Cars of Tomorrow With Energy-Saving Technology
Posted in Future Technology | Hybrid Cars | Transportation
Automobiles companies are on the lookout to manufacture tomorrow’s car. They want to minimize the disadvantages of the today’s hybrid cars and capitalize on its positive features. Mechanical and electrical engineers at DaimlerChrysler, General Motors and BMW are jointly making an effort in this direction. They want to roll out a tomorrow’s car equipped with technology that shuts off the internal combustion engine on its own when the vehicle is not moving. This car will work well within the city where traffic is characterized by stop and start again. But you can safely drive this car on highways too where you can speed up and enjoy a smooth ride. This car will be 100-percent electric. “It takes the combination of hydrogen and oxygen to form water, and at the same time produce electricity,” says Doanh Tran, an advanced vehicle engineer with DaimlerChrysler’s Fuel Cell Vehicles & Technologies. The exhaust pipe of the car will emit water vapor.
Many people want to go green but the costs of hybrid cars are exorbitant. A new Edmonds.com study shows that with the cost of gas — combined with tax credits — it takes about three years to break even. But this tomorrow’s car will lessen that break-even period. The engineers are also considering replacing the platinum in fuel cells with less expensive material in hydrogen cars.”The hybrid system that we’re developing, we can apply to any vehicle that we have,” Glenn Denomme, a chief engineer of Hybrid Powertrain Programs at DaimlerChrysler in Auburn Hills, Michigan, tells DBIS. It allows for increased performance compared to a conventional SUV and improves fuel economy by up to 25 percent. Denomme says, “You can still haul your cargo, but you can still be environmentally sound too.”
The engineers at DaimlerChrysler, General Motors and BMW are taking into account today’s lifestyle and its demands. They know that a smooth ride is impossible if one is going to office. One has to drive the vehicle in stop-and-go mode. This stop and pick up situation consumes most of the fuel. So their eyes are set on tomorrow’s hybrid that will yield better fuel economy, not only in the city, but on the highway too. When the new hybrid is stopped at the traffic signals or in the jam, the advanced system shuts the internal combustion engine off, conserving fuel. When the car is on the move again, electric power is used to conserve fuel, adding power from the engine as needed. If you want to drive at faster pace, power from both the engine and electric motors are directed to the wheels for greater acceleration. Think about having the best of both worlds!