This is what happens when you hit the gas - Shannon Odell

Explore the differences between how a car’s internal combustion engine and an electric vehicle’s induction motor use fuel.
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In 2015, two men drove a Volkswagen across the US on just over 100 gallons of fuel. Their 81-mile-per-gallon performance doubled the car’s estimated fuel rating, and set the record for the lowest fuel consumption ride of a diesel car. The duo were experts in techniques that maximize fuel efficiency. So, how did their strategy save fuel? Shannon Odell explores what’s going on beneath a car’s hood.
Lesson by Shannon Odell, directed by Kevin Herrmann, AIM Creative Studios.
This video made possible in collaboration with Speed & Scale
Learn more about how TED-Ed partnerships work: bit.ly/TEDEdPartners
A special thanks to Daniel Sperling and Shima Nazari who provided information and insights for the development of this video.
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Animator's website: aimcreativestudios.com
Music: / aim-music
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Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Nathan Milford, Tomas Beckett, Alice Ice, Eric Berman, Kurt Paolo Sevillano, Jennifer Heald, Megulo Abebe, isolwi, Kate Sem, Ujjwal Dasu, Angel Alberici, Minh Quan Dinh, Sylvain, Terran Gimpel, Talia Sari, Katie McDowell, Allen, Mahina Knuckles, Charmaine Hanson, Thawsitt, Jezabel, Abdullah Abdulaziz, Xiao Yu, Melissa Suarez, Brian A. Dunn, Francisco Amaya, Daisuke Goto, Matt Switzler, Peng, Tzu-Hsiang, Bethany Connor, Jeremy Shimanek, Mark Byers, Avinash Amarnath, Xuebicoco, Rayo, Po Foon Kwong, Boffin, Jesse Jurman, Scott Markley, Elija Peterson, Ovidiu Mrd, paul g mohney, Steven Razey, Nathan Giusti, Helen Lee, Anthony Benedict, Karthik Balsubramanian, Annastasshia Ames, Amy Lopez and Vinh-Thuy Nguyen.

[@manuelalejandrocuevasbecer2493]

For the rest of the non-US world, 100 gallons are 378 liters, and 81 miles per gallon means 34.4 km per liters.

[@MatejaMaric]

Which is equivalent to 2.9 l/100km. Quite impressive!

[@kchikwete]

I'm trying this out tomorrow

[@bhavyakjain]

Thanks for saving me trouble of googling.

[@jokhakararpan31]

Thanks for this.

[@mz00956]

​@@MatejaMaricI can only get down to 4,7 I think😂

[@EmmelynRedd]

Was not expecting this to turn into an ad for EVs

[@tesla4422]

Tell me about it 😂

[@lisandroCT]

Exactly.

[@conormartin7416]

EVs are extremely capable, they still need work done to improve and require more efficient ways of getting that energy. Everyone said the same about combustion cars when they came out and look where they are now.

[@nhs.14]

@@conormartin7416what, did people complain about ice efficiency when they still rely on horse or something?

[@aff3ction]

@@nhs.14Doubt it, but early engines were laughably inefficient

[@mohakapt]

1:37 Minor correction: The fuel-air mixture is specific to gasoline engines only. In diesel engines, air is compressed first, and then diesel is sprayed onto it. This method allows for greater air compression without the risk of the mixture self-igniting, resulting in more thermal efficiency which can yield more power from the same amount of fuel. This is one of the reasons diesel engines are more efficient than gasoline ones.

[@elmojackson6621]

That's right. Only one small correction: diesel creates more power for the same amount of ENERGY, not necessarily fuel, since diesel and gasoline have different calorific values (energy per quilogram of fuel). To make a complete comparison, you would have to take into account the density and calorific value. Also one would need to specify if he is comparing on a mass base or volume base.

[@bluescrud8879]

@@winteralbireo You see we came here with an intention to learn about the topic. if your Instagram-based personality can't accept that, just leave.

[@GoofyAhhBoxy]

@@bluescrud8879you see the joke was, he said information and the nerd emoji means nerd or smart so that’s what he was sayin.

