Our recent discussion of geeky diesel-love things we do got me working on my Excel spreadsheet some more. I sent copies out to a few people, but then I got thinking about it, and as I ease into biodiesel use on this vehicle, I wanted a better way to track what my car is burning. So I continued to tweak on the spreadsheet, and it now has the following features:
Basic fuel mileage tracking, including lifetime average, average of last three fillups, and last mileage, miles per day and gallons per day calculations, lifetime cost per gallon, etc. Along with a printable report page and everything.
And for the biodiesel blenders, thats where I really played around. You enter how many gallons of petrol you added and how many gallons of biofuel (could be biodiesel or WVO or whatever), and it calculates the blend you just added, the overall blend in the tank at the moment, your lifetime blend level, and (my favorite) how much biofuel you'll need to add at your next fillup to maintain your desired blend level.
What with winter coming on and people experimenting with different blends, its nice to know just how much biodiesel to add to hold the blend of your choice. Unless you are a fancy-pants with your own big tank to blend in, you need to 'blend on the fly' by dumping in some biodiesel, then topping up with petrol. This helps you figure out what the hell is in your tank.
And really, it makes you feel like a big ole geek, which is good fun. Just don't let your mate see it...
Its easy to use, just fill in the green spaces with your information, and modify the model of your car and tank capacity and stuff. There are a few sample entries in there just to show you the idea.
Also, please suggest more features, I'm enjoying this whole spreadsheet business, so if anyone has something they'd want it to calculate or help them determine, speak up and I'll see if I can do it.
The spreadsheet:
http://www.flexistentialist.org/projects/gasmileage.xls
peace,
Sam