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A new vehicle wrap technology reduces drag and increases efficiency by up to 25%. Can it really be this simple?
It’s not often we get to break stories, but this is one we’ve patiently followed for the better part of the last six months.
SkinzWraps is a vehicle wrap company based in Dallas, Texas. It’s primary business is graphical, vinyl wraps for cars, buses, and pretty much anything that can be wrapped. We’ve known the company’s CEO and founder, Peter Salaverry, for many years. A die-hard entrepreneur, Pete is always pushing the envelope, and when he first pitched us on the idea of FastSkinz, it made theoretical sense. But it also seemed a bit too…obvious. And simple. But we forgot that the best ideas are often the simplest and most obvious ones. They just require the right type of entrepreneur to execute on them. So Pete went ahead and developed the product. Evidently, it works.
FastSkinz is a patent-pending technology that markedly reduces wind drag and therefore increases efficiency. In a word, it’s cleantech. The FastSkinz material is similar to standard vinyl except for one key element: dimples. It’s dimpled like a golf ball, and the aerodynamic principles are quite similar. The dimples generate turbulence when air passes over them, which reduces the air pressure and enables an object, such as a vehicle, to more easily slip through the air. That’s one reason why a golf ball flies so far (another is the lift it generates). When applied to the surfaces of a vehicle, where there is tremendous wind drag, the FastSkinz material generates a layer of turbulent air that reduces the drag coefficient and ultimately saves gas. How much gas?
According to the company’s tests, which have ranged from everyday driving to NASCAR wind-tunnel testing and setting records at the Bonneville Salt Flats, FastSkinz can boost efficiency by 18 to 25% depending on type of drivetrain. A local Dallas blogger went for a ride in one of the test vehicles and had this to report:
“Peter notes that the EPA’s site says the Scion in question should be getting 22 city driving and 28 highway. On Monday, we were getting about 28 with stop-and-go, 34 on the highway. He says he’s been seeing 27-29 city, 32-35 highway.”
This is despite the fact that the EPA’s MPG estimates tend to be quite generous and forgiving. The good news is that the FastSkinz technology favors hybrid and electric powertrains because batteries don’t lose power in a linear fashion. So the efficiency gains tend to be at the high end of the range. In fact, SkinzWraps did the wrap for the Hybrid Technologies All-Electric Mini Cooper that we tested a few months ago, and FastSkinz has done extensive testing with the company’s all-electric fleet.
Pete also recounted a experience during the early testing phases when the efficiency gain he was experiencing was suddenly lost. It turned out that the dimples had filled in with pollen. After washing the car, the extra MPGs returned, confirming the effectiveness of the technology.
FastSkinz has wrapped one of the CNG (natural gas) vehicles for the Pickens Plan fleet to demonstrate the technology for Boone and his team, and there is now a YouTube channel where they’ll be uploading videos from the ongoing testing.
While getting 20% more miles per gallon would be considered a bonus for the average driver, the highest and best use for FastSkinz will probably start with more industrial-scale applications, such as large trucking fleets.
Indeed, what might FastSkinz be able to do for brown?
18 responses so far ↓
1 chris gray // Jan 16, 2009 at 7:41 pm
He should not be granted a patent. The dimple effect is already known. There’s been tests on bat-swing times, and also if I remember correctly, the bottom of an Enzo has dimples.
2 darkstar // Jan 22, 2009 at 4:28 pm
That doesn’t matter. If he’s the first to design a customizable vehicle skin and process for applying it, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t have been granted the patent. The fact that the aerodynamic affect is already known is irrelevant.
3 ian // Jan 23, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Darkstar is correct, the applications of existing concepts and technologies into new unique uses is completely patentable. Patents are equally about the way you use things as to anything else.
4 Alex // Feb 15, 2009 at 7:40 pm
No patent, this is old news and has been done before. Call a pig a pig.
5 darkstar // Feb 15, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Alex, apparently the people at the patent office, who know about these kinds of things, see it differently. Do you have examples of previously patented products that do the same thing, and therefore make this unworthy of being patented? I’d like to check them out if you do…
6 ALex #2 // Feb 15, 2009 at 11:11 pm
In response to darkstar…. the US patent office does NOT issue patents for existing technology or things that have even been thought of. So, if it does exist, you can’t get a patents on it.
