Matthew Perez, a Mechanical Operations Technician for the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, sent me some details of a design he’s working on, he was a little tired of seeing only electric motorcycles when someone mentioned alternative fuels and he thought he would come up with something that would carry him back and forth to work, [...]
From the category archives:
Alternative Fuels
Scientists in Liverpool working with some engineers from Ford, have developed an ignition system that ignites the fuel mixture with a laser instead of a spark plug. Engines in their labs are currently running with the laser system.
The laser can be split into multiple beams which means it can have multiple ignition points, improving [...]
Here’s a 4 stroke engine concept you have to see to understand, the Peraves Superballmotor uses a multipart sphere to replace the usual crankshaft, rods and pistons of a normal internal combustion engine.
The moving parts of the sphere have ceramic balls on their exterior which travel in grooves in the case surrounding the sphere. [...]
Piers Prendergast, a 2009 graduate of Transport Design at Coventry University, sent me these images of his final year project. It’s a fuel cell motorcycle concept with hubless wheels which are kind of unique:
The hubless wheels work though a fixed inner rim and a rotating outer rim that spins on internal bearings. The concept doesn’t [...]
Charles Taylor built a one wheel gyro stabilized vehicle and it worked. It was functional, not flashy, but the guy actually built it and the videos show how it evolved over the years. Just after writing that article the other day I came across a short piece in a 1958 issue of Science and Mechanics [...]
There’s a new diesel powered motorcycle on the market, though only in the Netherlands for the moment, it’s the Track T-800CDI. Made in the Netherlands, it’s powered by a turbocharged 800cc 3 cylinder diesel with 45 horsepower and 74 foot pounds of torque. It has a centrifugal clutch and a CVT with shaft drive. It [...]
Problem: Conventional engines and new tech engines need fuel to run, often a very specific type, but some fuels are in short or easily interrupted supply and often very expensive or they need a totally new not yet installed, supply infrastructure.
Solution: External combustion engines can run on an extremely wide range of fuels, whatever is [...]
After the story about adsorbed natural gas conversions for motorcycles, one commenter said, “If one could fill up at home that would be really cool.” Well, with Phill, you can. Made by FuelMaker, Phill is what is termed a Vehicle Refueling Appliance (VRA) and is one of several products made by the company. It hangs [...]
