The X-Prize Sonata

[mpgmike]

Something we tried after the event was to ionize the intake air. I screwed quite a few sheet metal screws (with pointy tips) into the air filter housing, then ran high voltage from an ion generator to each one. External exposed metal was coated with liquid electrical tape to prevent shock or short circuit of the HV.

In reality it did absolutely nothing! After careful consideration I believe the ions were attracting to the metal in the cylinder head like tiny magnets, and wouldn't pull free until the ions were neutralized. Ozone seems much more stable and does give noticeable performance and economy gains.

[freebeard]

The Xprize didn't live up to it's initial billing but it was informative and fun, while it lasted.

Really? Edison2 faltered but Aptera is still viable.

[mpgmike]

At the awards ceremony the team leader for Edison (forget his name) confessed they were only in it for the prize money, and had no intention of EVER going to market with whatever they had. That's sad, as the Edison Team had been disqualified several times, but got reinstated when their team leader pitched a gripe. There were much better teams that never got the chance because they were honest about not intending to go into production (one of the X-Prize qualification requirements). [Random Presentation picture, I don't even remember who it might have been.]

[RustyLugNut]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Really? Edison2 faltered but Aptera is still viable.

None of the finalists made any contribution to current automotive technology.

I'm cheering for Aptera, but they are not in production . . . Yet.

Several teams, such as ourselves, pulled out when the scope of the competition was greatly scaled down. Many teams withdrew from the competition once Progressive came on board and reduced the visibility of the competition. Advertising is expensive and the Xprize was to provide tremendous value in product exposure. This didn't happen so all the competition provided was a limited opportunity.

The competition did not turn up anything new that we as Ecomodders already didn't know. Electric drives are efficient. Light weight is advantageous. Aerodynamics is crucial. Etcetera, etcetera.

It was hoped advanced combustion engines, fuel cell storage and technology or some unforeseen battery chemistry would make an appearance. In speaking with the organizers in the run up to the competition, this was their goal - to reveal technology that could be used across a broad spectrum of products. This did not happen.

It was still entertaining to see, but truthfully, it changed nothing in the automotive world.

[freebeard]

....truthfully, it changed nothing in the automotive world. [Homer Simpson voice:] Yet.

The Edison2 guy was Oliver Kuttner. From this distance he talked a good game. ... talking about his motorsport background and high-speed collisions. He went back to real estate development in Lynchburg, Virginia.

I really wish he had productized that in-hub front suspension. He could have sold a ton of those at SEMA mounted on 1937 Ford tube axles.

[ME_Andy]

If Aptera makes it to production, it will definitely all have been worthwhile.

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by RealityRacer

Well this engine efficiency stuff seems highly unlikely. Chasing unicorns here. Do you really think OEMs aren't doing everything they can to make efficient vehicles? You need to think logically about all this.
First, an ICE is 20% efficient and there is no room for improvement or the OEMs would do it,

I'm surprised nobody else called you on this. 20% heat efficiency is worse than poor, the OEMs beat that decades ago when they started building higher compression engines for the consumer market. A Corliss steam engine was beating 20% efficiency around 1900.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a3...l%20efficiency.

https://www.thedrive.com/tech/18919/...0-liter-engine

This article also offers the same mistaken "fact" you do, without citing any references to back it up.

https://rentar.com/efficient-engines...on-efficiency/

When you get right down to it, the bleeding-edge-advanced Toyota and Nissan efforts knocking on the door of 50% simply point up how woefully inadequate ICE really is. Factor in the energy investment just to harvest and process the fossil fuels, and it quickly becomes clear that ICE should be abandoned by humanity as quickly as possible.

[mpgmike]

I'm giddy excited about the prospects for EV's. Today's reality is there are hundreds of millions of ICEs on the road. I am working on EV technologies (working with DARPA on something that doubles the electrical efficiency of any electrical load, but cannot disclose details). However, we have this giant pink elephant in the room called the ICE that isn't going away any time soon. The purpose of this thread is to showcase things my team has successfully tested, and achieved certifiable results.

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by mpgmike

I'm giddy excited about the prospects for EV's. Today's reality is there are hundreds of millions of ICEs on the road. I am working on EV technologies (working with DARPA on something that doubles the electrical efficiency of any electrical load, but cannot disclose details). However, we have this giant pink elephant in the room called the ICE that isn't going away any time soon. The purpose of this thread is to showcase things my team has successfully tested, and achieved certifiable results.

Yours for just 5 easy payments of $29.95?

[mpgmike]

Originally Posted by Ecky

Yours for just 5 easy payments of $29.95?

Not even!! With time and resources, we will be able to economize it in both size and costs. For now, it ain't cheap! However, it DOES work. Besides, we aren't targeting retail markets with it; not now, nor probably ever. We are more interested in OEMs or military applications.