Future car technologies

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The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid electric car slated to go on sale in 2010
The Audi RSQ sports coupé from the 2004 film I, Robot, envisioned as being motivated by spherical "wheels"
The General Motors Hy-wire hydrogen car on display at the Test Track attraction at Disney World's Epcot.

Potential future car technologies include new energy sources and materials, which are being developed in order to make automobiles more sustainable, safer, more energy efficient, or less polluting. Cars are being developed in many different ways. With rising gas prices, the future of cars is leaning towards fuel efficiency, energy savers, hybrid vehicles, battery electric vehicle and the fuel cell vehicle (Xiang, Jia, Jianzhong, Zhibiao, Yuanzhang, & Qinglin 2008).

There are many different possibilities in the future technologies of cars. Some would have you believe that the car of the future is the hydrogen powered fuel cell electric car. However, this is really a series HEV with the fuel cell replacing the ICE and generator (Strattan, 2004). The automobile and other modes of transportation consume two-thirds of the petroleum used in the US. As the economy of China and other developing countries mature, the world’s automotive population is projected to be five times larger by mid-century. But petroleum is a finite resource and gasoline will probably become a very expensive energy source in the future. According to Professor Robert D. Strattan, the future of car technologies is in hybrid electric vehicles and electro-technology.

Contents

[edit] Advanced control

[edit] Energy source

Main article: Alternative fuel vehicle

One major problem in developing cleaner, energy efficient automobiles is the source of power to drive the engine. A variety of alternative fuel vehicles have been proposed or sold, including electric cars, hydrogen cars, and compressed-air cars. In one experiment done to improve the future of cars, a new kind of battery was installed which can be easily removed, and recharged in two different ways. First, by a generator integrated with the IC and second by removing the cassettes so that they can be recharged off-board in the home ( Charters, Watkinson, Wykes, & Simpkin, 2008).

[edit] Energy savers

Only about 15% of the energy from the fuel you put in your tank gets used to move your car down the road or run useful accessories, such as air conditioning. The rest of the energy is lost to engine and driveline inefficiencies and idling. Therefore, the potential to improve fuel efficiency with advanced technologies is enormous ("Advanced technologies &," ).

Various technologies have been developed and utilized to increase the energy efficiency of conventional cars or supplement them, resulting in energy savings.

  • Regenerative braking Regenerative braking technology saves and stores energy for future use or as back up power. When conventional brakes are used, 30% of the energy is lost in the form of heat (Raunekk, 2009). Regenerative braking uses this energy to recharge the batteries in a hybrid vehicle.
  • BMW's Turbosteamer BMW’s Turbosteamer concept uses energy from the exhaust gases of the traditional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) to power a steam engine which also contributes power to the automobile (Hanlon, 2005). This can increases energy efficiency up to 15 %.
  • Compressed air Hybrid is an engine made by researchers at Brunel University, UK, which forces highly compressed air into the engine, which they claim reduces fuel consumption by 30%. [1]
  • Utilization of waste heat from D.W. as useful mechanical energy through exhaust powered steam, stirling engines, thermal diodes, etc..[1]
  • Using computational fluid dynamics in the design stage can produce vehicles which take significantly less energy to push through the air, a major consideration at highway speeds. The Volkswagen 1-litre car and Aptera 2 Series are examples of ultra-low-drag vehicles.
  • Installing Vortex prevention devices at the back of the roof of a car reduces drag and therefore improve fuel efficiency. [2]

[edit] Materials

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "BMW unveils the turbosteamer concept". Gizmag. 2005-12-14. http://www.gizmag.co.uk/go/4936/. Retrieved 2006-11-15. 
  2. ^ FuelSavers article on vortex prevention

3. Xiang, Zhang, Jia, Wang, Jianzhong, Yang, Zhibiao, Cai, Yuanzhang, Hou & Qinglin, He. (2008). Prospects of new energy Vehicles for china market. IEEE, Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.libdb.njit.edu:8888/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=4784380&isnumber=4784367

4. Strattan, Robert D. (2004). The Electrifying future of the hybrid automobile. Potentials, IEEE, 23(3), Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.libdb.njit.edu:8888/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=1341777&isnumber=29564 DOI: 10.1109/MP.2004.1341777

5. Charters, Derek, Watkinson, Martin, Wykes, Dave, & Simpkin, Bob. (2008). H4v-hybrid four wheel drive vehicle. Hybrid and Eco-Friendly Vehicle Conference, 2008. IET HEVC 2008. Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.libdb.njit.edu:8888/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=4784369&isnumber=4784367

6. Advanced technologies & energy efficiency . (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fueleconomy.gov/Feg/atv.shtml

7. Raunekk, Initials. (2009, November 30). What is Regenerative braking technology? . Retrieved from http://www.brighthub.com/engineering/mechanical/articles/57860.aspx

8. Hanlon, Mike. (2005, November 13). Http://www.gizmag.com/go/4936/. Retrieved from BMW unveils the turbosteamer concept

[edit] External links

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