Will alternitive non combustion based fuels be the end of a culture?

I can't imagine racing and car enthusiasm reaeching into that sector.

"Hey man I just upgraded my capacitor bank so now I have a total of 20 FARADS of capacitence"

"This new transformer allows me to draw at least 10000 amps at full throttle"

 

Well, hopefully tech will catch up..

It will be wierd having no cool exhaust and intake noises though.. and in some cases headerflames..

Chassis and body's are gonna change a bit too.. Don't need an intake and exhaust anymore.. probably have more flexability in distributing the batteries or fuel cells (but how many?) and imagine if they used 4 hipo electric motors at each wheel.. couple that with drive by wire and the car can almost drive itself...




I think we should do drag racing in space to revitalize our space program..

 

With the new X contest that could actually be a reality. Can you imagine how fast we could progress if people spent their time trying to modify rockets.

I was actually thinking some form of personal air craft would become the performance machine for enthusiasts.

 

Ive kinda been worried about that too, but i was thinking maybe if they can engineer the cars so that you can add more fuel cells, and stuff like that, it wont kill the racing enthusiasm too much. I'll still mis the nice exhaust sounds of a internal combustion engine

 

Remeber those speakers that you could get that would simulate the BOV sound?

 

I saw a TV program on Speed a few weeks ago touting a fuel call E85. It's basically 85% Ethanol and 15% Unleaded Gas. It actually had a higher octane rating, so performance actually increased, although very slightly. The E85 has less power units (BTU's?) than gas, so you got less mileage, but it wasn't too much worse. It is cheaper, so $/mile was about the same. I can't remember exactly the specifics about emissions, but it was mentioned and was better than gas. Of course, ethanol comes from a renewable source (corn) and that's the selling point. Many new cars today have the ability to burn both E85 and unleaded gas now. It was a very interesting program/info-mercial. I was sold. I wish they sold it around here and if I had a car that would run on it, I'd buy it.

Hopefully technology like this can keep the internal combustion engine around for us gear heads!

 

I think it will be a LONGGGGGGGG time before All internal combustion engines are extinct.

THe alt fuels are going to make their way into subcompacts and economy cars first..then into service/fleet vehicles where the cost savings over gas makes the most sense...then into family transportation when the costs finally get competitive with the IC engine.

I see heavy duty work trucks and true performance cars continuing on with increasingly clean IC engines for at least a few more decades.

Besides, its been over 16 yrs since the last carbuerated production car was made and carbs are just as popular/common in the racing world as ever. Need to look no further than a Jeg's catalog to confirm that.

With Gasoline Direct Injection and some other technologies coming around I think the IC engine is far from dead yet...its still lightyears ahead of alt fuels in terms of cost feasibility and many companies and entire careers are dedictated to the IC engine...those people aren't going to be turned out into the streets overnight.

 

At the current time, the total amount of energy required to get E85 to your local Shell station (i.e. planting & harvesting crops, processing them into ethanol, distributing the ethanol, etc.) is greater than the actual energy content of the fuel. E85 is more of a politician's wet dream than it is a viable motor fuel.

 

You could get a Silverado 1500 to use that normal gas, and any % mixture stuff straight from the factory... Well at least around 2000, not sure if the option is still avail.. It has an octane sensor, beefier fuel lines and pump, and bigger injectors...

 

I sort of like the idea of electric engines at each wheel. Electric engines can come up to peak torque instantly! And can you imagine an handling system that could take advantage of each wheel having it's own driving unit?!?

Now if it could only the engines had the power to produce the performance while still being able to give at least a 250 mile range and a quick recharge time. Not there yet....

 

You mean electric motors?

 

Ummm...yeah....what he said!

 

We should just go back to steam Hey they were making 40 hp White Steamers in 1912, that's kinda cool.

 

Now that would bring a whole new dimension to warming your car up in the morning! I remember a "My Classic Car" segment when they took one of Jay Lenno's steam cars out for a spin. It sure was quiet... but needed some real TLC to keep it running.

 

Yea my dad had a 1910 20 horse White and he had to sell it because we cant hear well enough to operate it, you gotta catch every sound it makes. Leno has a Stanley, they're more popular but the Whites are cooler