7 Max Gladwell // Feb 15, 2009 at 11:14 pm
The company informed us that the patent is exclusive to vinyl. So if someone wants to do it in metal or paint, it doesn’t sound like the patent will apply to that.
8 darkstar // Feb 16, 2009 at 8:39 am
Alex#2, Thank you, that was my point. He was awarded a patent because they judged that he had a new vinyl application that had not already been developed.
Previous comments had indicated that he should have not been allowed the patent just because the aerodynamic affect was already known or because golf balls are already dimpled or whatever, which I was attempting to demonstrate was a misunderstanding of the patent process. I thought my sarcasm was obvious, but maybe not if you had not read my previous comments…
9 Captain obvious // Feb 17, 2009 at 4:51 am
Alex(s) – you guys are kind of stupid, aren’t you?
10 True innovation is always Green | The Pop!Tech Blog | Accelerating the Positive Impact of Worldchanging People and Ideas // Mar 9, 2009 at 6:30 am
[...] is a new vinyl car-wrap material that claims to reduce wind drag on automobiles and thereby make them faster and more efficient. The parent company, SkinzWraps, is [...]
11 New vehicle wraps claim to increase fuel economy by as much as 25% - 47th Edition // Mar 13, 2009 at 11:04 am
[...] [Source: FastSkinz via MaxGladwell] [...]
12 Student // Apr 20, 2009 at 9:41 am
This is completely false,
I study aerodynamics for my degree and I know for a fact that the bounadry layer will be turbulant before it even leaves the bonnet at most speeds and even at low speeds it will still be turbulant long before it reaches the rear of the vehicle. And even if the produce does somehow help, a 20% increase in MPG!!!! is an absolute lie, there is no way a product like this would have that great an affect on a vehicles aerodynamics.
If you want to improve your areodynamics you would be better of fitting a small rear spoiler with a small radius at the tip to encourage the flow to seperate (flick off the rear) rather than stick to the surface, this would improve theDrag and Lift Force Coefficient on most cars expecially hatch backs and salons however the improvement will be small on estates or square back vehicles. And if you haven’t alread noticed that what most new cars have these days……..
Either the individual how developed this product have no idea about aerodynamics or they are just having a laugh and trying to make some money.
13 Physical Condition // Jun 18, 2009 at 4:22 am
be turbulant long before it reaches the rear of the vehicle. And even if the produce does somehow help, a 20% increase in MPG!!!! is an absolute lie, there is no way a product like this would have that great an affect on a vehicles aerodynamics.
If you want to improve your areodynamics you would be better
14 Duc Hoa // Jul 9, 2009 at 9:39 pm
I love the design of this car very much and I like the way it save gas, save money for me, I will buy one in the future.
15 laser pointer // Jul 23, 2009 at 12:01 am
the design of the car is very awesome and it is also a gas saver
16 godaddy promo code // Aug 1, 2009 at 6:59 pm
the engineering is briliant but will people be willing to put up with an ugly car for a 25% efficiency increase? though i guess its just a conept car
17 darkstar // Aug 3, 2009 at 9:34 am
As mentioned in the article, I believe the greatest potential for application of these skins would be with fleet vehicles. Assuming they work, and I’m skeptical of some of the claims, they could potentially be very beneficial for companies operating large fleets even if they are a fraction of the efficiency that they say.
Imagine a company such as UPS, which operates countless large vehicles transporting tons of material cross country everyday. Just a few more mpg’s for each truck could add up to millions of dollars in fuel savings.
Again, I’m skeptical. And I agree it doesn’t do much for the look of the car…but if that’s your main concern you should just get a spoiler. I doubt many drivers would go so far as to put this on their car, but if you happen to commute long distance at highway speeds it might be worth considering…
18 areowiz // Sep 21, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Once a car ecedes around 30 mph the point where the airflow turnes turbulent has already reached the very front of the car. This would mean the fastskinz has no effect unless the car is travling under around 30 mph. Of course it is obvious that if the car is not travling at highwy speeds the amount of gas that fastskinz would save is practicaly nothing.
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