New Motor Design from Toyota

I like it

Interesting update on Tesla's Oscillator.

Here is a little bit better description...

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/04/20140422-fpeg.html

A self-powered POGO stick with AC voltage output?!?!

Nikola Tesla approves this design.

(Sort of. Personally he'd say it's overly complicated.)

The idea has been floated around for quite some time.

Nice to see serious development in getting these into production and out of the lab/shed.

The diesel electric variant appeals to me.

Why does it generate in only one direction and not both?

...for DC output instead of AC?

Article says it puts out 3 phase AC.

I remember a sterling free piston generator from the late '60's- early '70's being used to power a satellite, not a lot of new tech here.

"a two-cylinder FPEG is inherently balanced and would measure roughly 8 inches around and 2 feet long. An engine of that size and type could generate 15 hp, enough to move a compact electric vehicle at highway speed after its main drive battery has been depleted. That's the future."

That does not sound like a future I care to be a part of. How compact are we talking here and what highway speeds in specific?

I was just on the road yesterday with a family members mid 80's Ford ranger which by our standards is as compact of vehicle as any of us would ever care to own. I came home on the four lane where the speed limit is 70 MPH and I had it to the floor to maintain anything close to that with its little bitty 70 something HP engine.

So what are we talking here with 15 HP? A golf cart going about 40MPH on a calm summers day?

It might be that your family member's Ranger wasn't putting out its specified 70HP, like it is sick or tired.

The 2.9 liter versions with fuel injection run much better than the older, smaller, carbureted versions. I've kept one (4wd) around since '90 for pulling my boat (4300lbs)and camping, a real tough little truck, and more economical than the '95 Toyota I made the mistake of buying...(engine fire due to fuel leak under engine wrap).

Your Ranger is rated at 70 hp and being as old as it is, I'd bet it's putting out closer to 55 hp. How much to the wheels? Maybe 45 hp? And not a very aerodynamic body.

A compact electric vehicle will not only be aerodynamic, but have low weight, low rolling resistance tires and low friction bearings. A gas engine putting out 15 hp shouldn't have a problem maintaining highway speed, so long as there's no hill to climb.

Think about it.

The concept of the free piston was developped by a french inventor before the WWII and used first as gas generator for turbines. Several units were build after the WWII for industrial use by Siemens and for a turbine driven car by GM. About 20 years ago a system was developped to act with a hydraulic pump and charge an accumulator for a hydrulic drivsn car. The hydraulic solution was prefered because of the difficulty (stiil prsent ) to accumulate electric energy.

With evolution of super capacitors and batteries it could become one of the possible solutions for hybrid cars.