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Assuming that the engine is both lighter and more efficient according to the article you might think that the horsepower numbers are going to be on a different
by cantankerous 14y ago
Assuming that the engine is both lighter and more efficient according to the article you might think that the horsepower numbers are going to be on a different scale compared to what we're used to. Old Geo Metros ran on 55HP and they used the "old inefficient engine".
- sp332 14y agoHorsepower is power output. So the new engine might take a lot less fuel, but it still only puts out half as much power as a Smart car engine.
- cantankerous 14y agoI'm not talking about power output. It's obvious that it puts out half as much power as a Smart Car. What I'm saying is that it might not matter. I'm talking about necessary power output. If the engine cuts the weight of the car in half, then the scale of HP you're used to hearing applied to haul the car around in a desirable manner changes because you don't need as much.
- sp332 14y agoI think the target market for this will be charging batteries in a hybrid car. So you get the low-end torque of an electric motor, and the ability to draw a lot of stored power for a short time from the battery, while keeping weight down (having a gasoline engine + an electric motor gets heavy) and radically reducing emissions.
- anamax 14y ago> If the engine cuts the weight of the car in half Then this engine has negative weight because current engines are much less half the weight of the car, let alone half the weight of the car plus typical load (which is the relevant weight). Yes, an engine that weighs less means that you can have other parts that weigh less as well, but it's still not enough.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]