The ideal car?

[fumesucker]

For me as a driver, handling and brakes come first so it drives like a Lotus.

Great fuel economy, plug in hybrid.. something like a 500 cc turbodiesel driving a generator/battery pack .. Then use the residual heat left in the exhaust to drive an auxiliary steam turbine to power the A/C and other accessories.

What do you think?

What choices would you make?

[Powerstroke IN]

My ideal car is a fully furnished train car behind a diesel-electric locomotive that either has a ray gun that materializes tracks in front of me or 5 million Oompa Loompas to build them.

But seriously, I would go with a mid size sedan or station wagon with good aerodynamics, a 1000cc bio-deisel motor with ceramic cylinder sleeves running at constant rpm driving a generator that powers in-wheel electronic motors with retroactive braking (no more friction brakes) and two steam systems. One high temp ran off of the exhaust heat and one low temp off of engine coolant to power alternators, A/C, etc. Then add water/methanol injection to boost the diesel's FE and BOOM! And frictionless surfaces would be a plus... Or maybe cold fusion?

[theholycow]

For me, comfort and versatility are most important. I want something that can go everywhere, do everything, carry everything AND everyone while towing everything, and I need to be comfortable in it.

Mine would be a bit of frankensteining of various models of an existing line:
GM crew cab 4x4 full size pickup with quadrasteer AND their hybrid system AND the Duramax diesel. It would start/shut down on biodiesel, and run a complete on-board-processing WVO system where I could dump any kind of unfiltered oil into the input tank and have it completely processed onboard. It would use radiator and exhaust heat to heat the WVO once it's warmed up, and it would also have a WVO burner that could heat the WVO to switch over sooner.

All the equipment would be tucked in unused space to keep the bed as clear as possible. The suspension would have long-travel air bags, and ground clearance could go from 6" to 18". The compressor for the bags would be huge, and would also be capable of running air tools. Oh, and that hybrid system I mentioned before? I could take or leave having it as part of the drivetrain, but it includes a huge inverter that can run power tools, and that's what I'd want from it. It would have an insanely huge winch built into a deer-destroying front bumper, and another behind a normal rear bumper. TracRac racks with the basic cantilever extension and cargo holder/window screen will suffice.

It would have a back window that rolls entirely down, dual huge sunroofs, and about 20,000 btus of air conditioner. Split-bench seat, column shifter with paddle shifters, hybrid DSG/manual transmission. Complete built-in PC that can be used to custom-program every bit of behavior about the vehicle.

Bonus points if it has an automated biodiesel manufacturing system that can make the small amount of B100 I'd need to start and shut down.

Then, when I don't feel like driving that monster around, I'd also have a '68 Camaro with modern engine/drivetrain, 6 speed manual, and modern electronic comforts. It would be able to run at least E85, maybe E100, and would be an electric hybrid with a system similar to GM's full size pickup hybrid system -- 160hp of electric motors in the transmission, and the gas engine shuts off when not necessary.

I don't really fit in on this forum, do I?

[96hb]

Something that is solar powered and uses zero gasoline.

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

I would like to do a biomass powered truck project... crewcab or extended cab, largish motor, bed would get mostly taken up by the processor and spare fuel though. Processor would be a woodgas convertor cum steam cracker cum turpentine distiller cum onboard refinery. Would have two modes of operation, the processor would make combustible gases and would still off turpenes and make methanol by catalytic reforming, these would be blended to make an approx 80 octane or so motor fuel that would be stored in tanks. The motor could be started and short tripped on this liquid fuel, the processor fired up on longer trips, where the motor would switch to gas output when everything was up to temperature, and the liquid output went to the storage tanks. When tanks were full, the processor would be shut down, and started again when the tanks got below 10 gallon "reserve" or so. Would consume practically any biomass when hot. With a really sophisticated system one could dump in ground up tires, fryer oil, rotten roadkill, plastic bags, old newspapers, cow patties ...

[opelgt73]

Originally Posted by fumesucker

Then use the residual heat left in the exhaust to drive an auxiliary steam turbine to power the A/C and other accessories.

I've heard this bandied about before, Is this really a practical idea? Has anyone actually build something like this? I haven't run any numbers but I find it hard to believe that the output would be worth the extra weight and complexity. Or if it is even a thermodynamically possible process.

[theholycow]

RW, CoolFuel Roadtrip actually ran an RV biomass powered like you describe. Very interesting stuff.

