Plug-In Hybrid
"Google Inc., the California-based Internet monolith, announced last week that it is pledging a cool $10 million of its profits to help spur the development of plug-in hybrid cars. The company showed off its own new fleet of hybrid Ford Escape SUVs and Toyota Prius cars modified to plug-in. And with Google’s headquarters powered by the sun, the company’s electric outlets are clean and green, making plugging in that much more eco-friendly. " Roddy Scheer in E magazine
Check out the front page of this week's "Nature Magazine." Formula 1 is promoting regenerative braking and heat loss recapture to 1) make road racing more environmental, 2) more fuel efficient, 3) the engineering more relevant to automobiles on the street.
In Formula 1, an engineering challenge cannot take 2 years to consider; the race is in two weeks. If one garage does not have the new technology, the other one will, so the competition is intense. If we see Formula 1 victories depending on greater efficiencies and fewer fuel stops, the driving public, addicted to big iron, may take another look at green.
According to Max Mosley, the head of Formula 1, a million dollars of re-engineering of the engine gains only miliseconds of time while engineering the aerodynamics gains only marginally more. By allowing regenerative braking, in effect the technology is mandated and the competition is intense involving broad segments of hybrid technology --- batteries, capacitors, electric motors. These rule changes promise a rapidly advancing technology and relevance to the cars we drive. I can't wait.
Nature magazine is hard to find. Look in the big libraries or University libraries. It is expensive online. Nature 447, 21 June 2007, no.7147
Check out the front page of this week's "Nature Magazine." Formula 1 is promoting regenerative braking and heat loss recapture to 1) make road racing more environmental, 2) more fuel efficient, 3) the engineering more relevant to automobiles on the street.
In Formula 1, an engineering challenge cannot take 2 years to consider; the race is in two weeks. If one garage does not have the new technology, the other one will, so the competition is intense. If we see Formula 1 victories depending on greater efficiencies and fewer fuel stops, the driving public, addicted to big iron, may take another look at green.
According to Max Mosley, the head of Formula 1, a million dollars of re-engineering of the engine gains only miliseconds of time while engineering the aerodynamics gains only marginally more. By allowing regenerative braking, in effect the technology is mandated and the competition is intense involving broad segments of hybrid technology --- batteries, capacitors, electric motors. These rule changes promise a rapidly advancing technology and relevance to the cars we drive. I can't wait.
Nature magazine is hard to find. Look in the big libraries or University libraries. It is expensive online. Nature 447, 21 June 2007, no.7147
posted by Clancy Hughes | 6/27/2007 10:05:00 AM
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