Super Efficient Material Converts Automobile Exhaust to Energy
July 30, 2008
Filed under: Automobile Tech, Green Tech
Your vehicle engine wastes up to 75-percent of the power it generates — but a team of Ohio State University researchers thinks it has found a way to capture a lot of that wasted energy and convert it into electricity.
The promise is in a new material they’ve developed, called thallium-doped lead telluride. (Isn’t that a black diamond trail at a Colorado ski resort) This is twice as efficient at converting heat to electricity as any previously developed material.
The research team’s lead, Joseph Heremans, says the thallium-doped lead telluride can convert a car’s wasted heat into energy without causing pollution. “The material does all the work. It produces electrical power just like conventional heat engines — steam engines, gas or diesel engines — that are coupled to electrical generators, but it uses electrons as the working fluids instead of water or gases, and makes electricity directly.”
Some experts argue that only about 25-percent of the energy produced by a typical gasoline engine is used to move a automobile or power its accessories, and nearly 60-percent is lost through waste heat — much of which escapes in engine exhaust. A thermoelectric (TE) device can capture some of that waste heat, Heremans stated, and it would also make a practical addition to an car, because it has no moving parts to wear out or break down.
Heremans’ team didn’t just try random new types of metals or coatings for their research — the team is also working on the nanotechnology and quantum level. “We hope to go much further. I think it should be quite possible to apply other lessons learned from thermoelectric nanotechnology to boost the rating by another factor of two — that’s what we’re shooting for now,” he said.
If Hereman’s next announcement is for a flux capacitor (1.21 gigawatts!), we’ll know we’ve crossed over from science advancement to science fiction. Either way, with rising fuel costs, we hope automobile makers take notice of Hereman’s breakthrough. [Source: BetaNews]
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Five Things to Consider Before Buying a GPS System
July 30, 2008
Filed under: Car Tech, Back to School Guide 2008
GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation devices — those talking screens with maps that give you real-time directions to wherever you’re going (as you’re going there) — used to be the province of the well-to-do with high-end vehicles. But nowadays, real-time navigation technology is available for all budgets in all sorts of shapes, sizes and feature packages. So which type of GPS is for you Should you spend a mere $2.99 to get directions on your cell phone or splurge up to $500 for a high-end portable Are factory-installed navigation systems you get with a new vehicle superior than a standalone portable Do you really need an MP3 player with your traffic directions For answers to these questions and more, check out the five things to consider before you purchase a GPS, which we’ve organized by the most commonly asked questions on the following pages (click below to get to tip number 1).
Super Efficient Material Converts Automobile Exhaust to Energy
July 29, 2008
Filed under: Car Tech, Green Tech
Your automobile engine wastes up to 75-percent of the power it generates — but a team of Ohio State University researchers thinks it has found a way to capture a lot of that wasted energy and convert it into electricity.
The promise is in a new material they’ve developed, called thallium-doped lead telluride. (Isn’t that a black diamond trail at a Colorado ski resort) This is twice as efficient at converting heat to electricity as any previously developed material.
The research team’s lead, Joseph Heremans, states the thallium-doped lead telluride can convert a car’s wasted heat into energy without causing pollution. “The material does all the work. It produces electrical power just like conventional heat engines — steam engines, gas or diesel engines — that are coupled to electrical generators, but it uses electrons as the working fluids instead of water or gases, and makes electricity directly.”
Some experts argue that only about 25-percent of the energy produced by a typical gasoline engine is used to move a car or power its accessories, and almost 60-percent is lost through waste heat — much of which escapes in engine exhaust. A thermoelectric (TE) device can capture some of that waste heat, Heremans said, and it would also make a practical addition to an vehicle, because it has no moving parts to wear out or break down.
Heremans’ team didn’t just try random new types of metals or coatings for their research — the team is also working on the nanotechnology and quantum level. “We hope to go much further. I think it should be quite possible to apply other lessons learned from thermoelectric nanotechnology to boost the rating by another factor of two — that’s what we’re shooting for now,” he stated.
If Hereman’s next announcement is for a flux capacitor (1.21 gigawatts!), we’ll know we’ve crossed over from science advancement to science fiction. Either way, with rising fuel costs, we hope vehicle makers take notice of Hereman’s breakthrough. [Source: BetaNews]
||| Via [switched]
FCC Approves Sirius and XM Satellite Radio Merger
July 29, 2008
Filed under: Audio/Video, Automobile Tech
In a somewhat unsurprising move, the FCC has approved the merger of Sirius and XM after protracted — and incredibly boring — multi-year negotiations. The Federal Communication Commission decided tonight to allow a deal that’ll bring the two satellite radio providers together, creating a combined subscriber base of roughly 18 million users.
