The whispering wheel [Dutch invention can make vehicles 50 percent more efficient]

Radio Netherlands ^ | 15 december 2003 | by Thijs Westerbeek,

[NilesJo]

An elegant and scientifically accurate discussion of the fallacies of the claims for the 100mpg carburetor invention.
Thanks.

[flashbunny]

Did you even read the article? This isn't the magic carburetor story, it's a completely different type of motor run by electricty, which is powerered by a diesel engine.

[longshadow]

Have you guys heard of this? Is it worth a general ping?

Nothing miraculous in what is proposed.... but notice what they don't mention: cost.

In particular, they aren't looking at life-cycle costs, and they also don't mention how much the lead-acid batteries for a bus will weigh, cost, or how long they'll last.

Like most proposals like this, it looks and sounds great -- as long as someone else has to pay for it.....

[vpintheak]

Sounds good in theory, the real test is figuring out how this stuff would work up here in Alaska during the winter.

[duk]

Nothing works well up there!!

[flashbunny]

The battery being replaced every year thing sounded different from everything I've heard about hybrids, so I looked it up:

http://www.hybridcars.com/faq.html#battery

"The hybrid battery packs are designed to last for the lifetime of the vehicle, somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 miles. The warranty covers the batteries for between eight and ten years, depending on the car maker. Some detractors doubt that the batteries will truly last that long, so only time will tell. "

[Gunslingr3]

Dang it, where are those flying cars they promised?

The government took the money that would have spent on developing them and built umpteen million miles of roads to maintain into perpetuity instead.

[Vroomfondel]

The idea has been around for a very long time. For example, one of Ferdinand Porsche's very first projects, way back at the beginning of the 20th century, was a hybrid with motors in the wheels.

According to some old train books that I found in an old book store, diesel-electric locomotives liked to run at 800 RPM. I don't know if that's still true...

[al baby]

BTW, the idiot who wrote this is obviously an idiot... There are no electric "engines." Only electric "motors." ;)


Then why did we use motor manuels in the 60 70 to fix our engines?

PS I know

[Poincare]

You are correct. I forget though, which is sprung weight aand which is unsprung. Dr. Porsche designed a variety of hybrid cars and locomotives in the first third of the last century and many "new" designs are quite old indeed.

[DeltaZulu]

Earlier this year I visited my brother in Michigan. We took a trip up to Hibtac (Hibbings Tachonite Mine). They use those dump trucks that haul (no joke) over 100 tons of tachonite ore. We looked at a retired truck and had a chance to speak with a similarly retired mechanic who maintained these monsters. The drive technology is as this article describes (sans the batteries). A deisel engine delivers DC directly to the wheels. As an added benefit reversing the current makes for a great non-mechanical braking system. This stuff has been around for many years. I wonder why they cant make a car like this?

[js1138]

Some time ago I read that replacement batteries would cost 30,000 dollars. More recently it was $3000. The faq you linked to dances around replacement cost, so I suspect it's a killer.

[flashbunny]

Recently I read around $3k here on free republic - If I find something concrete I'll post it.

Still, Getting 100,000 to 150,000 out of the battery isnt' that bad - plus by the time you'd need one, the price should be driven down dramatically.

[Ace's Dad]

where are those flying cars they promised?

Turns out, most of you aren't capable of flying them. Ha, has ALF says, I kill me! < feable attempt at humor off > I know, no non serious discussions. DTOM

[Old Professer]

Good point; I was concerned with the added mass to the drive wheels which is the so-called unsprung wieght.

[Lancey Howard]

Quiet vaccuum-cleaners have been available for decades. People don't like them because they do not sound like they have any power, and when given a choice between two equal vaccuum cleaners will choose the louder one.

People like the good old-fashioned sound of a gasoline-powered engine.
There is nothing the greenazis can do about it.

[Old Professer]

The price won't drop dramatically except by subsidy; downtime could be quite a factor, though.

[flashbunny]

From what I've read toyota has already released an improved prius battery and lowered the cost recently - right now it's about $3k according to edmunds. Plus their warranty is 8 years or 100k miles. Not bad.

[Panzerfaust]

Still got those Ram Air IV heads? I'll buy them off you.

[Old Professer]

I wrote a letter to the editor of the now long-defunct Los Angeles Herald Examiner in 1979 suggesting that the key to low-emission fuel-efficient cars lay in diesel-locomotive technology even without batteries because the engine could be run at a low, constant speed while traction motors did the real propulsion work.

As I said, this is old technology, the real inertia is in the politics and the infrastructure.