Gransee
Flashlight Enthusiast
OK, I have seen a lot of posts lately in the Cafe on the future of transportation technologies. I didn't want to hijack any of the other threads because they seem to be specfic to a particular technology. Hence the more broad title for this thread. Please feel free to add just about anything here.
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So what is the future of transportation? We have quite a few choices: automotive, mass transit and telepresence. In automotive; we have Hydrogen, gasoline, CNG, LP, Diehsal (BD), hybrid, battery, fuel cell, flywheel, microwave, etc.
And to pare this all down: transporters are not likely in the near future, mass transit is not cost effective in all but the most dense locals and telepresence (telecommuting) offers the most bang for the buck, but it doesn't elimenate the need to transport things. So that leaves the automobile which we all love and hate.
You ask most people, "what is the future of the automobile" and they usually say, "hydrogen". But then you ask them, "in what form?" and then it gets murky.
Some people think that we will be pumping liquid hydrogen from their local filling station in not to distant future. While others think we will be driving cars with reformers that converts gasoline into hydrogen as it is used. I am of the latter persuasion. I can go into the detail on that if anyone wants to know (warning! soapbox alert!). /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Although electrics (100% battery), hybrids, diesals, CNG, etc will have their day. They won't be mainstream like good ol' gasoline. Not that I like gasoline, but it works.
I find that the subject of future transportation is mostly fantasy and hype. There are systems that look green, smell green but end up wasting more energy and polluting the enviroment than other systems that don't look as glamorous.
I too want to be free of the tyranny of oil. There are things we can do to reduce our usage, find other sources and keep those who provide it under check.
Someday, we will have batteries (or related storage means) that can make the mass market electrics a reality. I can say though, that will not be happening anytime soon.
Alternative fuels are also generally a crock. I say that generally as each has it unique hype. Many assume that our $280 billion gasoline infrastructure can easily be replaced to handle corrosive, pressurized or other weird fuels. Alternative fuels will gain in popularity, more stations will sell it, but in my opinion, it will not be mass market. I could be wrong on this one guys, and you are welcome to proove me wrong (please, gasoline is evil stuff).
Automobiles are quite a tyranny. But this is not an easy problem to fix.
Your thoughts?
USCAR (working examples of gasoline/fuel cell systems)
Peter Gransee
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So what is the future of transportation? We have quite a few choices: automotive, mass transit and telepresence. In automotive; we have Hydrogen, gasoline, CNG, LP, Diehsal (BD), hybrid, battery, fuel cell, flywheel, microwave, etc.
And to pare this all down: transporters are not likely in the near future, mass transit is not cost effective in all but the most dense locals and telepresence (telecommuting) offers the most bang for the buck, but it doesn't elimenate the need to transport things. So that leaves the automobile which we all love and hate.
You ask most people, "what is the future of the automobile" and they usually say, "hydrogen". But then you ask them, "in what form?" and then it gets murky.
Some people think that we will be pumping liquid hydrogen from their local filling station in not to distant future. While others think we will be driving cars with reformers that converts gasoline into hydrogen as it is used. I am of the latter persuasion. I can go into the detail on that if anyone wants to know (warning! soapbox alert!). /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Although electrics (100% battery), hybrids, diesals, CNG, etc will have their day. They won't be mainstream like good ol' gasoline. Not that I like gasoline, but it works.
I find that the subject of future transportation is mostly fantasy and hype. There are systems that look green, smell green but end up wasting more energy and polluting the enviroment than other systems that don't look as glamorous.
I too want to be free of the tyranny of oil. There are things we can do to reduce our usage, find other sources and keep those who provide it under check.
Someday, we will have batteries (or related storage means) that can make the mass market electrics a reality. I can say though, that will not be happening anytime soon.
Alternative fuels are also generally a crock. I say that generally as each has it unique hype. Many assume that our $280 billion gasoline infrastructure can easily be replaced to handle corrosive, pressurized or other weird fuels. Alternative fuels will gain in popularity, more stations will sell it, but in my opinion, it will not be mass market. I could be wrong on this one guys, and you are welcome to proove me wrong (please, gasoline is evil stuff).
Automobiles are quite a tyranny. But this is not an easy problem to fix.
Your thoughts?
USCAR (working examples of gasoline/fuel cell systems)
Peter Gransee