Hasta La Ideas

Cars are great wasters. Of all the energy stored in the fuel, only a third is used to propel the car and run its systems. The rest is lost in heat from the engine and the exhaust system. One way of getting more bang for the fuel buck could be the exhaust powered generator developed by British Foresight Motors that we posted on earlier. By using engine exhausts to power the car’s generator the engine is relieved of this work and hopefully uses less fuel. Another idea, under development by BMW, is a thermo electric generator also placed in the exhaust system. Such a generator generates power by utilizing the dynamics of cold and warm air. Similar systems has been in use by NASA for years. BMW hopes to have a working system capable of generating 1,000 W within five years. This will be enough to run a car’s AC and heat seats – and save up to five percent on fuel. BMW does not, however, have any plans to develop engines capable of running on the increasingly popular E85 methanol fuel.brbr