Why are we still using internal combustion engines?

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: Merlyn3D
the government...they have this car, man......and it runs on water, man....

a guy at work keeps going on about something like that and the incredible mileage one gallon of water can get

it creeps me out.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: Jeff7181
Hehe... so ignoring the temperature light thinking, "it'll get me home" isn't an option with a steam engine?

Well, if you've only got a couple blocks and it's a Stanley (and not a Doble), pieces of you might make it home...

A Doble would probably "just" blow the hood off or send shrapnel into (through?) the firewall.

There's a helluva lot of power in steam, it's a really neat power source. In fact, nuclear reactors are really steam turbines. They just use nuclear reactions to generate the heat to make the steam. It's a very, very cool technology.

ZV

In power plants, the most dangerous of steams is the one you can't see, it'll burn you into pieces

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: BrownTown
well at least as much or more as you are getting out, but the point is that it is produced by electricity and not gasoline. However of course if you gonna use electricity just go with a straight up electric car, its better in more or less every way imaginable than this piece of junk.

And if you're going to use electricity, which is produced at a power plant by burning fossil fuels, you might as well just burn those fossil fuels in the car. The energy storage density is much greater than batteries or compressed air.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: BrownTown
well at least as much or more as you are getting out, but the point is that it is produced by electricity and not gasoline. However of course if you gonna use electricity just go with a straight up electric car, its better in more or less every way imaginable than this piece of junk.

And if you're going to use electricity, which is produced at a power plant by burning fossil fuels, you might as well just burn those fossil fuels in the car. The energy storage density is much greater than batteries or compressed air.

Well, there's always nuclear energy and wind/solar energy. Fossil fuels are non-renewable, this is a fact and we need to deal with it.

 

[Linux23]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: BrownTown
well at least as much or more as you are getting out, but the point is that it is produced by electricity and not gasoline. However of course if you gonna use electricity just go with a straight up electric car, its better in more or less every way imaginable than this piece of junk.

And if you're going to use electricity, which is produced at a power plant by burning fossil fuels, you might as well just burn those fossil fuels in the car. The energy storage density is much greater than batteries or compressed air.

Well, there's always nuclear energy and wind/solar energy. Fossil fuels are non-renewable, this is a fact and we need to deal with it.

Exactly. Green power is the future.

 

[FoBoT]

i thought internal combustion engines already used air

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
i thought internal combustion engines already used air

They do, but people here are talking about using a tank of compressed air to drive the pistons rather than using combustion to heat and expand the air to drive the pistons I think.