[@bruhmoment91]

@@GoofyAhhBoxy You see, a joke has to be funny for it to be a joke

[@nilajitsinha6561]

@@bruhmoment91it’s a reference to Key & Peele skit on Neil deGrasse Tyson

[@macngeeseyt6029]

Short answer: engine go boom boom magic.

[@aristarchussmeda]

😂

[@_Justme_227]

Lol 🤣

[@nsikansamuel710]

No be lie. That's the truth

[@MuiKaHo]

Short answer: EV engine go zap zap magic.

[@rudrapratap3294]

electric cars: birds chirping

[@rudrapratap3294]

another key point that i think was missed in this video the EVs are usually powered by electricity thats said to be generated mostly by coal power plants..and people say thats equivalent to an internal combustion engine run car...what most people miss out is that the processes used to convert fuel in powerplants are much more efficient than an internal combustion engine

[@mithunbobade1]

Watch 5.28 they have mentioned this point as EVs are not carbon neutral,there emission profile depends on charging utility

[@theWZZA]

There is no free lunch here. Any time you do something, there is a consequence. It's pretty clear that fossil fuels have no future, and we need alternatives. If you really care, drive less. Ride your bike and use public transportation.

[@marianoguy]

@@mithunbobade1 that's a different point. what you are referring to is the source of the energy. what this commenter is saying is that even if the energy is not clean (coming from combustion) the process of generating the energy at a plant is more efficient than inside a car, since the cars are so inefficient (the point mentioned at 2:34 in the video)

[@sebasbot01]

That is true but the problem is getting electricity from the power plant to your car. You first have to carry it over long distances through wires, then there are a lot of inefficiencies in both the charging and discharging process, thus bringing the overall efficiency down. I don't know what the numbers are and I suppose it depends on the situation, but it's nevertheless a thing worth remembering

[@theWZZA]

@@sebasbot01 in the early days of electricity, Thomas Edison advocated DC power transmission, and Nicola Tesla advocated AC. Tesla was right; AC is much more efficient for transmission over long distances. How about digging up petroleum from the Middle East and shipping it via tanker across the ocean, refining it, then driving it around in trucks all over the country? It's like email vs. the pony express.

[@Wreaps]

recently built my first engine, I am so fascinated by all of this I hope everyone learns to enjoy mechanical things like this as much as I do❤

[@itsreflex729]

What engine did you build?

[@benyseus6325]

@@itsreflex729X10

[@winzyl9546]

​@@itsreflex729seige engine

[@gamerpro608]

@@itsreflex729 nuclear engine

[@itsreflex729]

@@gamerpro608 okay jimmy neutron

[@JimGamingTV]

Also, do a video on trains. We can’t just rely on just EV’s to diversify our modes of transportation and/or use of clean energy

[@fsexplorer9727]

exactly, trains are where it's at, not just adding more cars.

[@tup4443]

also lithium extraction plants

[@jeffnordin108]

YES! Next Transportation Secretary should advocate for regional train deliveries of goods, not door to door truck BS

[@dreammaker9642]

@@fsexplorer9727at least in the US lol… Europe train system is insane and cheap… although not the most punctual

[@misshazel1101]

Nah this is a Tesla advertisement 💀

[@arthurborges7362]

Most animations on this channel’s videos are very well made, but this one specially is just so fluid and charming! Thank you for making the amazing content you do free for everyone to see ❤

[@theWZZA]

This video does a fine job of illustrating challenging engineering concepts 👍

[@jamesbevan9939]

It reminds me of some artist's work, but I can't recall the name

[@DanielSandoval99]

I bet I could watch this high and have a good time while I also learning something

[@livelikeadog]

Its similar style to anime jojo diamond unbreakable

[@DoctorX17]

One of my favorite things about this channel is that even if you already know what they're talking about, it's still nice to just see the animations

[@hayden.A0]

One concern that wasn't mentioned is that the manufacturing process of EVs itself is incredibly polluting (primarily the batteries), so depending on how long the EV is used for + where its energy comes from (i.e., renewable sources or not) EVs could end up being only slightly better (if at all) than a combustion engine. But hopefully we find solutions to those issues soon.

