Re: Predictions

On Fri, 02 Sep 2005 01:06:26 GMT, throopw@xxxxxxxxx (Wayne Throop)
wrote:

>Oh, PS, I forgot to mention:
>
>: "IsaacKuo" <mechdan@xxxxxxxxx>
>: The economic incentives for developing battery technology are also
>: favorable--laptops and gas-electric hybrids provide a ready market for
>: each and every improvement in cost or power or energy density.
>
>Yet, laptops and such are going towards fuel cells, for the increased
>energy density. Just read about a prototype propane fuel cell for
>portable electronic equipment. Ten times the lifetime per charge
>as the best current lithium batteries. (Hank Hill would be proud.)
>That'd require an *awful* lot of improvement in battery technology just
>to catch up. (Mind you, propane and hydrogen are very different in
>terms of energy density per mass... but still)

I've also read of research on tiny turbine engines driving electric
generators for use in laptop computers and cellphones.
As to the original question, I think most vehicles will still be
running on a combustible hydrocarbon fuel, though the way it's used
may start to change from the traditional internal-combustion engine
and drivetrain. That engine (or a diesel, or even a turbine) could be
used to run an electric generator, which goes through power control
electronics to run an electric motor (or two, one for each axle, or
four, one at each wheel) that propels the car. Battery power would be
useful, but not neccesarily so you can go a significant distance
without the engine running. To keep the weight down, only use enough
batteries to run for a few minutes or so (to give the turbine time to
spin up, and/or offer more acceleration than the generator alone will
give). Recharging is of course done with regenrative braking and
idling.
This is the same block diagram of diesel locomotives, where the
weight of everything seems to be an advantage, but modern materials
may make practical a small car using this model. If "room-temperatore"
superconductors are somehow (magically?) invented and could be used in
the generator and motor(s), this design would be a slam dunk.

>
>
>Wayne Throop throopw@xxxxxxxxx http://sheol.org/throopw

-----
http://www.mindspring.com/~benbradley
.

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