High Speed Steam Powered Car

CodeWanker wrote in to tell us about a story about new steam powered vehicles that are aiming to set speed records. The car is kind of goofy looking, but more eco friendly (which works for the Prius ;) Don't expect to see anything like this at your local dealer any time soon tho.

Comments

The Air Car...

[Kjuib]

http://www.theaircar.com/

does not run on steam. But runs on air... And you can expect to see these at a local dealer soon. (at least Europe)

Re:The Air Car...

[chill]

The Series 34 CATs engines can be equipped with and run on dual energies - fossil fuels and compressed air - and incorporate a reheating mechanism (a continuous combustion system, easily controlled to minimize pollution) between the storage tank and the engine.

This mechanism allows the engine to run exclusively on fossil fuel which permits compatible autonomy on the road.

While the car is running on fossil fuel, the compressor refills the compressed air tanks. The control system maintains a zero-pollution emission in the city at speeds up to 60 km/h.

Still using fossil fuels?

[hexed_2050]

Anything that can begin to cut down on the amount of pollution that is generated in our atmosphere is a step in the right direction.

Sure, I'm not about to give up my VW GTI VR6 just yet, but sooner or later something's gotta give. Even Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story is mocking us:

'Do you people still use fossil fuels, or have you discovered crystallic fusion?'

the downsides of Hydrogen fuel cells

[TrippTDF]

Here's a question I've never had answered fully-

Say that fuelcells start powering everything, and their exhaust is going to be water.
BR> What is going to happen to all that water that we create? Isn't that going to have reaching enviromental implications as well?

Re:Regression

[CrankyFool]

In general, hand-made stuff was always highly prized when the hands involved were those of a master artisan -- the industrial revolution wasn't about producing something better than the best artisans could do, but something more _cheaply_ (and still pretty good -- the old 'bang for the buck' thing) than it would cost a master artisan to do.

That this practice continues to today (A few years back I was looking into getting a sword commissioned as a wedding gift and only seriously looked at hand-made swords, because there are no good factory-made swords -- there's not enough of a volume for good swords to justify an entire factory) is not regression.

Oh, and with regards to your sig, I think you want to say "woman-centric." The hyphen makes a difference.

Re:Regression

[AviLazar]

Hand labor has always (at least in the past 50-60 years) been of more value then craftsmanship. Actually, hand craftsmanship never lost its value - because it takes so much manpower...these days because the whole "it was made by hand" commands a higher price, even though the hands might be of a 10 year old in Malaysia working for 10 cents a week.

I hope you were not trying to be a troll, in all honesty, since you were around for a while. Through-out history there are records of us using older techniques (look at plastic surgery, how it uses techniques from India culture of over 4000 years ago).

mmmmmmm steam..

[the_mpls_guy]

I dont understand why steam has such an archaic stigma attached to it...
Diesel dates to the late 1800's and Electric powered cars date back further than that. Steam power was not developed with the view toward automobile production as much as other technologies.

Stanley Steamer broke the standing land speed record in 1906 with a steam powered car..

If we can get the same or more power out of a steam powered car, with better gas mileage.. then i'm up for it. Even if it is "old" technology.
(I'll even wear my bowler hat to the box social)

Cheera

Re:The Prius/hybrids actually isn't good at all

[lobsterGun]

Why not a diesel hybrid then?

Re:The Prius/hybrids actually isn't good at all

[ArsonSmith]

Twice the weight? unless you have a 50lbs car then it is far less than twice the weight.
Half the interior room? Unless you have 1.2 cubic foot of space in your car then it takes up far less than half the space.

Why do hybrids get such criticism? The technology is sound, it is not married to petrol engines and could easily be used on Diesel. In fact it would be ideal for diesel engines to be hybrids. It does help improve mileage. What has a hybrid car done to you, and others who criticize this way?

Re:Stanley Steamer

[gwn]

I remember one late spring in the 70's, sitting in the back seat cruising down the highway and passing a convoy of steamers. Later they caught up with us at a fuel stop and we had a good look. The driver of one steamer replied to a speed question along these lines "she can go really fast, but we drive at a reasonable speed because of the bugs...". Several of the cars, all open, had dinky windshields and the black flies and mosquitoes must have hurt. They were certainly beautiful works of engineering and style, much nicer than the Ford we were in.

Re:So it's a steam turbine

[TheGavster]

The problem that people keep running into with turbine powered cars is that they try to hook the turbine up the rest of the drivetrain from a gasoline powered car. If you hook the turbine instead to a generator, you can run at a constant RPM (making the turbine happy), and then power electric motors at the wheels (or a single motor driving a differential). With all the electronics on a modern car, you've got the alternator in there already, just need to go all the way.