Cool new higher mpg gas engine out of Australia

This is an amazing article, from Nick Chambers at gas2.org.

It talks about a killer new engine design out of Australia.

Here's a little clip, but you've got to see more, at the bottom.

a little known company from the Gold Coast region of Australia, may be on to something huge: they’ve created an engine that is 50% smaller, 50% lighter, has 50% lower emissions and is cheaper to manufacture than a conventional internal combustion engine of the same horsepower. Oh yeah, did I mention that it doubles the fuel economy too.

What that means is a car like the 2007 Toyota Yaris, which is rated at 40 mpg on the highway, would get 80 mpg with a Revetec engine.

This isn’t some hoax… They have a prototype which has been attached to an actual vehicle and independently tested to substantiate their claims.

Check it out here:
http://gas2.org/2008/06/26/low-cost-gas-engine-innovation-doubles-fuel-economy/

All the best,
Al

Ethanol helps keep gas prices low

One of the things I haven't even talked about yet,
but this article covers it pretty well...

Ethanol is actually helping to Keep the current
gas prices lower than they actually would be.

How?

Well, I don't know if you've seen it, but the next
time you fill up at the gas station...

Look at the stickers on the pumps.

Most of them that I see now say something like this...


This gas is using a mixture of 5%, or 10%, or 12% ethanol.

So...

Many gas manufacturers are already supplementing
their regular fuel with just a small portion of ethanol, and
at that mixture level it's not really damaging most
automobiles.

Now - just because a 10% mix won't damage your car,
DOES NOT mean an 85% mix won't.

PLEASE be VERY CAREFUL about your cars capability
with ethanol gas. Don't just add E85 into your
gas tank the next time you're at a gas station.

You'll really screw up your car - AND your pocket
book in the process.

"It is clear ... that biofuels are already moderating gas prices," Energy Department Secretary Samuel Bodman and Agriculture Department Secretary Edward Schafer wrote in a letter to the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

"That impact is likely to grow substantially as more biofuels come to market."

The agencies estimate gasoline prices would be 20 cents to 35 cents per gallon higher if ethanol weren't blended in.

Al

Harness free energy — the footfall of trudging shoppers

This is a pretty interesting article...

It's a topic I haven't thought about much, but now that I see it, I realize it could be possible.

Anyhow...

Capturing power from people's footsteps is the subject.

The plans for heel-strike generation follow successful trials last year at a bridge in the Midlands where generators converted energy from trains passing above into electricity powering a flood detector.' Possibly the most important thing for the readership is at the end: 'There could also be a range of domestic uses, for example powering iPods by plugging them into batteries placed in the owners' heels, using technology which is already available.'

Anyhow, this seems like a pretty cool, low energy source.

Al