NOVA: Car of the Future

[HydrogenBond]

ScienceDaily (Apr. 24, 2005) — Using a new electrically-assisted microbial fuel cell (MFC) that does not require oxygen, Penn State environmental engineers and a scientist at Ion Power Inc. have developed the first process that enables bacteria to coax four times as much hydrogen directly out of biomass than can be generated typically by fermentation alone

These bacteria make hydrogen gas from fermentation of biomass including waste. The electricity assists, making them more efficient. We have the makings of solar powered septic tanks to make hydrogen. They can be powered by leaves, grass, human waste, and other biomass.

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by HydrogenBond

These bacteria make hydrogen gas from fermentation of biomass including waste. The electricity assists, making them more efficient. We have the makings of solar powered septic tanks to make hydrogen. They can be powered by leaves, grass, human waste, and other biomass.

Good find HB!
This reminds me of the very end of "Back to the Future" where Doc flies in with the DeLorian and fills up the fuel tank with trash from the garbage can.

Perhaps we're not too far from making that a reality.

[Boerseun]

Flywheels would be my bet...

Currently, flywheels have been tested as "generators" for electric-drive vehicles, at RPM's up to 150,000. Apparently, the energy density in a very low-friction flywheel turning at speed is quite a few times higher than the best batteries in production.

So what you do is suck energy from the flywheel when accellerating, which will drop its RPM's - you basically wrap the sucker in coils, and suck energy via induction - you have electric motors at every wheel. Then, when you're either going downhill or braking, you suck energy from the wheels and spin up the flywheel. Induction via moving shock absorbers adds some more fun to the party. Also, when you park, the flywheel keeps spinning - if you don't use energy from it, it'll literally spin for weeks. BUT, with your ride parked in the sun, solar panels keep speeding the flywheel up to partially replace lost kinetic energy. Every bit helps. For a quick charge, you can just plug in to the grid - but if you have time, you can just let your car stand in the sun for however long it takes.

Only snag here, is that a flywheel going at 150,000rpm is a bomb. A very nasty bomb, at that. Any manufacturing defects or cracks in the flywheel causing it to fly apart at such speed, will not only destroy the car and its passengers, but will cause considerable damage to other cars (and passengers) in the vicinity. A head-on collision between two flywheel-driven cars, both with fully sped-up flywheels, will be quite a sight - just make sure you stand very far away...

But that being the case, petrol-driven vehicles were also seen as driving bombs at the time of their inception. So, there probably will be a way around it. Advanced material technology could make the concept safe, or a sort of computerised "real-time X-ray analysis" of the flywheels as they turn, might simply shut down the flywheel on detecting hairline cracks or any other sort of structural problems with the flywheel, rendering it safer than they currently are.

But I think the energy density issue might swing the future car debate towards flywheels. Every other possible solution is also riddled with obstacles, and scientists worldwide are working in overcoming them.

[Pyrotex]

wrap the engine in a loose blanket made of Kevlar and nanotubes. If the flywheel breaks apart (and the kinetic energy at 150 Krpm is indeed awesome!), then the blanket will absorb maybe 90% of that energy before destructing.

[Buffy]

Originally Posted by Boerseun

A head-on collision between two flywheel-driven cars, both with fully sped-up flywheels, will be quite a sight

Sounds like a job for the Mythbusters: I know they've been looking to top the "remove dried concrete from the concrete mixer truck" episode....

I reject your reality and substitute my own,
Buffy

[InfiniteNow]

So, a combination of technologies is what I'm hearing.

The challenge, of course, is making a change to the infrastructure as well. More than 2 billion more cars in China and India by the end of the decade. Sure would be nice if we stopped using old, outdated, detrimental technology while adding this tremendous number of new vehicles.

The idea being that it's easier to setup new infrastructures while they are young and more flexible, using the best ideas and approaches, than it is to completely retool and retrofit old infrastructures when their "cogs" can no longer be supported.

[InfiniteNow]

Originally Posted by Zythryn

While not quite the huge step forward many of these idea are, Hymotion has started taking orders for a module for the Prius which will bump the mileage to as much as 150mpg for short trips.

Z... You're beautiful, baby! Thank you for sharing this!


This is the kind of thing that our government should subsidize...

[Zythryn]

Anytime Infi
Currently I put on my tinfoil hat and look at it this way.
People running our government are making money on oil and are too short sighted to realize we are going to be in big trouble a few years into supply being greater than demand.
I am sticking it to the 'man' by doing my best to not line their pockets buying lots of gasoline.
As a side benifit, I am helping mankinds strugle against GW

[Euclidean-Paradox]

My personal preference is for the electric car. In fact I think it is the best choice. For one, there wouldn't have to be any large scale changes to our infrastructure and it would technically produce zero emissions. Plus, it would be a lot cheaper too as you only have to pay the electric bill (as opposed to paying $3.5 per gallon). And correct me if I'm wrong, but electric cars do have much better performance compared to the alternatives.

BTW electric cars were invented over a century ago, and were actually preferred to petrol cars because they were much safer. But, of course, when they made better ignition boxes, electric cars abruptly disappeared.

We already have the technology to make it happen too, all we really need is the political will....

[Zythryn]

Originally Posted by Euclidean-Paradox

And correct me if I'm wrong, but electric cars do have much better performance compared to the alternatives.

They can, but there is no gaurentee.
What is true of more electric cars across the board is the motors require almost no mantainance compared to an ICE.
For this reason alone it is a much better technology. It is also one of the reasons many give for it's failure in the late 90s as the big three rely on repair bills for a large part of their income.