Hey Pelican Futurists! What will power cars in 2050?

[Jim Richards]

Interesting. I'd like to see the report(s). I read somewhere that hydrogen was less efficient end-to-end, from its manufacture to its consumption in a car, but I forgot where I read that.

CNG is supposed to be a less efficient fuel than gasoline.

Regarding the batteries, if the service stations could recharge them on-site, then the problem of trucking batteries would be initial cost of setting up a station, and a recurring cost to replenish batteries at end-of-life. IMO, of course.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

I prefer to see electric cars, with standardized battery packs that are swapped at service stations throughout the country. Something that can get a car back on the road within 5 minutes.

They are doing this right now in Denmark or someplace near there in Scandahoovia.

[svandamme]

They will be powered on the Sunshine that comes out the ass of our Politicians.
It will be Utopia, for we will finally have found some use for those bastards.

[rouxroux]

pixie dust, rainbows and unicorn farts, all government supplied

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

CNG is supposed to be a less efficient fuel than gasoline.

The newer ones are nearly as efficient... Its usually less than 2-3mpg difference in our 3/4ton CNG pickups between CNG and 100% pump gas.

[Bill Douglas]

Electric. And by then there will be a completely different source of power and much better batteries. Batteries that don't even slightly resemble today's ones.

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

The newer ones are nearly as efficient... Its usually less than 2-3mpg difference in our 3/4ton CNG pickups between CNG and 100% pump gas.

That's a lot better than I read about CNG. Thanks Sid.

[fanaudical]

Electric - If the Skunkworks comes through and really has 100MW fusion generators by 2017.

Lockheed's Skunk Works promises fusion power in four years | DVICE

[Aurel]

By 2050, the fart seat direct injection (FSDI) will be the main technology, and a plate of beans will give you 100 miles of range.

[HardDrive]

Soylent Green.

[Evans, Marv]

Let's face it, things will be much the same. It will take maybe another century for things to change significantly. I remember 50+ years ago it was predicted we would have long since been commuting via helicopter and cars powered by alternatives to petroleum based fuels on automatic roads with automatically operated & guided vehicles. The complex of petroleum based fuel producers and petroleum based consuming industries are huge, complex, economically entrenched, and not going away soon. Maybe not until the actual supply of fuels is nearly exhausted. If we can get fusion generaton online by then, maybe electric will be viable. However don't think our basic costs are going down if that happens. The large industrial complex will still need to be fed & to support the needs of the populous, it will need to be fed the same amount or more than currently. Electric & maybe some kind of steam might have been one of our alternatives at this point in time, but were squashed close to a century ago by the larger and growing more dominant petroleum using industries. 50+ years ago this current point in time seemed like far in the future and things would seemingly have changed a lot, but the change has only been incremental. It will continue to be that way until we reach the point when absolute change is necessary because the exhaustion of energy supplies we are set up (& have been set up) to use for a long time dictates it. Just reality.

[porsche4life]

Quote de porsche4life

The newer ones are nearly as efficient... Its usually less than 2-3mpg difference in our 3/4ton CNG pickups between CNG and 100% pump gas.

That's a lot better than I read about CNG. Thanks Sid.

Most of the CNG info that's out there is from the old inefficient "fogger" systems or the 3000psi systems. The modern systems are fairly efficient and reliable. We've driven over 20k miles in the last year on our trucks with no problems.


Check out CNGnow.com for more updated info

[RWebb]

genetically engineered biofuels & EVs

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Middle eastern (or Canadian or Venezuelan) gasoline watered down with government subsidized ethanol crap. Same as today.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

Electric. And by then there will be a completely different source of power and much better batteries. Batteries that don't even slightly resemble today's ones.

I really hope you're right but we need a HUGE breakthrough in battery / energy storage technology soon. Many innovations are being limited by this right now. Chemical batteries are just not good enough. A quantum breakthrough would immediately yield huge dividends in transportation and other areas - this is the limiting factor for so many potential advancements right now (weight, cost/energy to produce and ultimately dispose of them, limited capacity, high losses, etc).

[mikeesik]

It may be a horse that motivates the americans... if things do NOT change.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Middle eastern (or Canadian or Venezuelan) gasoline watered down with government subsidized ethanol crap. Same as today.

Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada

Check and see if there's one near you. I'm lucky to have a 100% gas station adjacent to my work. The S8 gets 2-4 MPG better on real gas, and I won't even consider the ethanol crap for the 911, Mustang, or small yard equipment.