Why with all the great scientist's around have they not come up with an alternative to the combustion engine

Question

and don't say electric car because they normally have the power of a wet f**t i mean something ground breaking a new fuel, is it because the oil company's have great power over governments

Answer 1

That's actually a good question - there are SO many moving parts...    There've been a lot of materials improvements over the years though, that has helped.

Fan belts - they never snap anymore.  Used to happen all the time when I was growing up.

Answer 2

I'm saying it because it's the answer to your question - the electric car.

For example, the Tesla Roadster can go 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds flat.  If you think that's "the power of a wet f**t", then you must have some serious gastrointestinal problems.

Granted the Tesla is very expensive, but the Green Vehicles Triac is a highway speed EV that can go 100 miles per charge for $20k.

Moreover, the electric motor is a great alternative to the internal combustion engine (ICE).  ICEs are only about 25% efficient, whereas electric motors are about 90% efficient.  The issue with electric cars is not the motor, it's the battery.

Answer 3

It's possible for cars to run on water now. Well at least this company in Japan is trying to commercialize it.

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_23767.a...

http://www.genepax.co.jp/en/

http://www.genepax.co.jp/pdf/press_20080...

Answer 4

Sheer convenience.  Gasoline is a very energy-dense fuel that is easy to store and to use.  Also, up to now, it has been very cheap and we did not understand the impact on the environment until recently.  Remember, there were steam powered vehicles a long time ago but the issues with raising steam and a potentially dangerous boiler, among other things, meant that the internal combustion engine won out.

Also, there is a question as to how efficient alternatives to the internal combustion engine are.  People look at battery powered vehicles as being efficient.  But they are not.  They do not use oil, but they still use energy and that causes its own pollution etc.  Hydrogen is also touted as producing only water as a pollutant.  True, but where do you get hydrogen from?  It takes energy to produce hydrogen.

Answer 5

One great scientist that has developed the best engine I have seen is Dr. Mark Hoseapple who is a professor of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M. His revolutionary  Starr Rotor is only restrained due to lack of commercial development funding. This engine operates at a proven fuel to energy ratio greater than any Auto,Rankine, or Brayton Cycle system known todaay. I believe you can access his data at Starrotor.com. It is the wave of the future in transportation.

Answer 6

Sounds like U have a good job...

Answer 7

Check out www.teslamotors.com

They are one of sixteen finalist for a DOE loan guarantee.

220 mile range

4 hours to recharge

batteries last 100,000 miles

can be recharged by solar

or in your garage over night with a regular plug.

Do most Americans drive more than 200 miles per day?

Could it be a second car?

Not convinced we need electric, hydrogen and other types of cars on the road? Wait til gas is $6 or $8 a gallon.

Answer 8

c''mon... the tutbine is there since almost half century.... hardly any moving parts..... and the fuel efficiency is better.,... just that the cost of miniature turbines is said to be prohibitive...

Answer 9

I think it'd be feasible to run an engine on water if they put the research in... but where would the money come from if they did that?

Big companies and governments are in it for the comeback and the litte-man's dollars!

EDIT:

Didn't we have the blueprints to steam power donkey's years ago??? Surely the guys at BP could work out a modern day, refined version....

Answer 10

There are electric motors powering army tanks! Some of the fastest vehicle on the planet are electric powered! Ground breaking would be if  even one of the major car companies actually focused on electric powered vehicles and came up with an affordable vehicle with a solor recharge system. But as long as the oil companies are feeding them under the table they won't change.

Answer 11

The answer to your question is they already have!!!  But, when some of the highest ranking political figures around the world are funded and backed by some of the largest oil companies, you have the break-through technology being purchased and shelved by these oil companies.  Oil companies and politicians pushing "big oil" plans, and not allowing new technology to be widely researched are the main problems we are facing now.  Also nuclear could solve some of our problems, but look at the restrictions on that!!   We are just beginning to really explore alternatives, when gas gets to today's prices people are willing to put more funds into research and development.      

            I,m sure many of you know two or three different alternative fuels attempted to be used at this time, and in the near future one of these will win out, were just waiting to see what will come out on top!!!   Will it be hydrogen, grease, electric, ethanol?  Who knows, we are at a turning point in transportation history, maybe we'll go back to horse and buggy!

Answer 12

you answered your own question

"oil company's have great power over governments"

There are probably several alternatives, we won't get to see them though.

Answer 13

Electric cars? Power of a wet f**t? In that statement you have answered your own question. People (like you) just will not accept the changes in technology.

I used to work in a factory, and they used electric fork trucks. These trucks were 5-10 times heavier than a car, and could pick up a car and travel at 30 miles per hour on flat land with the car on them. The batteries had to be changed for fully charged ones about every 8 hours. Then the battery had to charge for about 12 hours, and took 15-30 minutes to change the battery. The battery alone weighed about the equivalent of a car today.

They were not built for speed, they were built for power. Build a car using what we know about electric forklifts, and there you go. instead of building it to move mass amounts of weight at low speed, build it to weigh less, and move at a higher rate of speed. Forklifts were built heavy on purpose to counterbalance the weight of a pallet sitting on the forks which extend out in front of the front wheels.

The reason scientists have "not came up with the technology" is simply because the critic (that's you) pass judgment before becoming even slightly educated about what they are judging.

Do you drive your car 8 hours a day? Most people just drive them to work, and to run a few errands, and don't really need all the power from a vehicle that they think they do.

My car has a 20 gallon gas tank. I use about a tank a week. at $4 a gallon that's $80 a week on gas. Unless I am traveling I use my car for 4 hours a day tops. Ok so I'll go ahead and switch the battery out every day for a recharge. That's 1/2 hour a day (on the high side) so 3 1/2 hours a week spent changing batteries. Now divide $80 by 3 1/2 hours is $22.85 an hour I am saving by taking the time. in a 4-week month $320 saved on fuel. Let's say the charger cost me $100 a month in electricity. That still leaves me with $220 more going into my vacation fund each month. $2,640 a year. Vacation time I'm getting on the intestate so I will rent a car. $2,640 is enough to pay for that and still leave a surplus of cash to spend.

All because I was willing to make a sacrifice in my daily life. And your asking why the scientists haven't came up with a better energy source? I think your question should have been "Why haven't I just accepted some change in my day to day life to save me a ton of money?"

Now get on your phone, and call your local DMV and find out if they will let you put license plates on your forklift so you can drive it to and from work every day, and when your friends car breaks down, pick it up with your forklift and carry it home for him.