22 Replies to “Cheesehead Invents 130 mpg Car [Dan Collins]”

1. Randy Rager says:

   January 29, 2008 at 9:14 pm

   Dan, it’s not like this idea is even remotely new, MIT students built a vehicle a couple of decades ago with about that mileage, and braking reclamation was part of the concept. But I don’t think even they were so God damned stupid as to build their vehicle around a giant pressure cylinder. Jesus H. Christ! What happens if that thing get’s t-boned and the cylinder cracks?! I wouldn’t want to be the driver, that’s for sure.

   TANSTAAFL, baby. Pay your $3.00 a gallon, and LIKE it!

2. serr8d says:

   January 29, 2008 at 10:06 pm

   I paid $2.75 today, at a Kroger. If the economic stimulus package bailout is so important and necessary, why not implement it as a reduction in the federal gasoline tax? The savings would trickle down to all levels…hell, I’m paying fuel surcharges for UPS shipments and Armored Car pickups; why not stimulate where it counts?

   Oh, and I wonder if Ingo’s car is available in other colors…

3. Darleen says:

   January 29, 2008 at 10:40 pm

   I was giggling that the cheesehead’s accent was so thick they had to subtitle the clip.

4. peter jackson says:

   January 29, 2008 at 11:40 pm

   It’s brilliant really. Not only is the energy relcamation from braking smart, but by generating it’s energy at the wheels it avoids the energy lost via a mechanical drive train. Essentially what this guy has invented is an hydraulic drive train.

   Still, fluid isn’t very compressible, I wonder what he uses in the acumulator.

   yours/
   peter.

5. JD says:

   January 29, 2008 at 11:43 pm

   Peter – We have not seen you in quite some time. Hope all is well.

6. peter jackson says:

   January 30, 2008 at 12:04 am

   Hey JD! Yeah, I’ve been around, I’m just not finding myself with much to say these days. Probably has mostly to do with cedar fever. I like Austin enough but the allergies here are shitty shitty shitty.

   Bang Bang!

   HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAA!

   yours/
   peter.

7. JD says:

   January 30, 2008 at 12:07 am

   Good to know you are alright. I always get a bit worried when we have not seen someone’s name pop up in a while.

   Speaking of …. Major John. Still waiting for that APO addy. Godspeed. Wishbone. Keep you head down and get home before Barry gets everyone killed.

8. maggie katzen says:

   January 30, 2008 at 12:13 am

   JD, I’m guessing Major John is in transit…. I know the OKNG guys are at the moment.

9. JD says:

   January 30, 2008 at 12:19 am

   maggie – Now that you say that, I believe you are correct. MJ, whenever you join us again, and I speak only for myself, I just wanted to extend my heartfelt thanks to you and your family. We will pray every day that the only place we see your name is on the pages of proteinwisdom.

10. maggie katzen says:

    January 30, 2008 at 12:34 am

    oh, then again, he posted yesterday. not like he’d have anything else on his mind…..

11. Dan Collins says:

    January 30, 2008 at 5:17 am

    Yeah, liquids aren’t compressible enough, so it would have to be a gas . . . or . . .

    ORGONES!

12. Semanticleo says:

    January 30, 2008 at 9:25 am

    Good idea.

    But will the Big Guys let him produce it?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston_Tucker

13. BJTexs says:

    January 30, 2008 at 9:55 am

    Hmmm… no prototype, comprEssing fluids, all of the claims by computer simulation…

    Why is this an important story, again? Oh and KYOTO!

14. thegreatsatan says:

    January 30, 2008 at 10:04 am

    So if I make a circa 1996 computer graphic of an engine and a car and claim it gets 130 mpg, can I get on TV too?

15. BJTexs says:

    January 30, 2008 at 10:09 am

    tgs:

    Yup! Now if you can manipulate global temperature data and create a 20 year computer simulation of climate change even though you work in an industry that can’t predict next week’s weather you, my friend can CHANGE THE WORLD!!!

    Kyoto!

16. Sigivald says:

    January 30, 2008 at 11:52 am

    Semantic: If it worked and was practical, the “big guys” will be all over each-other bidding to buy the rights from him (if it’s patented), or to produce them themselves – because the CAFE benefits, not to mention “we have the most fuel efficient cars evar!” edge would make it worthwhile to do so.

