"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 21 Dec 2005 14:11:42 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

BMW are experimenting with using the waste heat from an IC engine to
produce steam which drives a motor attached to the main engine.

http://www.gizmag.co.uk/go/4936/

A non starter. As much as 25% of an engines power may be to run the
ancillaries not to drive the wheels. This SteamCell is the size of a PC
tower and is very clean using external combustion and ceramic fibre burners.
They have installed these in buses and coaches, and leave the engine just to
turn the wheels with no fan belts on it at all. Then the overall emissions
are down, and overall efficiency up as this thing is well above 25%
efficient, more like 80%. It can actually drive a small car too.
http://www.enginion-ag.de/en/

It can also turn a genny to power and electric motor. This is viewed as
feasible and economical too. It can also run off natural gas and be used as
microCHP in a building.

Battery technology has come along, long way, to the point the electric car
is technologically here. Any other innovation is a stop-gap or a desperate
attempt at a comp[any which can't grasp the future. What have BMW ever
innovated that matters?

Using Lithium batteries in a car only 5%, or less, of the energy stored in
the vehicle is lost, while 75% of the energy in your tank is wasted. It is
more efficient overall to pour the fuel in a motor at a power station with
efficient combustion, energy re-claim and advanced scrubbers, which turns a
genny, which sends the electricity down a line, charges a vehicle battery
and runs the motor, rather than pour the fuel in the car directly. Also
they are 100% clean at point of burn.