Cars! Where do we go now?

[walpurgis]

Mass production cars seem to have reached an evolutionary plateau now and for the last few years from the technology point of view.

Diesels have multipoint fuel injection, sixteen valves and turbos in general and petrol engines generally have multipoint injection, sixteen valves and often VVT cam operation. I'm generalising, obviously to a lesser extent you have engines with any number of cylinders and in varying configurations, you have hybrids and rotary (Wankel) types. But, overall apart from styling changes, not much new seems to be in the wings.

Every principle in use today has been around for so many years. Multiple valves & cylinders, injection, overhead cams, short stroke, long stroke, turbocharging & supercharging, variable valve timing, etc. These were all more or less perfected in the nineteen thirties and the reciprocating piston internal combustion engine is well over a hundred years old, so really there's nothing new.

Will there be a revolutionary change in the vehicles we drive in the foreseeable future?

[Ali Tait]

There will have to be, as oil will not last forever. Hydrogen fuel cells perhaps.

[chris@panteg]

Well my car's just been written off , think I'll go green and do without .

[Effem]

I have heard that at one time people used to use those long appendages swinging backwards and forwards situated between your arse and the ground :rofl:

[Ali Tait]

Aye well, that's not really practical when you work on site. I'm currently doing 170 miles a day.

[shane]

Can't see much changing until something dramatic happens in the world of batteries. I suspect the next incremental step will be series hybrids.

A bit like this, I hope: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_C-X75

[Effem]

Aye well, that's not really practical when you work on site. I'm currently doing 170 miles a day.

Dread to think how much the Chancellor is milking out of you a month for fuel :eek:

[synsei]

Whether we like it or not electric powertrains are the future and as has already been mentioned, the only thing holding back sales of EV's just now is the woeful storage capacity of current battery tech. Below is a very interesting Popular Mechanics article which outlines what is just around the corner for battery technology.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/fuel-economy/8-potential-ev-and-hybrid-battery-breakthroughs#slide-1

[Ali Tait]

Dread to think how much the Chancellor is milking out of you a month for fuel :eek:

I don't even want to think about it!

[Firebottle]

The problem with battery technology is that you have to carry all of the energy/fuel with you.
With an internal combustion engine at least half the fuel is freely available while you drive, i.e. the oxygen :doh:

:cool:Alan

[synsei]

The problem with battery technology is that you have to carry all of the energy/fuel with you.
With an internal combustion engine at least half the fuel is freely available while you drive, i.e. the oxygen :doh:

:cool:Alan

Much of the new tech under development promises far lighter batteries as well as increased range Alan. I can see a time in the future where we will pull into service stations to exchange battery packs rather than fill up with fuel. Admittedly this model is a long way off... ;)

[Ali Tait]

Fuel cells will be good. Power your house too. Nice clean leccy for your hi-fi!

[The Grand Wazoo]

So how are we going to charge all these batteries then?
We've already got a power crisis looming ahead of us.

[Macca]

So how are we going to charge all these batteries then?
.

According to current policy, giant windmills and solar cells. It reminds me of that land in Gullivers Travels where they are extracting sunbeams from marrows. Wait until the money for the feed in tariffs runs out. That will be fun.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Exactly.

[Ali Tait]

Fusion or anti matter will be the long term solution.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Well, they'd better bleedin' get on with it then!

[synsei]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8059/8209117856_1416c21034.jpg

:D

[walpurgis]

As far as electric cars are concerned so far, there's a huge proportion of the cost of each vehicle that goes towards paying for monstrously expensive Lithium ion or Nickel inert metal hydride batteries, which have a very finite life and need changing every so many years/miles at huge cost and then there's the costly recycling of these batteries, which is has great environmental issues. Also the battery packs are so heavy they seriously limit the range, handling and performance of the vehicles. (and before anybody mentions the few electric sports cars made, these have comparatively short range and don't handle as well as their petrol equivalents)

[synsei]

Not to mention the huge proportion of the cost of each vehicle that goes towards paying for monstrously expensive Lithium ion or Nickel inert metal hydride batteries, which have a very finite life and need changing every so many years/miles at huge cost and then there's the costly recycling of these batteries, which is has great environmental issues. Also the battery packs are so heavy they seriously limit the range, handling and performance of the vehicles. (and before anybody mentions the few electric sports cars made, these have comparatively short range and don't handle as well as their petrol equivalents)

Hence the Popular Mechanics link I posted earlier regarding new battery tech ;)

[Macca]

The wonderful thing is that if they do invent home fusion then because of that film that is exactly what the first one will be called - life will imitate art (well, Hollywood anyway).

I read that because electric cars are so quite they run down a lot more pedestrians so they intend to add a sound effect - and decided on the sound that the cars make in Blade Runner. Not sure how true that is, though.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Of course, all good foresters know that you can turn wood into gas and then burn it to run a car. Not new, they did it during the war.

http://krisdedecker.typepad.com/.a/6a00e0099229e88833012876d49b18970c-500wi

Germany had half a million firewood powered cars.

[Ali Tait]

Well, they'd better bleedin' get on with it then!

They are!

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/one-giant-leap-for-mankind-13bn-iter-project-makes-breakthrough-in-the-quest-for-nuclear-fusion-a-solution-to-climate-change-and-an-age-of-clean-cheap-energy-8590480.html

[The Grand Wazoo]

Yes & we were reading about significant breakthroughs in fusion 20 years ago!

[Eremite]

They are!

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/one-giant-leap-for-mankind-13bn-iter-project-makes-breakthrough-in-the-quest-for-nuclear-fusion-a-solution-to-climate-change-and-an-age-of-clean-cheap-energy-8590480.html

I read that and thought to myself: someone has got their funding grant up for renewal soon...


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[UV101]

Not sure this is everyones cup of tea but these things managed to average nearly 105mph on a single lap of the TT course last year. Very impressive.

5X1cmE_rK6g

[Ali Tait]

The technical challenges to overcome are immense.

[walpurgis]

I read that because electric cars are so quite they run down a lot more pedestrians so they intend to add a sound effect

I reckon a big set of speakers blasting out Wagner's 'Ride of the Valkyries' would do the trick.

[Effem]

I think the cars of the future will run on bollocks.

Go onto any forum in the world and so many are talking bollocks that there is an untapped source of good clean pollution-free energy :eyebrows:

[Ali Tait]

:lol:

[Audioman]

Recycled cooking fat is the answer. Unfortunately we will have to eat so many chips that most will be too obese to get in their cars.