people can actually get in and feel safe, but also has the efficiency to make it practical to drive,” he concludes.

BM. How did you transform Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Jeep Wagoneer?

JG. That was a fun project. His 1987 four-door Jeep Wagoneer was getting 8mpg from a 360hp gasoline engine, and we not only replaced the engine transmission and transfer case but we replaced all the related suspension from the vehicle. Essentially, we set up a 2007 Chevrolet pick-up truck with the Duramax, frame and suspension and set his body on to that to make what I call a 2007 hybrid jeep band wagoneer. It now does 25mpg on biodiesel with 500-600 horsepower, it’s incredible – and he loves it.

BMW 520D vs Toyota Prius

In a recent trial, a BMW 520d with a 2.0 liter diesel engine had better fuel economy on a 545-mile London to Geneva trip than a gasoline-powered Toyota Prius. The BMW had regenerative braking but no heavy-duty hybrid features and got 34.9mpg, while the full-hybrid Prius, 500 pounds lighter, got 33.4mpg.

Why? Well, the BMW has a series of energy-saving features the company calls EfficientDynamics, such as battery recharge when braking, good aerodynamics, low rolling resistance and a six-speed manual transmission. The Prius is best used in urban driving where the continual stop-and-go recaptures the car’s energy.

Vital statistics

Model: BMW 520d SE
Engine: 1995cc, four cylinders
Power: 177bhp @ 4000rpm
Torque: 258lb ft @ 1750rpm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Official fuel/CO2: 55.4mpg/136g/km
Performance: 0-62mph: 8.3sec
Top speed: 144mph
Fuel used on test: 13.0 gallons (41.9mpg)

Model: Toyota Prius T Spirit
Engine: 1497cc, four cylinders
Electric motor: 50kW/67bhp
Power: 77bhp @ 5000rpm
Torque: 295 ib ft (motor) 85 lb ft (engine)
Transmission: CVT automatic
Official fuel/CO2: 65.7mpg/104g/km
Performance: 0-62mph: 10.9sec
Top speed: 106mph
Fuel used on test: 13.6 gallons (40.1 mpg)