So... The Electric Car Revolution has yet to appear... Here's why.

Image: Wave Disc, PopSci.com Article, and Auto Rambler

Well, While we're not quite there yet (Though I would love to drive to work for $0.05 per day), the technology isn't considered to be viable yet. The few cars that have an all electric option are expensive; You'll pay more for the base model electric than you will for the tricked-out, all inclusive combustion-engine (Later called CE, because I'm lazy. Sorry.) twin. These new electrics don't have a range enough to satisfy most people, parking lots don't commonly offer outlets to plug into, and people haven't had time to adjust to the idea of a car that you can't carry an extra gas can in, or fill up again if you spend a little longer on the road than planned.



So, along the way, we have Hybrids, cars that use some gas, some electric. These guys have been a HUGE hit with all of us "Green" people, but they still run on what the public considers to be "untested technology", and they still carry a higher buy-in price than the standard CE counterparts. So, since this isn't quite working out, the think tanks have rolled out a new series of projects around the world. Welcome to the age of the Ultra-Efficiency Combustion engine, coming soon to a showroom near you.

Words to best sum up this movement can be read at Popsci.com (my inspiration for this little article):

The green thinkers among us need not fear this resurgence of hydrocarbon-burning engines; these innovations aren’t just drastically driving down the amount of carbon-based fuel our automobiles might someday burn in a given trip--they are crucial bridge technologies that will help get us to that all-electric, carbon free future as cleanly and efficiently as possible.

For example: The Scunderi engine uses compressed air to increase the kinetic output of the fuel used (literally more "bang for your buck") by compressing some of the unused air in the main combustion cylinder into the tank, using the compressed air in the tank to push through one stroke. This air then cycles into the combustion cylinder on the upstroke, increasing the "push" from the fuel's ignition...etc. The cycle repeats, and computer models show up to a 50% increase in fuel economy over the standard CE model.

For the full story and all of the other amazing designs, check out THIS LINK.


As always, thanks for reading.
~Dom