Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:13:29 -0400
Reply-To: Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: Air Engine... the ultimate Vanagon Engine Conversion!
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The problem with 'rationing' gas is that it puts a limit on how much gas
will be sold. Who would be the one's to institute these limitations?
Surely not oil companies; it's not in their best interest, due to loss of
profits.
Surely not the US government, it's not in their best interest, either, due
to loss of collected US taxes.
Surely not the states' govt's, due to loss of state taxes collected.
That leaves us; the end users. We would need to police ourselves, by
limiting our own purchases/ use of fuels. This is difficult and hard to
implement, or enforce; no-one wants limitations placed upon their freedom.
We'd have to get rid of our gas guzzlers, limit pleasure driving, form
carpools, use public transportation (where avail.), combine tasks requiring
driving.
When they rationed gas in the '70's, we were forced to do just that, by
those long lines at the pump and limits of availability. Who was controlling
that at that time? Auto manufacturer's were required to sell down-sized
economy cars. The land-yachts were parked everywhere and you couldn't give
them away! We need to return to this method of limitations, to help fix the
mess we seem to have gotten ourselves into.
Even our beloved Vanagons get pretty crappy gas mileage
overall..........they'd need to be converted to something more efficient, or
they'd have to go, along with all the other vehicles that couldn't meet
minimum MPG standards. I've read recently that CAFE standards for new
vehicles are due to increase to minimum 35 MPG soon..............
Mike B.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott Daniel - Shazam" <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 2:33 PM
Subject: Re: Air Engine... the ultimate Vanagon Engine Conversion!
There are a lot of great things about steam power.
On of them is no need for a transmission with a reverse gear,
They just route steam pressure 'the other way' to make the vhehilce go in
reverse.
But what always 'gets' steam powered vehicles..........in terms of daily
practical use for individuals, is the time it takes to build up steam
pressure.
If every house had regular steam pressure continuously, like your mine
does......then it could work.
I suspect a lot of non-sustainable fuel can be burned making steam, like
it's not that efficient to produce, and the emissions - imagine the
emissions from an early wood or coal burning steam ship. Not good.
And you'd think if there was a modern way to make steam efficiently with
low emissions too.....there would be more of it around.
The age of oil and burning fossil fuels including wood and coal isn't over
yet, not by a long shot , unfortunately in terms of planetary health.
Oil consumption is going to be going up for a while yet.
Interestingly, I was just reading that in China they can't get people to buy
hybrid cars very much. Toyota was only able to sell 400 Prius cars in a year
there recently. The taxes China puts on imported cars doubles the price of
a hybrid there - making a Prius a $ 40K car, or close to that.
And if rich Chinese have that kind of money to spend, they'll get a big fuel
burning domestic car instead for roughly the same price. Very little
incentive to go 'high mileage' - heck, we have that here even !
Though it's slowly shifting, glacially slowly.
And when the glaciers are all gone ........then maybe the behemoths will be
parked.
Persoally...........i'd like to see everyone have 'an allotment' of fuel
they get to burn every month. And if they want to burn it at 15 mpg, or at
60 mpg, that's their choice. Or something that is in that direction.
Cause right now, if you have the bux, you can drive a hummer 6,000 miles a
month at 15 mpg if you want.
Very American minded to think 'hey, if I can afford it, it's my right to
burn al the gas I want." That mindset is just beginning to shift a teeny
bit, I hope.
Scott
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
John Rodgers
Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 9:45 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Air Engine... the ultimate Vanagon Engine Conversion!
Just down the road from me is a private collection of Railroad engines,
cabooses, rail cars, etc. All are antiques of one sort or another, and
they all work. However only one is in service - it is used to pull a
couple of car loads of tourists down 5 miles or so of privately owned
track. There is still a track out to the active rail systems, but it is
never used, though it could be.
In that eclectic collection is a mining yard engine - an engine that
does not burn any fuel at all to drive it. No wood, no coal, no oil, no
diesel-electric. This thing has got on the front of it where the
standard boiler mounts on a typical steam engine, an enormous high
pressure steam vessel. This engine can run most of a day hauling tons of
rock and coal utilizing high pressure steam injected into the steam
vessel from a filling point at the mine/plant. Not sure why the
mine/plant was using steam, but steam from the system was injected under
very high pressure into the steam vessel on the train, and that steam
was used to power the drive wheels on the train.
Steam power anyone??
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
Paul Guzyk wrote:
> This has gotta be BS.
>
> Think about air tools in a shop. Your compressor is cycling on all
> the time just to unscrew bolts.
>
> How the heck will you propel a Vanagon that weighs thousand of pounds
> for many miles using compressed air?
>
> Call my cynical but I don't believe it...
>
>
>
>> Saw this on the History Channel last night (or was it Discovery)
>> either way.
>> what a great concept, and a perfect solution to high oil prices!
>
>
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