Re: Fw: History of Jeep and the Jeep Liberty (diesel)

[adh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Sandwich Maker)]

" From: "Jim Blair" <carnuck@xxxxxxxxxxx>
" 
" A: For the real kick in the pants, I've been sitting on a list reading about 
" air-powered cars (they have an on-board compressor and retro-braking also 
" pumps air into the tank) and they are available in other countries already 
" (several ex-USSR federates have them). An air/electric/fuel hybrid car would 
" be just the ticket in my opinion. (for daily driver that is. Save more 
" expensive long chain hydrocarbons for the collectibles)

i suspect the mechanical losses - and also adiabatic losses, unless
that tank is insulated - are pretty high in the air system.  it has
the advantages of simplicity and harmless [except to efficiency, again]
leaks, but i don't see what else.

"    I was also checking out hydrogen technologies and found one where they 
" use solar power to generate Hydrogen and Oxygen to heat homes and it's 
" compressed to power cars (the only exhaust is water vapor and O2)

distribution is the hitch.  h2 molecules are so small they'll whizz
through cracks natural gas doesn't even see, and hydrogen exposure
makes steel brittle.

the more i look around, the more convinced i am that biodiesel is far
and away the most practical alternative for the foreseeable future.
the others have potential but none are as close to fitting into our
current system.  and there's a lot of inertia in the system, as
evidenced by how fast gm dropped the ev1 project when the govt grant
money ran out despite leaseholders clamoring to buy their cars.

or take hybrids.  the govt again handed out billions for development.
honda and toyota claimed they were due a share, on the basis of their
extensive american manufacturing but the govt said no, only american
cos qualify.  so who was first out of the gate with products?

the auto cos and the oil cos have -massive- investments in the way
things are done now, and in the name of the holy bottom line they will
dig their claws in and resist every attempt to be shifted.  they'll be
glad to spend govt grant money, but imho we'll be lucky to see h2 cars
or fuel cell cars in our garages in our lifetimes.  biodiesel is a
renewable fuel we can make now, and anything that burns #2 diesel can
be converted just by pouring it into the tank.  which means an end run
around the industry - if we can just get them to sell us the models
they already make for foreign markets...
________________________________________________________________________
Andrew Hay                                  the genius nature
internet rambler                            is to see what all have seen

adh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx                       and think what none thought