Any evironmental Whackos out there who could answer this?
#41
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Sierra Nevada's or the Deserts of Las Vegas
Posts: 2,203
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
#42
Contributing Member
The best ways to eliminate these losses lie in regenerative cycles and advanced ceramic parts to replace metal ones that cannot last in high temperatures. If an entire engine was able to operate at or close to the flame temperature of gasoline (say if the entire engine was made of high-temperture resistant ceramic) there would be little or no need for a radiator, and much of the losses in the exhaust could be reclaimed with regenerative cycles like BMW's system. Such advancements could in theory increase an ICE's efficiency to 60 or 70%, but ceramics are not yet available that have sufficient wear resistance.
Take for example, the Hydrogen-fueled engine Ford designed and promoted a while ago made for "green" shuttle buses. It's a 6.8L V-10 with an intercooled supercharger pushing 20 psi of boost. It produces 235 horsepower, and 310 lb-ft of torque. I would guess that this same engine running on gasoline would produce easily double those numbers.
While it's true that current engines can be retrofit to run on Hydrogen or propane, future vehicles will need to be far more efficient, perhaps with some advances in new technologies such as fuel-cell hybrids.
Last edited by mastacox; 04-15-2008 at 02:11 PM.
#44
Contributing Member
you cant find a high MPG rock rig. even the new chevy 2wd tahoe hybrid gets around 14-16MPG ON THE HIGHWAY! feel lucky that you can get more than a new chevy hybrid 2WD 5.8L V8!!!! but i would like to see a hybrid 4Runner, just so i could laugh at it.
#45
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Chico, California
Posts: 3,870
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Did any of you see the extreme 4x4 where they built that samurai to a diesel and ran it off vegetable oil and diesel? I think if you didn't want to keep paying for gas you could do that.
I'm not familiar with the system, but if you got free oil from restaurants and filtered it yourself, then it might be something to think about for a trail rig!
I'm not familiar with the system, but if you got free oil from restaurants and filtered it yourself, then it might be something to think about for a trail rig!
#46
on the other hand, while farmers are abandoning their other vegetables for corn to stay in business I promote it because oil is product hat will runout. The world is all fine in dandy today but tomorrow we have that much less oil on a inevitable path to the depletion of gasoline as we know it. Something has to change because oil will run out... and before it does it will be to expensive for the world to operate as it does today.
You think the car companies will team up with the oil companies to guarantee their extinction when the oil dries up?
Please. One thing we can count on in a free market...greed. And it is a damn beautiful thing too. The greedy car companies and big oil will satisfy the American (and the rest of the world) demand for function, style, power and affordability. And new technologies will emerge as demand increases. Supply and low prices will follow. One thing is sure, the government needs to stay the f out of the entire process. But they won't. Hillary will "take those profits" and prices at the pump will continue to soar. Obama will push idiotic alternatives that will further damage the natural order of the market and the world will suffer...both financially and sadly, in many cases, physically.
It's hitting us HARD in the wallets now with our vehicles but just think about the way the world communicates. The way our packages are shipped. The airline industry is hit harder. Things happen about 5x slower with aero-technology because of the insanely rediculous cost of regulating the changes. A crude example is a CD-player in a jetliner, a $75 generic cd player can easily cost thousands for an airplane because of all the regulations that permit its installation. ... meanwhile our global economy highly revolves around air-transportation. Be it consumer goods, food, people travelling and just plain package shipping.
Now if we could just fix our really effed up economy and become less dependent on the world (i speak from an AMERICAN point of view) then that would be a great step in the right direction. Dare i say we cut the imbelical chord that binds us to the wonderful perfect nation of China?
#47
Contributing Member
Well, good luck with all the new age stuff.
I'm just happy with my Toyota truck the way it is, and gas isn't that bad here yet. I understand you guys in the expensive parts of the country to be sure, but it's only about 3.30 here.
Gas would have to get over 10 dollars a gallon before any of the "alternatives" would be economical for me. Too much "up front" cost for a vehicle that could be demolished in a wreck any day. A diesel conversion would take me close to 15 years to pay for itself in mileage savings, considering the cost of diesel. Biodiesel is a nice idea, but again, prohibitively expensive.
My truck isn't very dirty, doesn't pollute much, and doesn't get driven a ton. I lead a pretty modest life, so I have enough money to put fuel in my tank without any real issue. Its all about your priorities.
Anyway, post up pictures and write ups if you manage to pull off a conversion. I love looking at expensive builds!
I'm just happy with my Toyota truck the way it is, and gas isn't that bad here yet. I understand you guys in the expensive parts of the country to be sure, but it's only about 3.30 here.
Gas would have to get over 10 dollars a gallon before any of the "alternatives" would be economical for me. Too much "up front" cost for a vehicle that could be demolished in a wreck any day. A diesel conversion would take me close to 15 years to pay for itself in mileage savings, considering the cost of diesel. Biodiesel is a nice idea, but again, prohibitively expensive.
My truck isn't very dirty, doesn't pollute much, and doesn't get driven a ton. I lead a pretty modest life, so I have enough money to put fuel in my tank without any real issue. Its all about your priorities.
Anyway, post up pictures and write ups if you manage to pull off a conversion. I love looking at expensive builds!
Last edited by AxleIke; 04-15-2008 at 08:52 PM.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post