Doh !! I've done it again.

Correction: 46MJ is 13kWh (17 bhp-h) and 52.1MJ is 14.8kWh (19.4 bhp-h).

These values are 10X what I stated above.

My lawnmower is 3.5 bhp and runs for about 3 hour on about a litre of fuel. That's about 10bhp-h, so the compressed air car now just about beats it. With it's larger tank option it's got nearly twice the energy storage as my lawnmower with it's 1 litre fuel tank.

Hi, I expect that a lot of the hybrids we will see , now and in the future, will incorporate some kind of combustion engine or fuel cell as a default motive force. As I understand it, this system would target the large group of commuters that travel round trip of 60 miles or so, although I read somewhere that there was a figure of well over 500. But a back up system is always welcomed .
I remember an old Volkswagen that, when you ran out of petrol, you would reach down and open this valve, and would have about 20 more miles of fuel,..
an early back-up system. Happy days.
Best regards, Dan

Yours is the attitude that invites destruction. How long would you choose not to act.

Anthropic Theory of life centers uniquely around carbon, and we are burning it off the planet as we speak. It is un-relenting, and it is real, and you will acknowledge it for what it is.

Call it 'lifting of the atmosphere', and recognize the consequences of this.
Peak any telescope capable of viewing any pock marked planet that has been wracked with asteroids and comets. What do we notice? No Atmosphere.

__________________
The Mirror of Time comes back;853=358
C6H Negative Anion Carbon Chain violates the Perfection of the 130/14 Interstellar Chemical model
144= Kaballah Gematria Perfection #

Carbon Sequestering is something we find in Hemp, the weed that was criminalized by our Corporate WarLords who want you to buy their medicine and purchase their clothing. Its eradiction from many corners of the globe is a great sin against the Earth and its inhabitants.

Hemp has prolific value and properties, and its strong point is that it acts as a detoxifier of the BioSphere.
We may not tear the concrete off our roadways to let the Earth breathe once again, but a global campaign to plant hemp may actually help to save us.

__________________
The Mirror of Time comes back;853=358
C6H Negative Anion Carbon Chain violates the Perfection of the 130/14 Interstellar Chemical model
144= Kaballah Gematria Perfection #

Hi, You make an excellent point,Sir!! A superb point .
Best regards, Dan

Danscope wrote:
<<this system would target the large group of commuters that travel round trip of 60 miles or so>>

I can see what you're getting at. It's SPEED that requires power, if we were able to accept lower speeds, the requirements would become more manageable. I seem to remember the power requirement increases with speed to the power of 2.8.

But most people are not going to make the investment in a vehicle that can only be secondary, i.e specifically for commuting. They only want to pay the purchase price, tax, MoT, servicing costs and insurance on ONE vehicle. The state would have to get the cost disincentives away.

ANYWAY, if we are willing to accept much lower performance in a commuting vehicle, we have to realise we could then have a much smaller internal combustion engine. If we were happy to have a flat-out max speed of 30mph we might get away with something not much more than my lawnmower engine. Probably then could get say 200mpg from internal combustion. The fuel could be a biofuel also.

Also

Hi, Good post. Actually, the speeds are more like 55. But we are talking about lighter vehicles in the future. Of course the "Comercially Driven Consumer" is not looking at transportation....yet...., he buys a car like a piece of jewelry or waterfront property. Why do otherwise rational people purchase a 7500lb. vehicle to go to the supermarket and the post office? Defense, and Image.
But, as a vehicle for local transportation, non-polution and efficiency,
1000 lbs. is a better target. I should like a vehicle which requires brake service
and seldom anything else.
Of course, it's too soon, now. If a camel works, why get a car?
When my wife and child were driving less than 20 miles per day,back in 1982, I put them into a 1975 Cadillac Coupe De Ville. 6500 lbs. of Detroit Iron. At $1.25
a gallon, I wanted the protection more than the cost of fuel. As time goes by, we may not have that luxury. They drive a 2.5 L Subaru Outback now,with a 5 speed manual. Good safety, and less weight, better mileage, and a little easier to park.
In the future, what the commuter "Wants" and what they "Need" may change substantially with the times. I doubt that we will look at or subsidize
cars doing 85 MPH and weighing 6200lbs. in that brave new world.
Best regards, Dan

A car is something to wear like designer labels. Even here in the UK where fuel is £0.87 per litre ($6.49 per US gallon), if you go on the motorway (freeway) outside lane it won't be long before you get a Rangerover on your tailgate doing 95mph ( and about 8mpg) !

Time Has Come Today - I believe we are undergoing climate change and that humans are the cause of most, if not all, of it, from the burning of fossil fuels and the contribution of CO2 to the atmosphere. But I don't see this causing the "lifting of the atmosphere" and the conversion of our planet to a body without an atmosphere. In fact, the planet with the largest greenhouse effect, Venus, has plenty of atmosphere. I'm not sure I understand your suggestion.

__________________
At night the stars put on a show for free (Carole King)

One Earth, One Sky - IYA 2009
All moderation in purple

Hi, You make an excellent point there. There is a "Type" of person who glorifies in being the biggest,meanest , baddest ******* on the road and enjoys intimidating other cars, tailgaiting etc. This kind of aberative behavior will must needs be dealt with severely in future. In short, they will ride the bus, and their
"Vehicle Ownership" priviliges...(I say 'Priviliges" ) will be REVOKED, if necessary,
Permanently. In my view, the driver's license in my country should be issued by the State lived in, but be made on a Federal reference basis. That way,....
if you lose your license because of repeated drunk driving, reckless driving charges etc. you lose it nation wide, no skipping to another state for a new license, as some have done. This would put the fear of God into the system,
and pave the way for respectable driving, safe driving, and safe operation of lighter and more efficient cars without fear and loathing of behemoths.
This will come to pass, I believe. We can't continue to condone 7500lb.
dinosaurs as single passenger commuters. But....I degress.
I enjoyed yor post,Sir.
Best regards, Dan

Hi, Anyone for a steam/electric hybrid? Since the main objective to steam is
start-up on demand, I wonder if steam/electric is a better interface, and it doesn't have to burn oil,as such. Syn fuel of any sort would suffice.
Still have that nasty carbon problem, though....
And your thoughts?

<<steam/electric >>

So the question is, is steam/electric more efficient than the internal combustion engine?

All these things are heat engines and therefore suffer from built-in thermodynamic inefficiencies.

However, fixed-plant steam turbines seem to achieve greater efficiency even than diesel engines. But I don't know if that would be the case with the moving-vehicle version.

Fixed-plant can be run at optimum output most of the time, and weight is no object. These things are not true of vehicle power plants.

Hi, Part of the efficiency of steam is the "Free" energy you get from the condensation cycle. (30% free fuel..sort of )This is particularly appreciable in colder climates where the cold air passing through the condenser in closed cycle steam turbines delivers a vaccuum at the other end,further drawing steam through the loop.
The promise of a small, ceramic turbine coupled to an alternator sized sufficiently to charge batteries as well as propulsion just may satisfy some of the complaints about employing steam.
Best regards, Dan