[@fero6756]

Yes, both EV and gasoline vehicle manufacturing processes will create pollution. But, nearly all research shows that even when factoring in the battery, and assuming the grid is driven by mostly fossil fuels (both of which will change), EVs right now have a smaller carbon footprint than combustion engines. Plus, renewables and battery tech are some of the fastest growing research fields on earth right now. I wouldn't lose hope yet! People all around the world on working on these issues right now.

[@n_u001]

unless your car gets 120 mpg without somehow breaking epa rules (a more efficient engine generally results in worse emissions) then your gas car doesnt stand a chance.

[@adilmohammed6897]

​@@fero6756heard in like 2018 that you need to travel 600,000 miles to break even in terms of carbon pollution

[@cordlxze9559]

@@adilmohammed6897More like 30,000km dude what you on about 😂

[@AndT101]

Im in my late 20s but can picture myself in 2077 being an 80 year old, walking on the road so silent and devoid of all vehicular sounds thanks to EVs. I don't know if I'm gonna live to see a utopia or a dystopia. Anyways this comment will still be there regardless of me.

[@WeArePharmers]

You should also mention how the "cruise control" function operates to keep the car in "glide and pulse" mode.

[@yessumify]

I was wondering that. It also keeps my lead foot at the speed limit 😅

[@DragonGalvy]

nice to know my accelerating slowly and gliding-when-possible habit is actually validated by others' testing - also seeing opportunities to let gravity/friction slow you down instead of 100% using the brakes (eg approaching a turn at the top of a hill or seeing traffic lights turn red further away)

[@DavidGreeneMtgJudge]

This was not the kind of video I was expecting and I love it. I wish there were more Ted-Ed videos that just flat out explained how something works like this.

[@Zilvaras2]

Except they almost didn't explain this time how this works.

[@kimmychuang5564]

This was one of my favorite TedEd videos ever. I find everything easy to understand and now I feel a little more knowledgeable about the things I drive every day!

[@angrygoose23]

“When you step on the brakes your life is in your foot’s hands.” Five seconds in and my brain is already making system error noises

[@MrPOSHOMAN]

what? your feet don't have hands? wierdo

[@terencelee992]

That's why Electric car should be cheaper, right

[@mikebuhayTV]

Yeah you’re right. EVs should be cheaper 🫨

[@hookx4553]

We shall wait until they become cheaper

[@LuqmanHakim-bj6ge]

As a technician, I watch this video with the same level of curiosity and wonder as i watch other TedEd's video about biology, history, mythology and riddles.

[@flywalll]

A very subtle way to inception into a young petrolhead's mind about the cool factor of EVs. Bravo! Some good psychological thought went into the creation of this video. 👏 Hope it works for the best. In the meantime, I continue reving up my efficient agricultural diesel. 🙏😊

[@bharathiyadiki7012]

Ted Ed videos are always so informative and well made ❤

[@LuMe.Garage]

Idk, why this video started as a explanatory video for combustion engines and trailed off into a „propaganda“ video for electric mobility….😂

[@ivetta8498]

i was recently thinking about this topic!! i was thinking about how would i explain cars to someone who has never seen one, and this video puts it so well 😊

[@xpndblhero5170]

OMFG, I've been doing the Pulse and Glide most of my life and didn't know it was a thing..... 😂😂

[@jacobcavanagh4501]

Same haha

[@martjeeh]

I maybe get that’s it’s more efficient with fuel, but it’s goddamn annoying when you’re driving behind such a person on a pretty busy road 😅 like just put on cruise control!

[@jacobcavanagh4501]

@martjeeh yea I only do it when I got room around me

[@primenumberbuster404]

Can we get a whole history of steam engines next please??

[@uranium5694]

Maybe make the next video on explaining the most efficient vehicle on this planet which is the bicycle. Which is also the most greener of all vehicles because it relies on your muscles to move.

