Internal Explosion Engine

Response to
Frankfurt Motor Show: A Look Back at Tomorrow’s Engine Technology
avail at the New York Times Automobiles section
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/14/frankfurt-motor-show-a-look-back-at-tomorrows-engine-technology/

When you compare the Internal Explosion Engine’s 122 years of evolution to other innovations it lags far behind. 1 power stroke per 4 for a theoretical max efficiency of 25% is that same as today’s cars slinging 8 of every 10 gallons of gasoline into the atmosphere as heat or smog.

Other innovations like the battery powered (several generations of chemical engines to Lithium today) mobile phone or computer (two generations of engines from vacuum tubes to transistors) or even the typical hybrid washer/dryer (from hanging things outside to natural gas-electric hybrids in almost every home) have leapt ahead in efficiency? Why? Electricity is cheaper than gasoline…

Could it be that the largest business in the world makes more money the less efficient our cars are???

It may not even matter, because even after 122 years of flat development, we only have a billion vehicles on Earth running the same theoretical engine as Mr. Benz’s patent.

I wonder what the other 5 of 6 human beings that have never bought a car will be driving next???

Do you remember what your 1st car was and how much it cost???

There’s still 5,000,000,000 people dreaming of buying their 1st cars or trucks…

— Posted by John Acheson

How Hybrids Work

One Response to “How Hybrid Car works?”
http://www.newcarpark.com/blog/?p=60

on 06 Sep 2007 at 11:35 am John Acheson

Hybrids are better because they are more efficient and recycle. Efficiency can lead to any benefit you would like. For example, longer range, faster stopping, performance, higher mileage, etc. The internal combustion engine is just over 20% efficient so you pay for 10 gallons of gas and only 2 end up turning the wheels. Hybrids can almost double that to 4. That’s an extra 2 gallons of gas to do anything you want with and by the way, a cup of gasoline is equivalent to sticks of dynamite in terms of power. How many cups in a $3 gallon of gas? Plenty of explosions that could be used instead of idling away in a hot parking lot to run the air con…

Volt Ahead

Raw Response to
Chevy Volt Redefines EV
at Wired's Autopia at
http://blog.wired.com/cars/2007/01/chevy_volt_coul.html

Great concept!!!

Hats off to one of the most efficient cars we've seen in a 100 years. The design is very similar to Porsche's World's First Hybrid built before 1900 estimated at 83% efficient.

The radical turbine electric car helped Ferdinand Porsche set world land speed records, win an award at the World's Fair as well as the Semmering Uphill, jump starting a long career in racing.

Why did he build it? Because his boss wanted a more powerful longer range electric (before grids were around).

How does the Volt compare to the EV-1, Tesla and Prius in terms of efficiency.

First of all, over 700,000,000 vehicles on Earth are burning 8 or 9 of every 10 gallons of fuel we pay for before turning our wheels...

So in terms of efficiency, the VOLT is probably twice or three times as good as most. But the Tesla and EV-1 are able to use almost 9 of every 10 units of electricity. Unfortunately, grids are less efficient than fuel value chains (well to truck, truck to tanker, tanker to port, port to port, tanker to truck, truck to refinery, refinery to truck, truck to station).

The Tesla Roadster is rated at almost 90% and California has a pretty clean grid. The grid is why the Prius can leverage it's 37% efficiency against 80-90% gasoline for a high well to wheel. The plug-in Prius is getting 94 mpg in testing.

How efficient is the VOLT? I don't know, the Prius and Tesla are the only automakers to release efficiency studies.

If the VOLT is over 37%, there's a window of opportunity to advertise the world's most efficient vehicle before electrics run over hybrids.

Conventionals (15%) are yesterday, hybrids (35%) are today, plug-ins (50% est) are next and electrics (90%) are tomorrow...

Posted by: John Acheson | Jan 22, 2007 11:52:11 PM

I love the Reflex and Volt!!!

Raw Response to
Ford Considers Plug-in Hybrid
at Wired's Autopia
avail http://blog.wired.com/cars/2007/01/ford_considers_.html

Conventional cars only use about 12 or 15 barrels of oil for every 100 raped from Earth to turn our wheels...

Hybrids double that.

Plug-ins go even further...

Electrics get up to 90% efficiency!!!

Conventionals are yesterday, hybrids are now, plug-ins are next and electrics are the future.

Ford's decision to work on plug-ins will only help in the mid term. Since Toyota used over 650 patents on its hybrid technology, rivals have to license or throw in the towel in the short run.

Ford and GM have a giant opportunity to leap ahead on plug-ins and electrics if they can get to 1,000 patents before Toyota.

If those hybrid patents (by the way, Ford used 350 on the Escape Hybrid with 21 blueprints from Toyota) cross-over to electrics or plug-ins, Ford and GM might want to collaborate or find a new powerplant that can beat the Prius at 37% vehicle efficiency and eventually run with Tesla 90% efficient roadster...

Good luck Detroit, I love the Reflex and Volt!!!

Posted by: John Acheson | Jan 20, 2007 6:47:10 PM

Why isn't efficiency part of a BEST ENGINE?

In response to
Ward’s 10 Best Engines Reviewed (Mostly)
Posted by: Matt Vella on December 07 at
http://www.businessweek.com/autos/autobeat/archives/2006/12/wards_10_best_e.html

I left the following comment
right at the end of cheaper gas...

John Acheson
December 28, 2006 12:16 AM

What are the metrics for best? I'd like to argue that it should be one metric, efficiency. For every 10 gallons of gas, most engines burn up 7 or 8 right? Why aren't we measuring this? Why isn't it part of being a "best engine?"

Toyota has a secret weapon...

Reader Comments
John Acheson
December 19, 2006 03:24 PM

Toyota has a secret weapon. It's that old MBA term called "kaizen" or continuous improvement. But, which bottom line matters? One way is through the continuous improvement of vehicle efficiency. Porsche's hybrid circa 1900 got 83% efficiency and only slung 2 of every 10 gallons of petrol into the atmosphere. But the billion internal explosion engines that run around Earth today waste 8 barrels of oil for every 10 pulled out of the ground. That was until the funny looking little Prius came along...The 2nd gen released to the states was reported at 32% efficiency by Toyota. It got another barrel of oil to the rear wheels. Then in five short years at 1% continuous improvement per year, the 3rd gen Prius hit showrooms at a phenomenal 37% vehicle efficiency. After declining an estimated .5% per year from the 1900's to 20% for most of man's billion vehicles, the Prius went backwards...Well; actually the Prius jumped into the future and delivered 5 points of improvement! Taking into consideration the 1,000 engineers that threw out 80 designs to get to the 1st gen Prius, this improvement is astounding! Kaizen can be used in improving assembly and manufacturing, but what about improving operating costs for the user... Toyota has a secret weapon: putting money in the pockets of its customers. By saving foreign barrels of oil, domestic gallons of gas, and lowering your bills from your local mechanic, Toyota's secret weapon puts money in its customer's pockets.

Toyota edges closer
Posted by: Ian Rowley on December 17
http://www.businessweek.com/autos/autobeat/archives/2006/12/toyota_edges_cl.html