68
hmmm
(lemmy.world)
Basically a train engine
Slugbug!
Oh hell no. Can we have one comm without slop?
Still more efficient than a diesel car https://reneweconomy.com.au/tesla-ev-charged-with-diesel-generator-still-cleaner-than-conventional-car-61942/
That’s actually a pretty creative solution if you’re far from a charging station.
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I've seen a few pictures like this before. The fun fact part is, this is could actually be pretty damn efficient if done well. Gas powered generators are designed to run efficiently and deliver power at a specific RPM. An gas car's engine has to run and deliver power at a wide range of RPMs, so is generally not running at it's most efficent speed.
The fun fact part is, this is could actually be pretty damn efficient if done well.
This is essentially how diesel–electric locomotives work (since almost a hundred years now).
Gas powered generators are designed to run efficiently for small shitty motors. Gas generators are not efficient. Especially if you care about emissions since they usually lack catalytic converters.
Well, as far as I know Honda hybrids work this way.
New Honda hybrids don't even have driveshafts connecting the engine to the wheels, it's purely for generating electricity. Pretty cool imo
No thanks, will continue driving a 1.9 TDI golf, until It kills itself, because I actually like it.
1.9 PD - fragrance for men
Making electricity this way, storing it in the battery and using it to drive a vehicle have their own efficiencies, all less than 100%. Also, these smaller types of generators aren't that efficient to begin with. So I doubt it.
I remember reading an article about a "race" in Australia where they tested this out. The electric vehicle had lower total fuel consumption than the combustion car. Here it is: https://reneweconomy.com.au/tesla-ev-charged-with-diesel-generator-still-cleaner-than-conventional-car-61942/
This is a good idea, though.
Piston engines are way, way, way more efficient (and cheaper to make) when optimized for one RPM and a static load (like a generator). They can be tiny if running at 100% throttle all the time; a few horsepower is enough. Excluding the transmission saves weight/cost, and a generator for a few horsepower isn’t that big.
Yeah, you get electrical loss, but everything else more than makes up for it.
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Germany during WWII did something kind of like this. They modified some of their cars to run on wood gas and they would tow a wood stove on a trailer that generated the gas, with an attached hose that would feed it into the engine. A sensible plan when your only source of oil is Romania and all of your horses have been requisitioned by the army for its "blitzkrieg".
You don't need a trailer for that. It just attaches to the car. Doesn't weigh so much as to need a vehicle of it's own.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_gas_generator
Here's a Dodge V10 with one.
And here's one from WWII so ppl don't think they were much bigger back then
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this post was submitted on 09 Mar 2026
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hmmm
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