[@dreammaker9642]

If you are going to do that then the most efficient is walk/run from point a to b…. There’s a reason we don’t do that tho… it’s extremely inefficient which defeats the purpose… Are you going to walk an hour and back to work everyday? Are you going to walk for 5months to visit family across the country? That’s if you even survive that…

[@NoSuffix]

This video forgot to mention one important aspect. The production of big lithium-ion batteries, which are commonly used in EVs, is resource-intensive and has very negative environmental impacts.

[@theWZZA]

There is no free lunch here. Any time you do something, there is a consequence. It's pretty clear that fossil fuels have no future, and we need alternatives. If you really care, drive less. Ride your bike and use public transportation.

[@doubeld.7536]

Very negative environmental impact that is about the same as driving 25 000 km with an ICE car. Most cars drive well over 100 000 km in their lifetime. Then there is also the fact that those environmental impacts are isolated to specific mining locations, instead of pumping it into the atmosphere.

[@erikkoehler3197]

You’re forgetting once that lithium is mined it’s around for a long time, same can’t be said for a tank of gas. Obviously, mining operations have to change anyway regardless

[@damedesuka77]

Huh. The method described at the beginning is what I try to do whenever it's possible. It just feels instinctively right. I know nothing about machinery. Sadly, it's hard to do that when you live in a city where cars are constantly stuck in traffic jams.

[@ghostafridi8255]

Damn the animations are really good! The incorporation of Synthwave elements into a car video is just perfect!

[@alfrancisbuada2591]

Yeah I wonder about that too, without having it be overly complicated. Thank You, Ted Ed

[@victor9]

Im more suprised ted-ed didn't have a video for this already... Nice work!

[@peacefultreasure8497]

I love the work you guys/gals do in entertaining and educating, and this video is no exception. I only wish you had also mentioned highway efficiency comparisons of electric and ICE vehicles. Electric cars are phenomenal for city driving, but consume more and more energy as the speed to maintain increases. It is my understanding that ICE vehicles are technically more efficient for long distance/higher speed driving. I would love to see you guys make a video dedicated to that.

[@Garfie489]

EVs remain more efficient for long distance/higher speed driving. The issue with them becomes convenience. The main two advantages ICEs have over EVs is power density, and portability - both of these become significant factors when distance or loads are increased,

[@peacefultreasure8497]

@@Garfie489 Could you please provide me with some kind of source? I honestly forget where I learned my understanding from, and it may very well be wrong/outdated. Thanks for the reply!

[@temp-anon_3690]

@@peacefultreasure8497 EVs are always way more efficient than ICEs, the range of efficiency was said in the video. But, ICEs (except hybrids) are so bad at low speeds that it makes us talk more about it. That's it.

[@mito_chon_andrias]

​@@peacefultreasure8497Efficiency: EVs can typically achieve efficiency ratings of around 3 to 4 miles per kilowatt-hour (kWh) on highways. This means they can travel 3 to 4 miles for every kWh of electricity consumed.Range: Many modern EVs offer highway ranges of 200 to 300 miles or more on a single charge. Some high-end models can even exceed 300 miles.

[@YeprilesteR]

This video goes crazy, great explanation and animation

[@jraattianwa5656]

THIS ANIMATION IS SO DAMN GOOD

[@kubeek]

2:09 since you are talking about a disesl engine, gas pedal does not control the amount of air entering the cylinder

[@josipkrnjic279]

I think this video is too-simplfied, where some statements are false. Yes, in non-turbo gas cars, the gas pedal directly controls air intake valve into the carburetor. The air intake is also connected with the fuel intake using venturi valve - meaning more air -> higher air pressure -> higher gas intake. A lot of cars today use turbo and turbodiesel, as you said, you have direct injection, no carburetor, air coming from turbo... much more complicated system and much bigger involvement of computer to create this air and fuel mixture. Few other things to mention about the video: - There are 3 cylinder engines now, very efficient - We cannot talk about EV, without mentioning the power to weight ratio of gas compared to batteries. Every EV that can take highways, with real (not advertised) range of 500km has like 2.5 tonnes because of batteries. Cars are almost like tanks, having much more energy in car accidents.

