Alternative Energy

Alternative energy news, and information about renewable energy technologies.

Nov 12

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!

http://solarjohn.blogspot.com Solar John

If auto companies really want to be working on the cars of tomorrow, why are they still working on cars that use gasoline? What good is a car that uses 50% less fossil fuel if fossil fuel is cost-prohibitive to use? Is it any wonder that the U.S. auto industry is in financial trouble? They deserve to go bankrupt.
Rick Lanese

I agree with solar John on everything except for the U.S. auto industry to go bankrupt. It will affect to many different industries. They need to try to make auto’s that run on something else besides gasoline. Maybe that will pick up the industry a bit. What about Biofuels? Could be a possibility. Can’t wait to see what they do, I am excited. Great stuff. Thanks a bunch, Rick L.
Josh

Not enough credit is being given to the high gas prices this past year and it’s serious damage on our economy and society. That one factor alone has caused serious stress in both individuals and businesses. A record number of homes and jobs have been lost as a direct result. And, while we are doing the happy dance around the lower prices at the pumps OPEC is announcing cuts to manipulate the prices upward again. We must get on with becoming energy independent.We can’t take another year like this past. There is a wonderful new book out about the energy crisis and what it would take for America to become energy independent. It covers every aspect of oil, what it’s uses are besides gasoline, our reserves, our depletion of it. Every type of alternative energy is covered and it’s potential to replace oil. He even has proposed legislative agenda’s that would be necessary to implement these changes along with time frames. This book is profoundly informative and our country needs to become more informed and move forward with becoming energy independent. Green technology would not only provide clean cheap energy it would create millions of badly needed new jobs. The Book is called The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence NOW. Our politicians all need to read this book. http://www.themanhattanprojectof2009.com
Wind & Sun

The work of U.S. automakers on 100% electric vehicles is not new. Although their motives are new. Now it’s a matter of necessity rather than compliance with air quality measures. There was even recharging infrastructure for the cars in California. GM gave the market up…probably because of the strong connection between U.S. automakers and big oil. Toyota’s got the electric/hybrid market now. See the movie: Who Killed The Electric Car.
Cory

Although one of the main problems is gas prices, the other problem is our production of green house gases. However, carbon emissions aren’t really the problem, in fact carbon dioxide only makes up less than 3% of the atmosphere and is badly needed by plants and oceans. Carbon Dioxide is not a pollutant. The other 97% of greenhouse gasses are water vapor, so why are we making vehicles that emit water vapor? Electricity and magnetic motors need to be researched more.
http://www.libertyblogger.net libertyblogger.net

Well the thought of energy-saving cars is very attractive, but it HAS to be economically thought out in order to sell.

The car industry suffers from a 100 year relationship with the oil industry, so the question is if they are serving us a sound solution or the lowest denominator of science for marketing reason.

Well hopefully this theory has no ground to stand on. What do you think?
http://www.stormynites.net/hedtke.net/HedtkeInstitute.html Mark Hedtke

Perhaps the article should be retitled “Cars of Yesteryear with Energy Saving Technology”. Today known as ‘Mr. Hydrogen’, Dr. Roger E. Billings, has the distinction of converting the world’s very first automobile to run on hydrogen in high school back in 1965, a vehicle with “tomorrow’s technology”. Visit his website to see 40 year old solutions at: http://www.rogerbillings.info/ProjectReports/ProjectHydrogen.html
Clifford McCarthy

Cheap and used cars are what most people today are looking for as finances are what people are most concerned about. Most old cheap cars are not at all beneficial towards the environment so maybe looking at a way to create the cars for sale we already have and helping them be eco friendly is the way forward?