The deal isn’t without catches, however, with the Commission stating that the companies must cap prices for three years following the merger, allow subscriber choice on content, and lower fees for channel packages. FCC head Kevin Martin seemed pleased with the final outcome, stating, “Consumers will get to like the ideal of the programming on both services.” You know who wasn’t so stoked Clear Channel. [Source: Washington Post]
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Artist Uses Remote Control Vehicles to Paint…Cars
July 28, 2008
Filed under: Vehicle Tech, Summer Fun
English artist Ian Cook has a one-of-a-kind method for producing artistic masterpieces. He takes remote control cars of various sizes, dips them in acrylic paint, and then controls them to create paintings.
Cook calls it ‘Popbang Colour.’ We call it awesome.
His most recent creation, a painting of a new Camaro, was created using remote control General Motors replica automobiles. Nice touch, eh It’s currently on display at the British International Motor Show. Cook will do a live demonstration at the show on August 3rd (he’ll be painting a Chevrolet Lacetti World Touring Car).
Cook states he wanted to be an artist from an early age, but he also wanted to approach the craft in a unique way. We think he managed to do both brilliantly. [Source: Autoblog]
Electric MINI Hits US Streets in Summer 2009
July 25, 2008
Filed under: Automobile Tech, Summer Fun
Not that electric MINIs are anything new, but unless you were willing to pay for all the mods yourself, procuring one wasn’t exactly simple. Now, however, we’re hearing that MINI itself will be bringing scads of these buggers to American streets in the summer of 2009. Yeah, like, one year from right now.
MINI USA VP Jim McDowell was the source of said statement (so it’s pretty much official, yeah), though he didn’t mention whether all of them would be reserved for California or if they would be available sold out nationwide. Hey MINI, we’d say you’ve got a hit on your hands. [Source: Autoblog Green]
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Electric MINI Hits US Streets in Summer 2009
July 24, 2008
Filed under: Vehicle Tech, Summer Fun
Not that electric MINIs are anything new, but unless you were willing to pay for all the mods yourself, procuring one wasn’t exactly simple. Now, however, we’re hearing that MINI itself will be bringing scads of these buggers to American streets in the summer of 2009. Yeah, like, one year from right now.
MINI USA VP Jim McDowell was the source of stated statement (so it’s pretty much official, yeah), though he didn’t mention whether all of them would be reserved for California or if they would be available sold out nationwide. Hey MINI, we’d state you’ve got a hit on your hands. [Source: Autoblog Green]
||| Via [switched]
Electric MINI Hits US Streets in Summer 2009
July 24, 2008
Filed under: Vehicle Tech, Summer Fun
Not that electric MINIs are anything new, but unless you were willing to pay for all the mods yourself, procuring one wasn’t exactly simple. Now, however, we’re hearing that MINI itself will be bringing scads of these buggers to American streets in the summer of 2009. Yeah, like, one year from right now.
MINI USA VP Jim McDowell was the source of stated statement (so it’s pretty much official, yeah), though he didn’t mention whether all of them would be reserved for California or if they would be available sold out nationwide. Hey MINI, we’d state you’ve got a hit on your hands. [Source: Autoblog Green]
||| Via [switched]
Laser-Equipped Windshield Aims to Make Driving Easier
July 23, 2008
Filed under: Vehicle Tech
Apparently not everyone at General Motors is toiling away in an attempt to get the Volt ready for its 2010 debut, as another sector of the outfit’s R&D division is busy creating a windshield that’ll, at its core, enable us to cease running stuff over. The futuristic glass would utilize lasers, sensors and cameras in order to help drivers see the road’s edge better, recognize obstructions and enhance things ahead of us so we’ll theoretically react faster.
Truth be told, the device is being designed with older drivers in mind, though we don’t see why younger motorists won’t benefit all the same. Unfortunately, it sounds as if you’ll have to keep those toothpicks in your eyelids for a few more years, but at least we’re one step closer to full-on autopilot. [Source: CNN]
||| Via [switched]
Laser-Equipped Windshield Aims to Make Driving Easier
July 23, 2008
Filed under: Vehicle Tech
Apparently not everyone at General Motors is toiling away in an attempt to get the Volt ready for its 2010 debut, as another sector of the outfit’s R&D division is busy creating a windshield that’ll, at its core, enable us to cease running stuff over. The futuristic glass would utilize lasers, sensors and cameras in order to help drivers see the road’s edge better, recognize obstructions and enhance things ahead of us so we’ll theoretically react faster.
Truth be told, the device is being designed with older drivers in mind, though we don’t see why younger motorists won’t benefit all the same. Unfortunately, it sounds as if you’ll have to keep those toothpicks in your eyelids for a few more years, but at least we’re one step closer to full-on autopilot. [Source: CNN]
||| Via [switched]
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