1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

130MPG car

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by zenMachine, Jan 30, 2008.

  1. zenMachine

    zenMachine Just another Onionhead

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2007
    3,355
    300
    0
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    #1 zenMachine, Jan 30, 2008
  2. narf

    narf Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2005
    611
    45
    4
    Location:
    Colorado
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four Touring
    Theoretically, using compressed gas to store recovered kinetic energy is significantly more efficient than charging a battery with it. There is a company in Europe or Asia already building prototypes that run only on compressed gas. However, where does he get his claims of 130 MPG? His technology just recovers waisted energy, but they say nothing about how his gas engine will be more efficient. In stop and go slow traffic it could be useful but in highway driving it's no help at all.
     
    #2 narf, Jan 30, 2008
  3. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2003
    19,891
    1,193
    9
    Location:
    Nixa, MO
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Put that thing into production with the necessary back-up brake system, air-bags, ABS, stability control, emissions control systems, etc and you're going to add weight and expense and reduce the fuel efficiency and power/speed.

    I'm not disparaging the concept, I like it and would like to see the ideas integrated into a next generation of hybrid somehow, but I think this is another pie-in-the-sky idea like so many others we've seen that won't perform in the real world as well as the conceptualized vehicle is hoped to.
     
    #3 efusco, Jan 30, 2008
  4. TedA

    TedA New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2008
    1
    0
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    He hasn't built a model, much less a prototype, so the mileage claim is theoretical. Goodness knows what kind of compromises are necessary to actually make this thing work. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for one.
     
    #4 TedA, Jan 30, 2008
  5. donee

    donee New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2005
    2,956
    197
    0
    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Hi All,

    Well, I do not know about 130 mpg, but something very high is doable with the concept. A Plug-In Prius gets on the order of 80 to 100 mpg-ge (gas equivalent) driven well. This is the same thing. The accumulator is just like the large battery.

    And this is not a unique hybrid either. Its appears to be a hydraulic hybrid, similar to what the EPA lab did. That car got 80 mpg using a Diesel prime-mover. The concept is already in production too - Eaton makes a hydraulic hybrid system for package delivery trucks.
     
    #5 donee, Jan 30, 2008
  6. donee

    donee New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2005
    2,956
    197
    0
    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Compressed gas has problems, because the heat of compression dissipates rapidly. From the size of the wheel motors, I think this has got to be a hydraulic hybrid.

    The accumulators in the EPA car used foam rubber insulation within the tank to reduce the temperature loss. There is a story about a grad student intern spending his summer semester droping foam pellets into the tank.
     
    #6 donee, Jan 30, 2008
  7. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2007
    10,664
    567
    0
    Location:
    Adelaide South Australia
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I couldn't help myself, I had to comment on the site.
     
    #7 patsparks, Jan 30, 2008
  8. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2004
    14,487
    1,518
    0
    Location:
    Spokane, WA
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    The guy has a design. He does not have a car. He is making claims based on nothing but wishful thinking. Oh, yes, and he has a computer which shows an animation. I bet we have some folks here on PriusChat who can make computer animations. Here's an idea: Let's get one of our computer nerds to make an animation of a car that gets 200 mpg. We'll get Warren Buffets to invest a million dollars in it, and Danny can use the money to eliminate the advertisements on this site.

    Hey, it's as good an idea as that guy has.
     
    #8 daniel, Jan 30, 2008
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)