Willie Run '08 starts tomorrow in NYC
Tomorrow, two guys who love them some white bandanas - Nik and Brian - will get into their 2006 Volkswagen Jetta TDI in New York City and attempt to drive all the way to Los Angeles in 36 hours using just one* tank of gas. They're calling the 3,000-mile journey "Willie Run" and the Jetta has been christianed Willie One. The car uses not just the stock gas tank but also a "second, high-capacity fuel tank" in the trunk. Details on the modification here.
Over the weekend, the Willie Run guys drove up from Atlanta to New York, testing the live streaming and chatting equipment, which is apparently hosted by something called Ustream. I'm sure we'll be hearing more from the guys once they hit the road on Monday. Thanks to Amy B. for the tip.
[Source: Willie Run]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
gorr 3:25PM (9/21/2008)
It's one of my dream. Driving for days without worrying fuel cost.
Ideally in a society that stand you should worry just abouth tire wear and pressure and performance(road holding) In my opinion it's too demanding asking the average joe driver of today to worry about, gas price, pollution, security, tickets, carbon footprint, traffic jam, bridge collapsing, petrol imports, irak, car theives, co2 limits, road tax.
We should go back to the 1955 era moods, where you drive to A&W drive-inns to take a milk shake with roller blades waitress.
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Chris M 4:27PM (9/21/2008)
According to my calculations, going 3,000 miles in just 36 hours would require an average speed of 83.3 mph driving nonstop, If they stop for rest breaks, they'd have to drive even faster, well above legal speed limits.
Such high speeds will give them poor fuel economy, as will the extra weight from that jumbo spare fuel tank. It would be much better if they took a more leisurely 2 or 3 day trip, rather than try an illegal high speed day-and-a-half run.
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John Rowell 5:11PM (9/21/2008)
First that couple that's hypermiling across the US and now this. Both driving VW cars. VW is doing a lot of promotion right now, it seems.
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Dave 8:26AM (9/22/2008)
They're not going to make it very far on a tank of "gas". A TDI runs on diesel fuel!
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Jon 1:43PM (9/22/2008)
Sequential Bio-Fuels who's just opened a new facility to produce bio-willie and will be the largest one in the U.S. is 10 minutes from where I live...Willie Nelson himself was there for the ribbon cutting recently...
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gorr 5:02PM (9/22/2008)
I checked sequential bio-fuels on their website and they are unsustainable in my opinion, even they are dangerous nutricially and economically, they burn foods. Only bio-fuels made from green algae farming don't use foods before they are eaten and can produce foods for animals and fuels for cars, trucks, aviation,ships,machinery,heating oils, etc. It even eat pollutants like co2 and sewage.
These nuts that burn foods before they are eaten are refugee-like people in their own country, they feel in danger but they uses coward methods to try to survive. They just panic and don't attack oil compagnies or affiliated friends, goverments-madscientists-journalists-high-financial business-army-70% of men-10% of women. They grab just for them on a short term basis with panic what can be taken from the earth. By doing so they do exactly the big oil game that say falselly that their is no petrol left in the ground while it's full of petrol and natural gas. And on the other hand hydrogen technology can replace all petrol technology but on a short to longterm basis and green algae farming can replace petrol too. If you burn foods for driving, it's like you say days are over and i can just save my skin for a while.
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