Generating Electricity a different concept?

Aside from the facts that it will in essence be leaching the power from the cars. Causing everyone to get worse gas mileage. Which is essentially a de centralized power station in which emissions are much more difficult to control. Then I think its a great idea, aside from the humongous cost.

On the flip side however since most cars don't yet have regenerative breaking you might put your system on lots of long downhill parts that require people to use there breaks. This would save on break wear and produce power at the same time. Of course the time and money spent retrofitting cars with the magnets would be better spent on adding a system for regenerative breaking. But it might be an idea worth pursuing since at least you don't need batteries in the car if the power is going elsewhere.

I think it will cause accidents.

There would be a dragging effect on the car when driving above the coil(s)

When the car deviates from course the dragging will decrease and the speed will increase and possibly leave the car out of control.

There is however a viable application for your idea.

The entrance to Pretoria from the south is preceded by a ±3km road dropping ±500m

it is followed by a short slight uphill and then another ±100m drop over 2km with robots and traffic.

Coming down the steep gradient (starting at 120km) the inevitable use the breaks a lot causing overheating of the breaks. The slight uphill seems to put them at ease.

If they then continue downhill and find a red robot the have to use the breaks again hard and it is usually where failure occur. A lot of accidents occurred here and trucks usually damage property and 5 to 10 cars.

Installing a sand trap and compulsory stop for heavy vehicles just outside of town only reduced the number of incidents.

Would The placing of coils on the steep slope help to slow down the trucks with a additional generation of some power?

Wouldn't it be simpler and more direct to simply provide the power to the car from the road, like a trolley, rather than waste fossil fuels to deliver to the car, and then back to the grid.

Your system is an inefficient energy TAX on every driver.

Everyone uses energy, not just drivers, and so if you are going to tax people for energy, tax everyone equally with a flat tax, or proportional to their consumption.

just my 2 cents worth.

Chris

I agree with you that the original concept will not work. The dragging effect on vehicles were clearly ignored (another case of assumed free energy).

With my concept it is only supposed to be used on inter city trucks on the short steep downhill prior to the entrance to town.

The intention is to generate power instead of waisting the breaks and causing accidents.

The additional costs to truckers will be less than the cost of the accidents.

It may however be cheaper to double the breaking capacity of the trucks or generate and store the electricity onboard.

The power from the "road generator" will be erratic and rather unusable.

Over here a lot of busses and truck are equipped with electromagnetic brakes.

The brake is of a non contact type and only used when they need to drive for a long time downward.

It is known as a very reliable system, the velocity energy is directly transferred into heat in a metal plate, the plate is double and functions as a centrifugal ventilator, it drags it's own cooling air. The plate is direct coupled to the driving axe of the bus/truck and to brake some coils are energised.

Much more reliable than a coil in the ground of the road, which gets dug up over night for the copper.

Great idea!

And I see this as a very useful thing; furthermore I am thinking, how about if placing these devices at the entrance and also at the exits of each tool roads (for example) and by the energy generated and sold value to have a free access instead of paying a fee?

Interesting concept but here are a couple of items to consider:

1) Cost; I could go on at nauseam but why labor the point.

2) The Law of Conservation of Energy; The opposition caused by the energy generated by the car's contribution to inducing the current is not free it would be offset by decreasing the car's fuel efficiency.

There aint no free lunch.

It could be an elongated loop from place to place across the streets or freeways and placed where it would be allowed by the regulations after a serious pros and cons technical OK analysis and licensed accordingly, as many others at each light at intersections which are commending the lights intermittent color variations and hence the coordination of the traffic access.

I don't see any inconvenience if even slightly the car's inertia would be affected by an easy breaking (this would be the known PRICE for a civilised comfort); also the cost is incomparable small taking in account the benefits by recovering more than necessary money for the many needs for lights, services, maintenance, etc., etc.

Hi everyone. Why is it that whenever someone gets their thinking cap on and tries to come up with a novel idea to help solve our energy crisis, there are others who ridicule him or her for at least trying. This person is at least using his grey matter, not like others who cannot come up with anything! I think it was a great effort at least, even if it may not be practicle, it shows the man has given it some thought. Remember, that throughout history great men have come up with idea's only to be ridiculed, the steam engine, jet engine, AC electrics etc, all these are now in everyday use. So let us help the man by encouraging him, and not discarding it out of hand! Spencer.

NOT TO MENTION; most of the decenting votes are probably from oil company shills disguised as engineers. I hear them every time somebody attempts to come up with an idea that might get into big oil proffits.

Well then perhaps you shouldn't have. Closed-minded individuals, ok. Individuals who don't know their arse from their elbow commenting on things they don't really understand, seen them here on CR4 too. People with no real grasp of reality who pretend to understand (O, my have I wasted quantities of time on these foke). Oil company shills disguised as engineers posting on the site to suppress potential new technology and developments. Sound like someone's a'brewn a nice big cup of conspiracy to me.

Lets try and keep the broad generalisations to a minimum. Remember most of the time the most obvious answer is correct, and really, do you think that oil companies would really look and plan that far ahead into the future (oh great, now you have got me doing it).

As I said in the original post the explanation was very simplified and just a thought.

However I appreciate all the input whether positive or negative.

I am not a physicist nor do I have the means to fully explore the situation. I mearly tossed out the question on here because I know the brilliance most of the minds that contribute here.

As for the derrogatory comments who listens to them anyway

Any how keep the brain juices flowing if there is a feasible solution I'm sure it could be found here then we can present it to the governments of the world for them to turn it down.

Like the saying goes "Necessity is the mother of invention"

>>Like the saying goes "Necessity is the mother of invention"<<

This idea needs a nanny, not a mother.

