surplus heat

BMW´s Hybrid Vision: Gasoline and Steam

This novel concept uses your car´s wasted heat to enhance power and fuel economy

Certain parts of a car’s engine can reach temperatures in excess of 1,500°F. With this in mind, the engineers at BMW developed a way to boost efficiency: Transform that otherwise wasted heat into energy the engine can use. The resulting Turbo- steamer reclaims more than 80 percent of the heat lost from the engine’s exhaust and cooling systems. It uses this surplus heat to generate steam that helps drive the engine. It boosts power and torque by 10 percent and cuts fuel consumption by 15 percent without using a single additional drop of gasoline.

[ Read Full Story ]

PPX: The PopSci Predictions Exchange

RSS Link

New IPO

Hot Stocks

  • iPhone Killer Arrives

    Will the HTC Touch Diamond arrive in North America by September 31st?

  • Life on Mars

    Will the Phoenix lander find verifiable signs of life on the surface of Mars by January 1, 2009?

Ready to bet on the future? Start here!

Subscribe for 2 free issues!

may2008_cover.jpg