New posts from Gas 2.0! |
- The Wave Disk Engine: Cheap, Efficient, Clean, and Different
- Gas 2.0: Vote Early, Vote Often
- Voltitude: the Swiss Army Knife of Electric Mopeds
- Porsche 918 Spyder Plug-In Hybrid A $845,000 Reality
| The Wave Disk Engine: Cheap, Efficient, Clean, and Different Posted: 21 Mar 2011 04:00 PM PDT
To power any combustion engine you need fuel, air, and either compression or spark to cause an explosion that provides the moving power most of us rely on. The wave disk engine is no different, as it combines air, fuel, and compression to produce power. Developed by researchers at the University of Michigan, this small engine could be up to 3.5 times more efficient than the piston-driven engines found in most cars. How? Well the engine does away with those heavy pistons and replaces them with a single disk with small channels carved out to carry air and fuel…any fuel, from hydrogen to gas to biodiesel. The inside and outside edges of the disk alternately open and close to combine the air and fuel, and shockwaves produced from the rotation of the disk compress and ingite the combination. By hooking the engine up to a generator, you can produce electricity to feed the motor, while getting almost four times better gas mileage and producing 95% less carbon dioxides.  Image: The New Scientist Considering that today's most advanced, expensive, and efficient combustion engines only put out between 15% and 40% tops of the energy (fuel) put into them, an improvement of 3.5 times more efficiency would mean more power and more miles-per-gallon from an engine that is 20% smaller and estimated to cost just $500 for a unit large enough to power a car. And since I'm sure somebody will mention this, turbine engines can achieve up to 70% energy efficiency….but I don't think the average person wants to drive a jet (I do but I'm nuts.) The U.S. alone burns through something like 19 million barrels of oil per day, so we're wasting anywhere from 60% to 85% of that potential energy. Imagine if we could harness most of that wasted energy? Why we'd use a fraction of the oil we do, saving money, natural resources, and the air we breathe. And this wave disk engine could be an important step towards seriously cutting back on our oil usage. Of course, there is a catch (as there always is.) The engine is only most effective at high RPMs, meaning that it has the same problem as turbine cars; namely, acceleration sucks. But it could provide more than enough electricity to an electric motor, serving as a much cheaper range extender than your typical detuned combustion engine. Between this and the Opposed Piston Opposed Cylinder (OPOC) engine, there might yet be a future for combustion-type engines. The researchers from the University of Michigan already have a working prototype, and they hope to have a car-sized wave disk engine completed by the end of the year. Whether or not that engine will cost more than $500 remains to be seen, though I might even have a few cars I could donate to the cause…as long as I get to keep the finished product. Source: The New Scientist Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.
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| Gas 2.0: Vote Early, Vote Often Posted: 21 Mar 2011 11:57 AM PDT
Treehugger.com is holding a little survey to determine its readers’ favorite non-treehugger blogs, and the Important Media Network is strongly represented with Gas 2.0 nominated for “Best Transportation Website” and our sister site Cleantechnica is nominated for “Best Sci-tech Blog“. No doubt we’re a bit of the underdog here, going up against some really fabulous sites like WIRED Autopia, Autoblog Green, Ecomodder, Green Car Congress, and Hybrid Cars. He(ck) – it’s an honor just to be nominated, and it looks like the AOL/HuffPo machine behind Autoblog Green is going to walk home with another easy win this year, already out-pacing our votes 2-to-1 … we’re in second place, though – and there’s still time! <3 <3 <3 Make no bones about it, though: we’d really, really like to win. Like, really. So, if you get a chance, please Please PLEASE with extra-awesome and environmentally responsible free-trade organic sugar on top CLICK HERE and vote for Gas 2.0! Thanks!!
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| Voltitude: the Swiss Army Knife of Electric Mopeds Posted: 21 Mar 2011 11:08 AM PDT
Looking more like a novelty pocketknife than a proper Puch or Sears Allstate moped (as seen here), the Swiss-designed Voltitude is nevertheless a fully realized electric moped concept that promises 15 mph speeds and up to 25 miles of pedal-assisted range. Like its pointier design inspiration, the Voltitude is a folder for easy storage and transport, and makes use of a strong (yet light) aluminum frame to resist corrosion, and hydraulic disc brakes front and rear drag the relatively wide scooter-spec wheels to a stop with confidence. In addition to the solid hardware, the Voltitude features some pretty neat software that uses the bike’s on-board sensors to determine how much electric power the electric motor puts to the wheel – the more push you put through the pedals, the more power you get. The Voltitude’s makers claim the lithium-polymer battery takes just four hours to fully recharge.     Source: Gizmag.
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| Porsche 918 Spyder Plug-In Hybrid A $845,000 Reality Posted: 21 Mar 2011 07:00 AM PDT
Porsche had insinuated it would produce this plug-in hybrid, but I never expected it would cost more than the net work of my whole neighborhood. And what, pray tell, does $845,000 get you? Well for starters, a 500 horsepower V8 engine mounted in the middle of the car for optimal weight balance. Then there are two electric motors, one mounted up front and one in the rear, that provide another 218 horsepower and all-wheel drive. For those of you keeping score, that's a whooping 718 horsepower (no mention of torque, but I'd wager at least 800 ft-lbs.) The lithium-ion battery pack can provide up to 16 miles of all-electric range and recharge around seven hours on a 110 outlet. No word on EPA MPG figures, but really, who cares? This is the sickest plug-in hybrid ever conceived, and it will only cost you the median yearly household income of around 20 families. Act now, and Porsche will even throw in a special edition 911 Turbo S Coupe or Carbiolet for between $160,000 and $172,000. What a bargain! Hurry up and order though, as only 918 of these superfast, super-expensive convertibles will be built, though judging from the waiting list, that limited supply won’t last long. Seriously though, more automakers need to make fun hybrids. Porsche already has the Panamera S Hybrid in the works, and with the 918 they're making fuel efficiency fun as well. Now if an automaker can just make a fun, fast hybrid for under $40,000, I think they'll have a hit.    Source: Porsche Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.
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