[JohnMaltczevitch]

One day in the future it's quite possible that the cars we know today will have electric motors in them instead of your typical combustion engine.

Do you think car tuning and tweaking might lose its appeal?

Getting more power out of an electrical driven vehicle would probably take more interest in electronics than mechanics. Mind you mechanics would still play a big part, obviously. But things would change drastically when dealing with the power plant and anything else associated to get optimal performance from an electric engine and from the cars fuel source.

opinions?

[NodePark]

I used to run RC cars and just by changing the lenght of wire wound around the bit in the middle you can totally change a motors max revs, torque or power useage. Then you can change the alignment of the magnets in relation to the brushes which is a all new ballgame.
But I'm guessing they'll use brushless motors whic are sealed, but even so theres a lot of scope for tweeking with electric. Theres less to tweek sure, but the average mechcanic can learn enough to stay in the game within a 6 months to a year.
As you said people with electrical experiance will have a big advantage.

[Vegeinvalge]

exactly...i had an elecric r/c car and needles to say their were tons of tweaks..that were cheap/free

[CULTDIAMONDS]

I heard about an engine running on air.
It works like a normal engine with cylinders and stuff but instead of using the combustion of fuel to move the pistons, it uses air pressure.
It worked, topped 110-130km/h and was a LOT more efficient (don't remember the numbers)

[ceagsoosy]

I doubt the majority of car engines will ever be electric in the future.

[Ndptbudd]

I think I'm going to Hi-Jack the local milkmans float for his 24volt batteries! before any other local 'tuners' think of it

[R1king]

I heard about an engine running on air.
It works like a normal engine with cylinders and stuff but instead of using the combustion of fuel to move the pistons, it uses air pressure.
It worked, topped 110-130km/h and was a LOT more efficient (don't remember the numbers)

you heard wrong or you confused yourself with dissel, turbine, ramjet or other form of engine that use pressurized combustion. i don't believe air can be a fuel.

unless your air is made of methane or something.

[dfuzioniag]

you heard wrong or you confused yourself with dissel, turbine, ramjet or other form of engine that use pressurized combustion. i don't believe air can be a fuel.

unless your air is made of methane or something.

and we all know we dont want any more of that methane air to be relased any time soon

[soonahonsefalh]

I am sincerely hoping that any car of the future won't be electrically driven considering how polluting the technology would be concerning disposibility of the batteries and the centralised pollution, plus the added strain on the national electrical grid which would be unable to cope with the added strain.

Hydrogen fuel cells have far more future.

[CULTDIAMONDS]

you heard wrong or you confused yourself with dissel, turbine, ramjet or other form of engine that use pressurized combustion. i don't believe air can be a fuel.

unless your air is made of methane or something.

No you dont understand, the air wont be combusted or burned or whatever, it will be pressurized in a big tank under the car and then the air is released in the pistons under high pressure. this will move the pistons.

[dfuzioniag]

No you dont understand, the air wont be combusted or burned or whatever, it will be pressurized in a big tank under the car and then the air is released in the pistons under high pressure. this will move the pistons.

i doubt they could ever ever ever ever compress enough air or anything for that matter to make the car go over 1 mile in distance if even that

[joulseenjoync]

No you dont understand, the air wont be combusted or burned or whatever, it will be pressurized in a big tank under the car and then the air is released in the pistons under high pressure. this will move the pistons.

silly idear really.

your best medium for that type of propusion would be C02 because you can cram more in but unfortunately C02 is also a greenhouse gas.

[CULTDIAMONDS]

i doubt they could ever ever ever ever compress enough air or anything for that matter to make the car go over 1 mile in distance if even that

They would use a small extra engine to re-compress the air.
Would be a lot more efficient.

[joulseenjoync]

They would use a small extra engine to re-compress the air.
Would be a lot more efficient.

problem is when you charge a cylinder full of air heat is produced and you cannot get a any greater volume in there.

unless of course they are going to cool the cylinder down like crazy.

just wont work

[peakyesno]

I doubt the majority of car engines will ever be electric in the future.

Well, it looks like these guys are working on a fully electric vehicle. My friend showed me this the other day and I think it's pretty nifty sounding, but I think for somehting like that, the price alone is probably enough to turn most people away.

[CULTDIAMONDS]

problem is when you charge a cylinder full of air heat is produced and you cannot get a any greater volume in there.

unless of course they are going to cool the cylinder down like crazy.

just wont work

Here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmqpGZv0YT4

[dfuzioniag]

i still walk almost every where

[CGH1KZzy]

I think we're in the last decades of people owning personal transportation, so it's really a moot point.

Think about it...running out of room for roads in most cities, no room to expand, and people won't stop having babies. You think the roads are crowded these days, wait 20 years.

There just won't be enough room for all the vehicles, so some form of automated public transit is probably in the cards. And if the entire infrastructure changes, you can bet it will be green fuel of some kind.

[ArraryTauTDew]

I am sincerely hoping that any car of the future won't be electrically driven considering how polluting the technology would be concerning disposibility of the batteries and the centralised pollution, plus the added strain on the national electrical grid which would be unable to cope with the added strain.

Hydrogen fuel cells have far more future.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroge...l_difficulties

[Jenisoisy]

problem is when you charge a cylinder full of air heat is produced and you cannot get a any greater volume in there.

unless of course they are going to cool the cylinder down like crazy.

just wont work

it's like a steam car except air is the working fluid. the pressure does the work. the way they get enough gas volume for it to work is compressing it to very high pressure (I think they said about 30 bar). my main concern in the system is the pressure storage vessels. they're carbon fiber so not to become explosive in an accident, but i don't know how practical they are. one of the technologies that i've seen that has shown real promise is the hydraulic hybrid that the EPA and UPS have worked on.
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/technology/420f06054.htm