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CAR WITH A DUAL POWER SUPPLY
The Yerevan-001, a truck with a dual pоwer supply of both batteriеs
Сand an internal combustion engine, has been developed at the Yerevan
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Polytechnical Institute. The mechanical energy of the internal combustion engine is transformed into electric energy which, alongside the energy
from the batteries, is supplied to the electric engines which drive the car, or is used to recharge the batteries. The internal combustion engine emits little exhaust and соnsumes little gas.
и having consumedбАpart of the batteries’ energy, the truck can be switched
The truck can take a load of 800 kg, but during trials it carried double that at the maximum speed of 70 kph. Having gone 10-15 km in a city, and
on to the city's electric supply for recharging. It can also get additional energy from its own internal combustion engine, whose hp is far less than that of a conventional auto.
Текст 31
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AUTOMOBILE ALTERNATIVES?
In essence, an automobile is a personalized transport vehicle which can provide a one seat, door-to-door ride with time of departure and route at the discretion of the driver. One of the basicИquestions facing transport planners is whether there exists a viable “public transport” alternative to such privately controlled vehicles. Experience to date indicates that public transport schemes, which have limitations on vehicle-availability, departure time, or route choice, cannot “attract” a large percentage of people away from private vehicles. It may be objected that numerous technological changes are being made in transportation vehicles, involving such concepts as tracked hovercraft, fixed guideways for individual vehicles (that is, automatic highways), and such, and that these new technologies may make public transport sufficiently attractive to lure people away from their automobiles. However, there are several errors in these ideas. First, on closer examination, most of the new technologies are suitable only for in-
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tercity travel and not for travel within the urban area. Second, the existence of a large capital investment in well developed transport systems based on conventional technology virtually demands that any new technology be capable of integrating with existing systems. This puts drastic constraints on the possibility of widespread adoption of new technologies.
СFinally, except for those “new technologies” which are merely modi-
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fications of the basic automobile concept, none of the new technologies can match the convenience, flexibility, door-to-door service, and freedom
of choice with respect to route and departure time afforded by the automobile. It is these latter factors which attract the public so strongly to automobiles and it is difficult to conceive of a concept fundamentally different from the “mechanical horse” (automobile) which could provide all these
advantages.и
The highбАconsumer value on freedom, mobility, convenience, and flexibility as provided by private auto mobiles is borne out by the steadily rising rate of vehicle ownership per person and declining patronage of public transport in most developed countries. It is now becoming clear that legislation restricting the use of automobiles will be required if it ever becomes necessary to switch a significant percentage of people from private vehicles to public transport. Such legislation would be difficult to pass because of the public fondness for private vehicles. Furthermore, the economies of most developed nations are strongly dependent on the manufac-
ture, sale, fueling, and servicing of automobiles, and legislation seriously restricting their use might be economically disastrous. So, it looks like the automobile is securely locked into the fabric of our society for the foreseeable future.
ТекстД32
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COLLECTORS RALLY TO HALT OLD-CAR CRUSHERS
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Gun collectors are known for the intensity of their convictions about the right to bear arms. Many car collectors are just as passionate, as some environmentally inclined politicians are discovering.
Eleven state legislatures, prodded by provisions of the Clean Air Act, have enacted or are debating “junker clunker” bills, under which heavily
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polluting cars are bought with government money and destroyed. The cars are often singled out by age.
In addition to the state laws, Representative C. Christopher Cox, Republican of California, has proposed Federal legislation that would grant $600 tax credits to owners of clunkers who turn them in to be recycled.
СThe Environmental Protection Agency says that cars built before
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1980 are responsible for 86 percent of automobile emissions. Figures like that make old cars a tempting target for legislators struggling to meet impending deadlines under the Clean Air Act.
и other areas ofбАtheir businesses.
The idea of crushing clunkers began in 1990 and 1991 with initiatives by oil companies, including Unocal in California and Sunoco in Pennsylvania, that wanted good publicity and an opportunity to gain “emissions credits” that would allow them to pollute without penalty in
Unocal, for instance, crushed about 10.000 cars in a campaign that is on hold until fall. Although the company says it has allowed experts to look through its hoard and save valuable vehicles, it has been bombarded with angry letters. “They just won’t listen to us, we’ve told to them over and over that we are not crushing classics,”a Unocal spokesman, Barry Lane, said. “There are no Ferraris in this problem.
Open letters to the two oil companies fill pages in Hemmings Motor News, a thick monthly often described as the car collectors’ bible. But
Hemmings’ publisher, Terry Ehrich,Дconsiders himself an ardent environmentalist. “I don’t like junker clunker programes,”he said, “because they give stationary-source polluters like the oil companies a loophole to continue to pollute.”
Opposition is well organized in the antique auto clubs and by a lobbing group supported by parts companies, the ИCoalition for Auto Repair Equality. In addition to worrying that the government will come for their keys, collectors fear that the programes will eliminate parts used in restorations. They also say that their own cars are well maintained and infrequently driven. Diane Elliot, president of the Antique Auto Coalition, adds, “We’re in danger of having two or three generations of our automotive heritage disappear.”
The hero of car hobbyists is Dr. Donald Stedman, A University of Denver chemistry professor. “My brief explanation is that these programes are a waste of time and money,” he said. “It costs $1.000 to scrap an old car, but only $200 to fix it. All it takes for a car to go bad is a broken wire to the oxygen sensor, and that happens a lot.
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FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
We’re facing a situation where the minimum small engine specifica-
Сtion will include twin camshafts, electronic fuel injection and three or four
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valves per cylinder. Small diesels will all have to be turbocharged and intercooled to meet emission laws.
Large diesels will come with intercoolers and turbochargers with someиform of variable pressure delivery – be it by nozzle variation or other means. Injection will be electronically controlled and valve timing will be variable. Mechanical throttles and governors will be a thing of the past. Exhaust filters are quite likely.
Even then,бАall engines beyond 2000 will be critically dependent on pure fuels. Any contaminant will blow emission levels out of court.
The only way the existing engine can survive at its present level of efficiency will be with some fuel changes either through purification at the refinery, through blending, with other substances, or through a change to alternatives.
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