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I still wonder, why nobody builds EVs combined with a small Stirling motor. Such a hybrid could charge a car while parked (if needed) and warm up batteries in t
by jcynix 5y ago
I still wonder, why nobody builds EVs combined with a small Stirling motor. Such a hybrid could charge a car while parked (if needed) and warm up batteries in the cold too.
It would make EVs much more attractive for me, until charging infrastructure is more widely deploid, and allowing for a more gradual move away from oil.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_engine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_engine
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- ReactiveJelly 5y agoThey're too big and heavy per horsepower compared to regular ICE. Also, if your car can turn on its engine automatically, Stirlings and regular ICE have the same problem - Something is autonomously generating carbon monoxide and consuming your fuel without a human watching it. Spooky.
- jcynix 5y agoSpooky? Just like the stand-by heating in my neighbors conventional car, which automatically starts every morning during winter. :-0
- ben-schaaf 5y agoFrom what I understand the size (and thus weight) of a Stirling engine is inversely proportional to the temperature difference it can run off. Running off 10s of degrees requires a very large engine to have any kind of usable power. Additionally it would at best be a benefit in hot climates where the battery needs cooling. In the cold you want to retain the heat not turn it inefficiently into energy.
- ableal 5y agoBMW i3 with range extender did that, don't know what kind of engine. Not quite intended as a PHEV, but I suppose it could run just on the ICE like most current PHEVs Toyota's hybrids (Prius, etc.) have used Atkinson cycle ICE, instead of Otto (one maximizes fuel economy, the other power delivered, I heard).
- inb4_cancelled 5y agoWhat? Why a Stirling? Please elaborate.