[@hassoon62]

This video is just great, I have never imagined this process that much visually, it is very enjoyable :) thanks.

[@jumaurice4078]

Animation is gorgeous. Thanks

[@aurianep.441]

Such a great animation !!

[@JhintendoTwitch]

Amazing Video as always TED-Ed

[@ValdeLowry]

Ted-Ed .... never disappointing, always fascintating!

[@dennistucker1153]

Love this video. The content is excellent and the animation style very very good.

[@matthiaspixner6154]

Diesel Engines get the fuel injected directly when the air is compressed, not as a mixture with air as described in the video

[@mqtyqs]

Thanks for explaining!

[@MagicianFairy]

The music for this one was awesome.

[@ooky4986]

If you guys made a movie just based off learning and different montages of artists I'd pay to watch it so many times.

[@incorefoysal]

The problem with continuous pulse and glide model is that when releasing the pedal engine braking will start and decrease the efficiency of glide. I don’t know if modern automatic cars allow coasting with disengaging gears

[@ReggieMarshale]

*manual user has entered the chat*

[@ScrappyPower]

So use the clutch?...

[@existentialangst285]

depends how fast/what gear you're going, but if it's low enough RPM the engine braking effect will be minimal, and still more efficient. Low RPM is better for gas mileage anyway, and automatic cars tend to favor driving in higher gear if possible for that reason. But you can also always put it in neutral if you're gliding fast enough or downhill at all, or use the clutch.

[@ruskariju763]

Cars and synthwave go so well together and Ted Ed knew it!

[@davidtalturejman9185]

Amazing video! Thank you!

[@Sunflowersarepretty]

Informative!

[@jvb5590]

Please do more animated videos about cars!!! This was awesome.

[@Dheeraj5373]

Who thinks that bicycle 🚲 is better than car if you travel short distances

[@Dheeraj5373]

Me 😁

[@pranavgaur1086]

I walk a km to metro

[@Dheeraj5373]

@@pranavgaur1086you be doing great exercise daily bro

[@melchizedekagudze262]

I don't see why worry driving short distances when I have a bicycle ❤

[@arwinv9816]

Cool video & graphics

[@Elanthiel]

A small footnote on EV energy / carbon efficiency: Even if an EV is charged with electricity from a fossil fuel power plant like coal or natural gas, the carbon output per mile is lower than that of internal combustion engines, as most powerplants are vastly more efficient (turning a higher % of fuel to energy) than a regular fuel-powered car's engine. And yes this accounts for conversion losses with charging / discharging the battery.

[@dreammaker9642]

If only tho that worked for planes but we will get there

[@thefirstchampster]

Excellent video, well explained!

[@RyanGracias]

The video we’ve always wanted 🎉😮

[@WhoElseButAndre]

Thank you, very explanatory

[@uhmmmmmm...]

ATT LAASTT, an engine mechanics video! Im loooking for this!

[@4.30gangCorpofficial]

Wow.I really learnt alot about engines

[@BHILHUNTERGAMING]

Great Content.

[@daffa1809]

why do i feel that the video idea was made when the people behind this were high driving in the dessert haha, it just gives off that vibe

[@user-bp4nv3qp4d]

Respect your best animation 💚🤍🧡🎉🎉🎉

[@ricardop80]

Amazing vid!

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Love your content 🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤

[@ShuweiKuo]

I love the graphic in this video

[@akshayangra7793]

Amazing video

[@UmeshPatil-mm6ko]

I love your videos SO MUCH TED-ED

[@goofyahhdude365]

Love the animation

[@kennee_maestro]

I thoroughly enjoyed the animation❤

[@berkaycanpolat4219]

The music behind is a banger.

[@SP.Learning]

Im not here to learn about EVs 😑

[@bryannajera4166]

Yup I'm gone😂

[@sarwar8444]

thank you❤

[@user-zb8gs4jq1b]

Thank you

[@ibrahimalowonle9106]

Great Video

[@Grixxis]

Me, a studied Engineer working at Volkswagen: "Yeah, how DOES an engine work?"

