Pair claim they can make ammonia to fuel cars for just 20 cents per liter (http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-09-pair-ammonia-fuel-cars-cents.html)
Quote(PhysOrg.com) -- John Fleming of SilverEagles Energy and Tim Maxwell from Texas Tech University, say they have developed a way to make ammonia that is cheap enough so that it could be used as fuel for cars. If their claims turn out to be true, many consumers might consider switching over because ammonia, when burned in an engine, emits nothing but nitrogen and water vapor out the tailpipe. And if that's not enough incentive, they claim they can make the ammonia for just 20 cents a liter (approximately 75 cents a gallon)...
I had no idea one could run an internal combustion engine on amonia.
Nor did I, but look here (http://www.nh3fuelassociation.org/).
Mind you, any slight leakage would be extremely unpleasant!
It just goes to show that there is a viable altenative now the costs of oil based alternatives have become so expensive.
It's amazing! Thete are even cars powered by vegatable oil, and even urine!
Seriously, WE CAN have a cheap, cleaner, safer for planet way to travel. But the big corps are too greedy. Supposedly there is still trillions of oil to exploit on this planet. It disgusts me how greedy fat cats ruin it for everyone.
If you run ammonia through your car the gaskets won't last very long.
Assuming we do continue to run our cars on oil, it will probably be algae bio-fuel. Can't find the article anymore, but I read one on Y! News that showed one method which took CO2 out of the air faster than modern vehicles could replace it. Once battery tech gets further along we'll be sticking with electricity, but I also foresee hydrogen fuel cells as a viable method. Any fuel as the primary power source is rapidly becoming an outdated process, as extended range electric vehicles (ERV's) are finally practical.
Quote from: MinnesotaMike on September 09, 2011, 11:54:57 PM
If you run ammonia through your car the gaskets won't last very long.
Assuming we do continue to run our cars on oil, it will probably be algae bio-fuel. Can't find the article anymore, but I read one on Y! News that showed one method which took CO2 out of the air faster than modern vehicles could replace it. Once battery tech gets further along we'll be sticking with electricity, but I also foresee hydrogen fuel cells as a viable method. Any fuel as the primary power source is rapidly becoming an outdated process, as extended range electric vehicles (ERV's) are finally practical.
There are serious problems with electric cars, they are very 'resource hungry' to make. They are also only as environmentally friendly as the method used to make the electricity. I read the bio-fuel story as well and with the cost of oil-based petrolium going up all the time altrnative production methods become potentially more profitable and therefore more attractive.
We'll get a solution in the end because personal mobility is so highly valued and in the USA so necessary due to the size of the place.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14852073
Literally the day after we posted this came up lol
Engineers are the most under rated and miss used professionals.
Get a group of good engineers and give them a well-defined problem to solve and let them at it and they'll come up with something. Make the process competitive and iterative and before long they'll come up with something really good!