Electric motorcycles are very clean vehicles, they give off zero emissions, but every time I write about them someone is sure to point out the power came from a generating station which is itself, not so clean. The problem isn't eliminated, it was just moved. Suppose you could recharge your bike at home with fuel cell generated electricity from a unit sitting next to your air … [Read more...]
AirHead – Air Powered Motorcycle Design Concept
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, a trip of 10 miles each way so he … [Read more...]
Laser Ignition System Eliminates Spark Plugs – Internal Combusion Engines Continue to Evolve
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 the chance of a complete burn, reducing … [Read more...]
Peraves SuperBallMotor – Rotating Sphere 4 Stroke Engine
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. The rotating motion of the sphere causes … [Read more...]
Synergy Fuel Cell Motorcycle Concept
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 technically have any motors; the rear … [Read more...]
Studebaker Astral – One Wheel Atomic Concept Car
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 that mentioned the Studebaker Astral. It, too, had one central wheel with gyro … [Read more...]