Hybrid Bike Technology For The Elio?

[aknaten]

This is where the Copenhagen wheel concept could be a winner. No batteries in the car, the cells are built in the wheel. If use were limited to acceleration, with recharging coming from braking, there would be some improvement in mileage since a lot of gas is spent leaving the stop sign and getting up to cruising speed.

 

[NSTG8R]

Stop the presses!

From Forbes:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/william...breakthrough-that-could-change-world-forever/

"Lockheed Martin, the aerospace and defense conglomerate based in Bethesda, Md., is claiming to have made a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion, which could lead to development of reactors small enough to fit on the back of a truck within a decade."

In 15 years, the Elio will be getting infinite mpgs!

 

[Gas-Powered Awesome]

"Lockheed Martin, the aerospace and defense conglomerate based in Bethesda, Md., is claiming to have made a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion, which could lead to development of reactors small enough to fit on the back of a truck within a decade."

 

[AriLea]

Stop the presses!
From Forbes:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/william...breakthrough-that-could-change-world-forever/
"Lockheed Martin, the aerospace and defense conglomerate based in Bethesda, Md., is claiming to have made a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion, which could lead to development of reactors small enough to fit on the back of a truck within a decade."
In 15 years, the Elio will be getting infinite mpgs!

You know how I am about getting people to talk. Well, a few years ago I met this man at a jobs fair. He had been working for a well known hightech government contractor, for get the name now, not Siemans but something like that.
I particularly like to get Mensa people talking, this guy appeared to be one of those. Anyway his claim is that before being laid off, he had a bit of time and lots of lab equipment so he investigated his own idea for Fusion power, (under the radar). So get this mix of stuff, as best I can remember;
His idea involved a porous 'substrata' on a piezoelectric block of material immersed in 'saturated' water. Any other mechanical or electrical facts of that he wouldn't say. But initially he would externally bombard the layer with three pulses of ultra sound at different frequencies. The problem he had left to solve was how to not have the thing blow-up on him. If it got past that critical point it was operating and self sustaining. He inferred he did that at least once.

I imagine the piezoelectric material was involved in sustaining one or a another of the ultrasound radiant sources.

He said he wasn't finding work here locally so he was considering overseas. I'm sure Lockheed would have been just fine with him too.

Anyway, if even just getting my leg pulled, it was interesting to dream that Fusion power was possible.
Also interesting that the article seems to address a similar problem.

 

[aknaten]

Stop the presses!

From Forbes:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/william...breakthrough-that-could-change-world-forever/

"Lockheed Martin, the aerospace and defense conglomerate based in Bethesda, Md., is claiming to have made a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion, which could lead to development of reactors small enough to fit on the back of a truck within a decade."

In 15 years, the Elio will be getting infinite mpgs!

You can already buy a "cold" fusion reactor to produce power. Why wait ten years?
Per unit of weight, this process is at least 100,000 more efficient than any known combustion process. - See more at: http://ecat.com/ecat-products/ecat-1-mw#sthash.1QWd1Yyz.dpuf

A smaller unit for home use is awaiting certification. http://ecat.com/ecat-products/ecat-home

 

[Gas-Powered Awesome]

You can already buy a "cold" fusion reactor to produce power. Why wait ten years?
Per unit of weight, this process is at least 100,000 more efficient than any known combustion process. - See more at: http://ecat.com/ecat-products/ecat-1-mw#sthash.1QWd1Yyz.dpuf

A smaller unit for home use is awaiting certification. http://ecat.com/ecat-products/ecat-home

LOLROTFLMAO! Thanks for the laugh!

A great man once said "There's one born every minute."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Catalyzer

The Three Laws of Thermodynamics:
1. You Can't Win.
2. You Can't Even Get Even.
3. You Can't Get Out of the Game.

 

[AriLea]

This is where the Copenhagen wheel concept could be a winner. No batteries in the car, the cells are built in the wheel. If use were limited to acceleration, with recharging coming from braking, there would be some improvement in mileage since a lot of gas is spent leaving the stop sign and getting up to cruising speed.

A hub wheel is a want and not a need type item. Yes it would be nice, but there are some issues. If it had a battery built in some of this gets worse.
First it's the weight. The Elio is a very light car and so un-sprung weight is even tougher on it than other cars. The ride degradation will be worse and the wheel adherence to the road will be reduced. The other issue is metallic dirt collects on hub motors and can become a liability. It's also an expensive design.
The simple addition of a toothed drive belt for rear drive, mitigates all three of these issues. The Elio has room for this. For a FWD application, CV's mitigate at that end. True, interior space suffers, but no more than with ICE drive.

I'm pretty sure it would be 5years before Elio would ever consider hybrid drive, and then only as an option or different model. After market is the only possible way you'll see this very soon. But it is a fairly easy conversion for RWD up to a point. This is the configuration that the XR3 Hybrid uses, ICE-FWD plus EV-RWD.

 

[Snick]

If, for whatever reason, you find the Elio's 84 mpg unimpressive, you can easily modify one main component that will get it to produce 95mpg.

Your right foot.

 

[HHH]

Stop the presses!

From Forbes:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/william...breakthrough-that-could-change-world-forever/

"Lockheed Martin, the aerospace and defense conglomerate based in Bethesda, Md., is claiming to have made a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion, which could lead to development of reactors small enough to fit on the back of a truck within a decade."

In 15 years, the Elio will be getting infinite mpgs!

It was only a matter of time. Someone had to do it (and someone had to post this...).