    Since it’s farkin’ vapor and unlikely to be practical, if it works at all, I’d hold back on the “big motor keeping us down” line for now.

    (Reminds me of the “fuel molecule aligning magnets!” people occasionally try to sell to suckers – if they actually worked, your car would already have one, because if Toyota, Ford, et. al. could raise your fuel economy by 10% by spending 20 bucks per car, it would be suicidally stupid of any car-maker not to do so – because the others would, and destroy them in the market.)

17. Paul says:

    January 30, 2008 at 6:11 pm

    Ford has been working on this – a hydraulic hybrid – for awhile. http://www.autoblog.com/2006/02/14/ford-f-150-to-debut-with-hydraulic-hybrid-system/

    Testing with a pair of UPS trucks apparently returned up to a 75% increase in efficiency.

18. Rusty says:

    January 31, 2008 at 6:08 am

    #

    Comment by Semanticleo on 1/30 @ 9:25 am #

    Good idea.

    But will the Big Guys let him produce it?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston_Tucker

    Not the big guys. The marketplace.

    When Henry Kaiser asked the heads of both Ford and GM what kind of money it would take to start a new automobile company the answer he go was ” somewhere around a billion dollars.” That was in 1945. Flus from building liberty ships for the war effort Kaisor thought he had enough to give it a try. He guessed wrong.

    Tucker’s dream died for lack of financial backing despite what he and hollywood have told you.

    If this guys idea is economically viable, he’ll get his chance.

    You really need to learn more about economics.

19. Makeanickel Penquineer says:

    January 31, 2008 at 9:20 am

    Surprised to see such ridicule from such supposedly bright people.

    1.) An accumulator has a flexible bag or a piston inside it which separates the fluid from the gas precharge, (usually nitrogen). It is the gas that is compressed, not the liquid.
    2.) Accumulators are used all over the place with perfect safety, and have been for a hunnert years. If you have a well pump, you have one in your house for Gosh sakes.
    3.) A cracked accumulator doesn’t explode. They’re made of strong but malleable steels that deform rather than break, so even a hard crash won’t crack one. The greater danger is a split hose, which can shoot a jet of oil 50 feet. I’ve seen a guy who got hit with just such a jet, and while he needed a full change of clothes and a bath, he wasn’t hurt.
    4.) Aircraft turbines have containment bands (Kevlar belts) around the turbine wheels to restrain any flying bits. But turbine wheel breakups are so rare that they’re almost unheard of. Last one I recall was the Sioux City incident about 15 years ago.
    5.) Energy recovery from the braking system is a VERY good idea, and hydraulics don’t create gyroscopic precession problems like flywheels do, nor do they require complex computer controls as electric systems do. The pump/motor units are expensive to make, because of the high precision parts in them, but they last forever, as long as the oil is kept clean. I’ve worked with industrial motor/pump units that have run 24/7 for a dozen years or more with zero maintenance other than periodic filter changes.
    6.)He hasn’t INVENTED an hydraulic drive train. That concept has been used occasionally in off-road vehicles since before WW2.

    I expect snide comments about technology from anti- types who want us to go back to the stone age rather than make electricity with nuclear power. Few of them are intelligent life, and NONE of them are engineers, who know perfectly well that a properly designed and operated nuclear reactor is safer than your average coal-fired plant. These comments make me worry about ALL of you.

20. icontent robot says:

    April 18, 2008 at 3:06 am

    The quickest way to start receiving targeted traffic to your link is to advertise it on a few pay per click search engines. Try Google and Overture first since they are the most popular. I personally have had more success on Overture than Google. Once you sign up your account you can create your ads and select your keywords. Use the keyword selector tools to help you choose relevant keywords with a low cost per click.

21. laroutedulouvre.com says:

    June 15, 2010 at 3:37 am

    What Does Automotive Mean?…

    Automotive Data from the car can be one of the main tasks of car dealers or data stores. If preparing detailed car for sale or display is ready for his new owner, often the first impression that makes the car more cars and retailers know which vehicles…

22. Omega Three Oils And Prenatal Nutrition | Makinfo.net says:

    August 28, 2010 at 6:45 pm

    […] Cheesehead Invents 130 mpg Car [Dan Collins] […]

Comments are closed.