Could steam-powered cars decrease the CO2 in the atmosphere? 3

[drawoh]

Article on Salon.com.

No, Salon is not an engineering journal.

--
JHG

 

[phamENG]

Construction of a Simplified Wood Gas Generator for Fueling Internal Combustion Engines in a Petroleum Emergency

 

[MortenA]

@phamENG: This type of system was used in Denmark (for normal cars) during 2. world war where petrol (gasoline) was diffucult to get.

https://portals.clio.me/dk/historie...ttelsestiden/opfindelser-i-besaettelsestiden/

--- Best regards, Morten Andersen

 

[BrianPetersen]

The EV folks promote battery powered cars like a magical, environmentally friendly replacement for gas powered cars.
Granted, it may be cleaner depending on the energy source used to charge the batteries.
But the energy has to come from somewhere. Thats the dirty little secret that is not talked about.
Just because you don't see pollution coming out of the tailpipe, doesn't mean that pollution is not being produced to power cars.
Its just produced earlier in the supply chain.

All true ... BUT ... figure out the "well to wheels" efficiency. Or the "well to wheels" CO2 emissions, if you wish.

Even if the grid source is 100% natural gas, that can be a modern combined-cycle plant with a gas-to-electricity efficiency in the 50% - 60% range, and the efficiency of getting that electricity to your house is very high, and the charge-discharge efficiency of good modern batteries is also high (85% - 90%) and the powertrain efficiency is high. And the vehicle can have regenerative braking; no can do with a conventional pure combustion-engine vehicle.

Compare that to a petrol engine installed in the vehicle that has at best 30%-ish thermal efficiency and which spends most of its time operating "off design" at conditions having lower efficiency and sometimes zero (idling), and which is using a fuel that inherently has higher CO2 emissions relative to its energy content compared to natural gas, and which involves a refining process that is certainly not 100% efficient just as the grid-distribution of electricity from the central plant to the vehicle is not 100% efficient.

The situation is worse if coal is the grid-source ... there is a push to reduce the use of coal for electricity generation (and the province that I live in has stopped completely).

But the situation is better of the grid power is renewable.

If we, collectively, reduce the CO2 intensity of grid power generation by getting away from coal and towards renewables then the "wheel to wells" CO2 emissions of the EVs fed by that grid automatically shifts with it. The combustion-engine vehicle is stuck with using petrol or diesel for its lifetime ... Yes biofuels, but there's not much hope for that at this point.

And NO, nobody claims that switching all transportation to EVs is a magic solution to all of our problems. Doesn't address traffic congestion, for example. Taking steps forward is better than standing still or moving backwards.

The energy-consumption meter in my Chevrolet Bolt is hovering around 12-and-change kWh per 100 km, and it's functionally equivalent to a combustion-engine vehicle that uses probably 6 - 7 or at best 5 - 6 litres per 100 km, and the local grid CO2 intensity is roughly 25 grams per kWh (no coal, mostly nuclear, some hydro and renewables, rest is natural gas).

 

[cranky108]

Maybe there is an externality question that needs to be asked. Like, can you find a mechanic to work on an electric car? Are parts available? Are they as safe? What happens when you run out of fuel? What is the life cycle cost?
Can I get them in custom colors? Can I jack up the rear end? Can I tow a trailer? What If I need extra lift?
Do they come as contervatables? Can I get a moonroof?