Cyclone Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Medusa is talking about using alternative fuels, you started a thread about water being a fuel. They're two entirely different things. 911 - why not use a battery instead, it's easier. Okay, that's a little bit facetious, the energy density of batteries is quite low, hydrogen is difficult to store, that's why at the moment we still mostly use petrol, it has high energy density and it's fairly easy to store and transport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteMorris Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Medusa is talking about using alternative fuels, you started a thread about water being a fuel. I didn't start the thread? Several contributors have posted links about 'hybrid' alternative fuels. I was being general about alternatives, that's all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911wasalie Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 Medusa is talking about using alternative fuels, you started a thread about water being a fuel. They're two entirely different things. 911 - why not use a battery instead, it's easier. Okay, that's a little bit facetious, the energy density of batteries is quite low, hydrogen is difficult to store, that's why at the moment we still mostly use petrol, it has high energy density and it's fairly easy to store and transport. Hydrogen is difficult to handle but so was petrol at one stage, we learned how to use these gas products over time. Batteries are one solution but capacitors are much lighter,they are also have a much longer life. We use petrol because most of the cars are built to burn it and just imagine the financial chaos which would result if it became redundent. My plan is to buy solar panels and use the energy from those to generate hydrogen, I then, as you pointed out, need to find a method of storing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFKvsNixon Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 If sure given the incentive (like oil running out) they could develop engines that ran on water, or even fresh air. I'm pretty sure someone somewhere has already done it. But because of oil and motor manufacturers 'vested' interests (and govenments acually via taxation) they've never been allowed to surface. If a company invented such an energy source, they wouldn't use it to power cars. They'd use it to create almost free electricity and become the biggest company in the world by selling it to us, and the government would get it's money back by taxing this power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little malc Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 This is an interesting subject, the Indian firm TATA are making a car that runs on compressed air, the range is not great, but is being sold as a commuter vehicle. The compressed air works a piston engine just like pressure from a steam engine works, anyone who lives near a river could use a water wheel to drive a compressor to top up the tanks, this really would be pure green energy, and for "nowt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awoollen Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I have always remember a story I heard in the 1960's, that a system of running cars on water had been developed but the system was bought by one of the big oil company's and destroyed. Not sure whether I had read this or was told about it. It would be very useful in these days of high fuel cost. there was one ran of fumes from pig muck but the know alls quashed it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadget_man Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Why ridiculous? How would you know? Just because you don't know of anything like it, it doesn't mean it's not possible! Imagine someone inventing an engine that can run on fresh air! All that revenue and taxation gone in a flash! Think about it! TATA air car=watch it on you tube:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911wasalie Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 Another idea I have is to supply energy to an electric car by means of mutual induction. Simply install a coil in the vehicle and coils along the road and pass A.C. current through them and the coil in the vehicle will pick up energy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Hydrogen is difficult to handle but so was petrol at one stage, we learned how to use these gas products over time. Batteries are one solution but capacitors are much lighter,they are also have a much longer life. We use petrol because most of the cars are built to burn it and just imagine the financial chaos which would result if it became redundent. My plan is to buy solar panels and use the energy from those to generate hydrogen, I then, as you pointed out, need to find a method of storing it. Capacitors are good for holding short term charge, they don't do very well when you look at keeping the charge for hours, days or weeks. It's all well and good charging up a car, but no good if it's flat when you come back with your shopping. Capacitors and batteries are both areas of much research at the moment, they've lagged behind the progress in many other areas and hold back all sorts of devices. Personally I think hydrogen is doomed and improvements in either battery or capacitor technology will be the way forward. That said, there's some interesting work with gas turbines going on as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Another idea I have is to supply energy to an electric car by means of mutual induction. Simply install a coil in the vehicle and coils along the road and pass A.C. current through them and the coil in the vehicle will pick up energy. It's a very inefficient process though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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