Start/Stop Transport Idea

[Oxygon]

Here we go, Say we are cruising along in our car and need to stop, Instead of using your brakes... you use a "wind-up" mech.(this stores the energy used otherwise in brake form to stop), then release this stored energy when accelerating...

Since starting and stopping are what "consume and waste" the most energy, this should solve some energy issues...

right?

[jim_mich]

It was maybe twenty years ago that 'The Mother Earth News' published plans for converting a small compact into a hybid car. They had two styles, one used hydraulics. The other used batteries. It used a small engine about 10 HP if my memory is correct. It stored energy from the engine and from braking. It used energy from both the storage and the engine to accelerate. And when the storage was full the engine would shut down then automatically restart when needed. The engine alway ran at its optimum speed. I think it got around 80 MPG? I should go back and look up those articles. I have the first 102 issues of MEN that John and Jane Shuttleworth published.

It is just recently that the big auto companies have started making hybrid cars, and I'm not sure if they use regenerative braking or not.

[epistemologicide]

dont forget some cars release Asbestos when breaking, hard to beleive but im told that is the case.

there is alot more we have to tweak in these machines than more efficency :D

[Fletcher]

The hybrid car makers are using regenerative technology at least according to the Discovery Program I saw some time ago.

Can't remember the name of the company but there is an outfit in Australia that is road testing a hydraulic recovery system for trucks (semi's, road trains etc). The hydraulic vane pump/engine system is placed in the drive train linkage & uses a small electric motor to turn (orientate) a sort of Vane Pump assembly. Under braking the oil is pumped thru the vanes & into a pressure tank. When accelerating the electric motor changes the orientation of the vane pump turning it into an engine assist as the oil reverses flow back into the holding tank. From memory something like 40% energy savings ?

-fletcher

[Oxygon]

Thats some interesting info...

I was personally refering to a actual spring like device which like a ratchet stores the long slowdown (in comparision to the start speed up) of a vehicle and releases the energy in a "short burst"... "just to get the vehicle up and going" not actually powering the car down the street...

[terry5732]

Come out of the cave once in a while, there have been vehicles doing this for years. Mostly in large vehicles such as buses, They have a large flywheel engaged prior to planned stops. the moment of the flywheel is used to aid in acceleration. VERY little conservation gained, the rest of the time you're haul around a weighty flywheel for nought.