Quote:
Originally Posted by basslover911
Yep I know. Their whole deal is to get and document peoples reaction to a "new type of power plant" for cars and then go sell this patent to big auto manufacturers.
Hm.
|
I started on that pathway in 2003 with a Patent application for an engine that could "transform" itself into a flywheel, using it's own mass as the storage platform.
In my old Insight I could get 70.2 MPG so with 40 gallons of fuel that works out to 2800 miles and the Insight was an automatic (CVT).
When I realized that no auto manufacturer was going to try to develop and build the design and the Patent Office was fighting me every inch of the way on approval, I decided to change my tactics in 2006. The resulting Patent
US#7677208 was issued in March 2010 and I am working on a functional vehicle prototype with my personal funding at this time.
My budget is about 1% of your quoted 2.9 million. I can't see that amount of money spent on any conversion, but engine builds from scratch can easily get exorbitantly expensive. Actually if you follow hypermiling fairly extensively the engine is not really the source of inefficiency, it's the power train that has the potential for the greatest improvement. Not that the engine is not a significant contributing factor. Argonne Labs is currently doing research with the objective of achieving 60% energy conversion efficiency in an IC engine.
Most passenger cars engines can get to peaks of 34-43% efficiency right now, with the most efficient engine reaching 53% in the giant low speed diesels in large container ships.
Bottom line is the huge increase in efficiency we would like to see in the near future will be done with some form of capacitive storage and release of short term energy supplies. This means the (pulse and glide) operational tactic employed by those who achieve more than double EPA mileage ratings employ EXACTLY the same tactic. Operating the engine at only maximum efficiency then shutting it off and coasting with the inertia stored in the mass of the vehicle itself.
The obvious progression of this method is to provide some form of internal storage and release of inertial forces to allow the vehicle speed to remain constant while using the pulse and glide strategy for the engine, with the frequency of the pulses depending on average energy demands over time.
If the people you are considering investing can provide you with tangible independently accumulated evidence of their process being successful, without being "embellished" with exorbitant claims then that would accentuate their credibility, but then you already know that.
My design was investigated by a class of Virginia Tech engineering students and given a positive report as far as being a significant improvement over conventional power trains.
The EPA spent a lot of time (and our money) to research and develop hydraulic hybrids with a test mule weighing 3800 pounds that got 80 MPG.
Other designs are also being developed by INNAS and Artemis, hydraulic hybrids that offer double current EPA mileage in the same vehicle.
regards
Mech