[Nrggeek]

Originally Posted by opelgt73

I've heard this bandied about before, Is this really a practical idea? Has anyone actually build something like this? I haven't run any numbers but I find it hard to believe that the output would be worth the extra weight and complexity. Or if it is even a thermodynamically possible process.

The BMW turbosteamer concept showed a 15% FE improvement:

http://www.gizmag.com/go/4936/

Regards,
Bill

[R.I.D.E.]

Take my VX convert the manual tranny to voice activated computer control.

Add a launch assist rear axle, using the spare tire well as the accumulator area.

Have regenerative capacity in the rear axle. Every time I slow down beyond coasting I am recovering energy. That same energy can be reapplied to the rear wheels for 0-60 acceleration of 5 seconds capacity.

This is with the engine turned off.

Once I get the car rolling I can use the engine to maintain accumulator pressure cycling it on and off while my ivt launch assist axle maintains velocity. My regular tranny is in neutral.

I use the rear launch capacity or the front drivetrain if I need more power (practically speaking never).

I use the hydraulics to restrat the motor automatically with a manual override.

I get the CD down to .19 through body redesign.

Who knows how high the mpg could be, but I would bet it was 50% better that my current 57 MPG, and that could be finished in a year. The car hypermiles at a constant speed with no other imput from me than slelectng the speed, or applying a stop signal.

If you want all electric, throw away the engine, tranny, cooling system, induction system, all computer controls, exhaust system. everything related to powertrain on the front end. Then throw in your battery pack and motor and use the accumulator for storage.

You could reduce the engine size to 1 liter as long as the lean burn remained functional if you kept the ICE.


Next generation would be designed specifically in light of the components you would no longer need.

Think of a modular platform, that would accept power from several different sources. You plug in your 125 pound IC engine module and go. Plug in your 800 pound electric battery and motor module and go.

Once you realise the platform is the heart and the propulsion system is secondary you will better understand the true principle of the hybrid.

propulsion system=the part of your system that converts energy into physical force.

We hypermile in protest of the ptitful state of design of current vehicles. Every day we prove that with additional human imput, very predictable human imput, we can make our cars function more efficiently.

Any action we take can be duplicated with automation. There is no excuse for the waste we see every day. Those that waste are paying our enemies to destroy us, which if you try to understand it makes them our enemies. My father always told me hate the system not the people.

The system is broken and desperately needs repair. Every vehicle on the road can easily be made much more efficient. Notice my example starts with a 15 year old car. They have already blown a 15 year window of opportunity to fix the problem.

Its time our government stepped up to the task, national emergency. If our enemies were sinking our ships with the money we give to OPEC it would be considered an act of war. The hilarious thing is we are too stupid to realize they dont have to beat us militarily. We will bankrupt ourselves into insignificance.

Our greatest weapon is our peoples determination to retain wealth, while the rest of the World allows us (I wonder why) to be the very expensive police force to maintain the status quo.

There is 70 trillion dollars in inherited wealth in this country that will change hands in the next decade. The irresponsibile spending by both parties will try to appropriate that wealth to pay the staggering 10 trillion in debt we now pass on to the next generation. No nation in history has survived such a debt burden.

Take a billion dollars accumulate the wealth of knowledge that is here right now, and get this friggin country off imported energy alotgether. We are bleeding 400 years of our heritage down a toilet and we wont do enough to stop it until it's too late, and we are cholking ourselves to death on the fumes.

I hope it doesn't take too long or it might be too late, and our children will have a hell of a price to pay.

regards
gary

[Sludgy]

My ideal car is a PICKUP TRUCK, a very efficient one:

Engine:
Mid engine, for better weight distribution and good bed load capacity
2 cylinder "boxer", for relative smoothness with economy
4" bore, 4.5" stroke, for good surface area to volume ratio
OHV, 2 valve, to keep engine between frame rails
VVT, to extend efficient RPM range.
ebullient cooling, to eliminate water pump and radiator fan
integrated starter/alternator, to eliminate idling

Transmission:
5 speed manual transmission to eliminate torque converter losses
"granny" first gear, to compensate for tall axle
Direct 1:1 drive fifth gear, to eliminate overdrive gear losses

Rear axle:
8" (minimum) ground clearance
3.23 ratio, or taller, for efficiency
limited slip, to provide decent traction in the absence of 4 wheel drive

Tires/wheels:
Lightweight forged aluminum
215-75 R15, 215 for low mass, 75, to protect wheels from dents; 15" for good ground clearance.

Bed:
8' bed
49" between wheel wells
Box width tapered towards rear in width to 49"wide tail gate
Box height tapered towards rear to accept aero cover
Rear wheel spats