I agree that you should not be ridiculed. If you felt that way about my post, I apologize. Curious minds do wonder, and in some alternate quantum universe, the answers are correct.

:)

Chris

No worries Chris as I said earlier it bothers me not and I have not taken any thought good or bad as critisism. I am just a simple man with simple ideas. LOL

You have learned that too, that everything is really possible, only in alternate quantum universes. Alas, I am not alone!

Yes, and I am still learning to to get to the one's I want. I think its working because I, just today have accepted the position of manager of Technical Services department, which includes Engineering, Quality Assurance, Enterprise Data and Hopefully.. Training departments. Along with a 1250$ a month raise, and an extra weeks annual holidays... Its all in how you hold your tongue eh?

Chris

Isn't it frustrating that this person going by the name "Guest" can't seem to find it within himself (herself?) to say anything nice or productive? This isn't the first and, unfortunately, probably not the last time we'll hear from Guest. Did his/her parents never teach him/her as a child a golden rule of kindness that goes something like "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all?" Personally, I've never met Mr Guest face to face and I hope I never do. Judging from all Guest's past posts, I doubt he'd (she'd) have anything to say that I'd find slightly interesting or useful.

If you can't say anything nice about my sister (Guest) then just hush.

Actually there is currently a simular device inplace. The signals at railroad tracks are activated by the voltage that is created by the solid axle and wheels that roll down the tracks. This cuts the magnetic flux lines of the earth. Since iron id a poor conductor, the voltage increases as the train gets nearer the crossing and at a certain voltage it activates the signal.

The same principle is used to activate the signals on the highway. That what the loops are in the pavement. I've never heard of one of them causing cars to go out of control, but maybe that's what causes cars to speed up when the light turns yellow, LOFLMAO.

I think that the idea of an induction coil in all the highways is good but the power should be reversed and come from a clean source like the wind or water and be fed to the highways to power the cars.

I think using regenerative braking is a concept that is used to capture energy that would otherwise be wasted. I think it is best applied back to the same system it was captured from. (ie, the car) however, this requires a fast form of energy storage. (ie, flywheel, or large value capacitor)

Chris

I was too late to edit my comment #12 but I also think that the development of a few more nuclear power stations to power the highways would take a billion inefficient polluting, internal combustion engines off the road. The technology is already here and hybrid or all electric cars would fit in well, charging your batteries on the go for off highway driving. Steering and guidance systems could be incorporated for accident prevention.

If a better or safer than nuclear source for power is found the highways would still be there to use it.

Unfortunately (ignoring overall system inefficiencies), price will still be the factor that will kill this sort of project.

I am reminded of a thread http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/2668/Three-Useful-Inventions-for-the-Environment where a person patented the following idea............

Australian Patent #2006100565 which is about transportation system moves by using the balloon fly by an electric fans provided with power from a bars lay on the ground get power from resources energy translate it by (wheels rolls on bearings) and wires to the electrical fansn idea regarding using a gas-filled ballon with an electric motor on it.

What is wrong here. Well, three serious points immediately spring out at me.

1) For a start, is it as good as or better than existing transport methods in any way (cheaper to run, better for the environment, infrastructure, speed, user-friendly, life/maintenance, safety, etc) - In this example NO. Fixed rollers on a track powering an electric motor driven ballon on a teather. NO, No, No. No. Worse in every way possible (why the energy required to extract the copper to make the rollers alone is, staggering) and the cost (anyone who is in the industry will know the cost of copper and aluminium (to a lesser extent) has sky-rocketed, due in part to shortages). This person has no idea how the the real world works.

2) Infrastructure cost (just how much energy, resources and money will it require) - Practical implementation in the real world is going to be staggeringly expensive and difficult, if not impossible. If it ain't broke, don't fix it if it will make it any worse.

3) Practicality (but what if I did this, changed this, got rid of this bit.....) - Well, this patent isn't. Additionally I see no possible way to ever make it practical.

Anyway, getting back to your idea. The infrastructure costs would be very high, and that alone makes it impractical in its current form. Unfortunately ideas like this and others that have been attempted (in a far smaller scale) end up wasting more power than just leaving the car alone. What we need is an efficient replacement for the car and a centrally-powered mass transit system. Perhaps superconductor development will eventually push prices down to make centrally-powered transport a possibility. I don't believe Hydrogen-powered cars are the answer either, like I don't believe existing technology solar plants (ahem, loads) are the answer, but at least they are trying to test and develop the new technologies. One day they will develop something that does work, and it will be due in part to the knowledge and experience gained from all the other developments (that didn't work) that went before it. So, everyone keep those ideas coming!

Oh, and a final point that people need to be aware of is the automotive industry doesn't like change, so unless the idea is staggeringly better than existing technology, and the pay back period is low for them, you may not get the idea implemented anyway. Then there are the politics (do you know how much flak our industry gets regarding the potential danger of em fields from overhead power lines). At least I don't have to deal (directly anyway) with wireless network and cellphone signal (potential, but never actually proven) threats to mankind and its DNA. Big coils all around the country are bound to raise a few eyebrows and start heated debates. Hell, we are getting slammed here for releasing pure fresh water byproduct from a power plant into the sea and (supposedly) helping to kill a specific salt-water fish....... Ghhhaaaaa its all so infuriating, and guess who is going to complain if the lights go out because we don't have enough generation or line capacity. Some days you just cannot win.

As for me, I will continue to try and keep the lights on for you.

Well I guess food for thought is about all this really is. I appreciate all the good thoughts but all you EE types keep working on it maybe something good can come of it.

Just remember me when you get rich on my idea.