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Old 07-07-2008, 03:02 PM   #32
Syndrome Zed
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Re: Could a 3 Cylinder Metro be made to run on Ethanol?

Wow, pepe, you've really got some interesting stuff going on.

I was actually thinking about "hybridizing" a Metro too. I wondered, and maybe someone could figure it out where I can't - let's say you attach 4 magnets to each half-shaft, or to the rear axle, so they are physically balanced with each other. Grab a couple of ignition coils from a junker, place one coil (or other coiled or bundled copper wire) someplace (the brackets attaching the control arms, for example?) in proximity to each set of magnets and run a couple
wires from the coils to an extra battery. Then hook an electric motor into the system via a switch or a relay connected through to the TPS. Use the TPS to control activation of the electric motor - when the throttle's open enough, the electrics kick in and the motor could either boost the drive wheels, or make the car a 4-wheel drive by boosting the rear wheels instead.

I don't know how much energy you could generate from the magnets/coil, but since it works for an alternator, I would think you could get a pretty decent amount going.

Alternatively, what if you took the alternator itself off, then plugged all this funky hookup into the regular battery with an old voltage regulator somewhere in the circuit? That might save a little extra fuel by not putting the engine to work as a generator.

Lastly - I always thought the Civilization games' idea was great, having satellites collect the solar energy and fire it down to generating stations as microwave lasers. I read somewhere that DARPA or some other gov't agency has funded some work creating a prototype of one of these energy generators as a way to provide the military with a steady power supply in areas where it's hard to get supplies in.
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