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Yeah. It's worth noting that for engines in stationary devices like fabrication tools and machinery, electric totally won. So what made the difference with cars

Yeah. It's worth noting that for engines in stationary devices like fabrication tools and machinery, electric totally won. So what made the difference with cars wasn't just the engines themselves, but rather the energy storage/distribution network. Now that we have batteries that are good enough at a cheap enough price, electric is gaining fast despite a lot of cultural opposition.

walshemj 13y ago
It took hundreds of years to go from belt drive in factories to individual electric motors which probably didn't get installed in large numbers until post WW1 Even in the late 70's the mechanical technician courses in the UK required you to be able to design an old school belt drive.
- jasonwatkinspdx 13y ago
  Yup. I am quite familiar. My great grandfather made a minor fortune in the 20's with a service company that would refinish the bearings used in shops with overhead drive shafts, etc.
vacri 13y ago
I'm not sure about totally won - here is a demonstration of a gasoline-powered flashlight, which might create a resurgence of this method for power tools. At 0:30 he expounds on the advantages of the device. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcdVaslktBE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcdVaslktBE
- mikeash 13y ago
  And let's not forget compressed air, which is still a very popular way to run power tools. Electric vastly outnumbers it, of course, but compressed air is still used in a significant portion of tools.
  - noonespecial 13y ago
    Compressed CO2 and nitrogen are gaining favor in the tool space as well.
    - jessaustin 13y ago
      Yeah I'm sure Airgas and Praxair love this idea.
  - ricardobeat 13y ago
    There was a french company that built compressed-air vehicles, and they were supposed to be much more efficient. The comment you replied to is tongue-in-cheek though.
  - nhebb 13y ago
    In shop operations most compressors, in turn, run off electricity.
    - jessaustin 13y ago
      Which, in turn, runs off coal or nuclear or whatever.
  - bradleyland 13y ago
    Compressed air is not an energy source, it's a short term energy storage medium. The same static/non-static correlation between electric and gasoline exists. Most compressors in static installations are electric. Compressors that must be used in the field are frequently powered by a small internal combustion engine. Compressed air is used because the powerhead is much smaller and lighter than an electric motor (at available voltages) of comparable power. This makes it suitable for handheld tools. Otherwise, compressed air represents a NET loss of energy, and would be avoided.
    - mikeash 13y ago
      Technically, nothing is an energy source. It's all just storage and conversion. In any case, compressed air is directly analogous to electricity here. It's a way to transmit energy generated elsewhere.
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walshemj 13y ago

It took hundreds of years to go from belt drive in factories to individual electric motors which probably didn't get installed in large numbers until post WW1 Even in the late 70's the mechanical technician courses in the UK required you to be able to design an old school belt drive.

jasonwatkinspdx 13y ago
Yup. I am quite familiar. My great grandfather made a minor fortune in the 20's with a service company that would refinish the bearings used in shops with overhead drive shafts, etc.

vacri 13y ago

I'm not sure about totally won - here is a demonstration of a gasoline-powered flashlight, which might create a resurgence of this method for power tools. At 0:30 he expounds on the advantages of the device. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcdVaslktBE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcdVaslktBE

mikeash 13y ago
And let's not forget compressed air, which is still a very popular way to run power tools. Electric vastly outnumbers it, of course, but compressed air is still used in a significant portion of tools.
- noonespecial 13y ago
  Compressed CO2 and nitrogen are gaining favor in the tool space as well.
  - jessaustin 13y ago
    Yeah I'm sure Airgas and Praxair love this idea.
- ricardobeat 13y ago
  There was a french company that built compressed-air vehicles, and they were supposed to be much more efficient. The comment you replied to is tongue-in-cheek though.
- nhebb 13y ago
  In shop operations most compressors, in turn, run off electricity.
  - jessaustin 13y ago
    Which, in turn, runs off coal or nuclear or whatever.
- bradleyland 13y ago
  Compressed air is not an energy source, it's a short term energy storage medium. The same static/non-static correlation between electric and gasoline exists. Most compressors in static installations are electric. Compressors that must be used in the field are frequently powered by a small internal combustion engine. Compressed air is used because the powerhead is much smaller and lighter than an electric motor (at available voltages) of comparable power. This makes it suitable for handheld tools. Otherwise, compressed air represents a NET loss of energy, and would be avoided.
  - mikeash 13y ago
    Technically, nothing is an energy source. It's all just storage and conversion. In any case, compressed air is directly analogous to electricity here. It's a way to transmit energy generated elsewhere.
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