[@sarthaktrip99]

Why is this animation so good 😅

[@Snowman_44]

Interesting art style

[@anncokafor]

I thought about this video on my commute to work this morning, lol. Too bad my commute is only 10 minutes.

[@parslankhalid5041]

Ted Ed you have outdone yourself👍😄

[@CheeseBurger_mwaa]

The animation is clean though, information preserved well in this vid

[@Always.Be.Curious.]

WELLL EXPLAINED 🙌

[@PianomanRay]

When he tells me to spread it, that’s what I do at 3:34 🤣🤣🤣

[@konstantinospapaefthymiou4390]

very nice

[@SageThyme23]

Fantastic animation

[@user-qx5ih7sp9j]

A brilliant animation !

[@Lawsyboy]

Give the animators a pay rise. This video is beautiful.

[@MsCla106]

this animation and color palette is crazy good holy shoot

[@djb903]

Incredible animation

[@jimmychin8313]

Great video. Would love to see a more detailed explation of regen on EV's, especially in cars with variable regen. I am of the opinion that setting a higher regen will decrease range because regen only captures about 50% of the kinetic energy used in getting the car going in the first place.

[@BernarditaNival-mx3ym]

That transition on EV show how much thinking and effort they put to making these videos, for free❤

[@JesseLira]

Great music and editting

[@erickprieto5094]

Really nice animation! Very neo noir style.

[@sharkhealgaming9557]

There should me more videos like this, they are really interresting and tell us about the real power off innovation. Just like a gas stove vs an induction one, the first one has a efficiency of 40% (most of the energy is dispersed in the air instead of cooking your food) meanwhile the induction stove has an efficiency of 90%. Even if the gas cost less, the induction stove is superior, by efficiency, the renewable energy source, for a civilization view point (so in the long run) che choice is obvious, even if now it's more pricy because of our economics, one day will also be the best choice by a economic view.

[@saitamassj2475]

There's a reason Chefs don't use Induction..Unless forced to.

[@kiko865]

the video did mention where the source of the electricity matters, but what about the metals you needed to make those batteries. might be a good video idea

[@janstefanflores2624]

Its a first step for a greener energy in the future. why dont you think in a positive side? industrial factories are providing the EV industry now. It will change but it will take some time to adapt. Majority of our energy relies still in fossil fuels tho which is bad.

[@kakahass8845]

@@janstefanflores2624Why don't you think of the realistic side and realize that spending money on public transportation will also help with this and other problems?

[@janstefanflores2624]

@@kakahass8845 ok what im trying to see is a bigger picture that we can slowly transition from fossil fuels to EV. I understand your point where "those things are made of". Apologies mate but we need some emissions to start a greener energy.

[@kakahass8845]

@@janstefanflores2624That is not my point at all my point is that public transportation is a better solution than EVs and probably easier to implement too.

[@janstefanflores2624]

@@kakahass8845 i gotchu.

[@rak-do1fb]

Hey Ted Ed can you make video on how to disfocus from previous task

[@sheikhmohsin57]

The animation in this one is off the charts

[@gabrieldegois8687]

I wish people talked more about ethanol engines.

[@Andrei_2011]

"Gas, gas, gas I'm gonna run as a flash Tonight, I'll fight (to be the winner) Yeah, yeah, yeah I'm gonna step on the gas And you'll see the big show" -Manuel. (this should've been the opening quote)

[@blastersmith2007]

You didn't mention anything about the intake or exhaust valves or how there's a camshaft that opens those intake,exhaust valves and you didn't say anything about how the transmission actually is what transmits power to the rear wheels through the rear differential Great explanation buddy

[@erikalenoeye8925]

This is trippy

[@Finian1]

Does rhe pulse and glide trick increase efficiency with electric vehicles

[@Attivian]

No need, Ms. Frizzle taught me years ago on a very special episode of the Magic School Bus.

[@iqmal]

Well done animated