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177 Comments
- dthmnky05, on 05/01/2008, -8/+53Second law of thermodynamics.
Learn it. - CCmachined, on 05/01/2008, -9/+45whats the point? it only makes more CO2 emissions from the cars, to get to their destination AND provide this other enegy.
its also stealing fuel, unless you pay the drivers.. think about it. - jmkiii, on 05/01/2008, -5/+33This will decrease gas mileage. It's a bad idea.
- KSUdesigner, on 05/01/2008, -1/+23Exactly my thoughts. I pay for the gas to fill up my car, my car then generates electricity on the roads, then the electric company is going to turn around and charge me for the electricity in my home, even though I just provided them with electricity for free. Screw that.
- skyspirit, on 05/01/2008, -5/+24Even the article says this... The energy has to come from somewhere. Most likely, it will increase the work needed for the vehicle to move along, thus making it work harder, however minuscule. This adds up though. So the energy will come at the cost of all the drivers going over that section of road. Energy is never free.
- Hillyard, on 05/01/2008, -1/+15Not to mention, in the article it said it was the equivalent of hitting potholes...no thank you.
- russ3, on 05/01/2008, -1/+14You're dumb poster. Next time put link to the actual article and not some stupid bloggers thoughts about the article he wrote.
- Otto, on 05/01/2008, -4/+16Your alternator does not generate "excess" electricity. Electricity does not work that way.
- dthmnky05, on 05/01/2008, -5/+16With every transfer, energy is lost.
The whole thing would be better if it was just replaced by a gasoline/diesel generator. - BigManOnCampus, on 05/01/2008, -3/+13It's not wasted energy at all. A car running on a smooth surface is not wasting any energy going over bumps. A car running over a surface where the weight of a vehicle is being used to generate electricity is essentially pulling itself against it's own natural friction with the ground, *AND* depositing kinetic energy into a generator buried in the ground. You are not using wasted energy at all, you are *STEALING* energy from vehicles to capture electricity in a very inefficient manner.
Running a car over a bump uses energy that would not ordinarily be used. If you truly want to harness wasted energy, plug an inverter into your alternator while your car is running, there's some extra kilowatt hours that aren't being used.
If you don't believe me, go get an engineering or science degree. - usafdave, on 05/01/2008, -0/+8If we could harness the raw power of the gigantic, raging, flowing river of ***** ideas for "a better energy solution" I see on digg all the time, we'd be home free...
- ozydingo, on 05/01/2008, -1/+8TFA: "Maybe the next step is to build a power station at a place where you want to 'steal' energy from traffic. A downhill lane with a stop sign at the bottom where vehicles need to slow down, for example. They'd be hitting the brakes and dissipating the energy as heat anyway, so you might as well turn part of that energy into electricity."
- jmkiii, on 05/01/2008, -2/+8Another way for small towns to steal money from those who pass through, great!
- wigenite, on 05/01/2008, -4/+10I've thought about this for years... It would only make sense at stop signs, down hill off ramps, and red lights.
- BenKenobi88, on 05/01/2008, -1/+7SPY SAPPIN MA GASOLINE!
- lacreme, on 05/01/2008, -1/+6I was thinking of something involving electromagnets.
- wigenite, on 05/01/2008, -1/+6Whats rumble strips got to do with it?
- breckinshire, on 05/01/2008, -1/+6Original article on this technology: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/04/truck-traf ...
- xaxxon, on 05/01/2008, -1/+6People with regenerative braking would tend to disagree. They are capturing their energy themselves, thank you. I'm guessing that the onboard system is probably more efficient than the system on the road, too.
- drgreenberg, on 05/01/2008, -1/+6It would do more good to reduce the vibrations, then, and to thus help increase the vehicles' gas mileage. The fuel saved could be turned directly into electricity in a far more efficient manner than through this indirect means.
- greggerm, on 05/01/2008, -1/+6Also read in the article that they would hope to install these plates in places that taking some kinetic energy would be a GOOD thing - like on downhill exit ramps and other places where you are on the brakes instead of the gas..
- Chandon, on 05/01/2008, -0/+5Generating electricity is most definitely a question of economic effectiveness. Simple market price isn't the only factor that goes into the question, but it's sufficient to eliminate certain things as strictly bad plans.
- ozydingo, on 05/01/2008, -1/+6"Maybe the next step is to build a power station at a place where you want to 'steal' energy from traffic. A downhill lane with a stop sign at the bottom where vehicles need to slow down, for example. They'd be hitting the brakes and dissipating the energy as heat anyway, so you might as well turn part of that energy into electricity."
- ozydingo, on 05/01/2008, -1/+6Still, the idea persented in the article is to place it in location where vehicles are likely to be slowing down anyway:
"Maybe the next step is to build a power station at a place where you want to 'steal' energy from traffic. A downhill lane with a stop sign at the bottom where vehicles need to slow down, for example. They'd be hitting the brakes and dissipating the energy as heat anyway, so you might as well turn part of that energy into electricity." - xaxxon, on 05/01/2008, -1/+5you're still bleeding off your energy as heat - just in your engine/transmission instead of your brakes.
- aywwts4, on 05/01/2008, -2/+6Well, in the time that it would take do a widespread installation (read rip up major thoroughfares and interstate offramps) The majority of cars on the roads will probably have regenerative breaking technology. So it goes right back to square one, This would be stealing energy that hybrids and electrics created that could otherwise reuse for transportation.
- diggB, on 05/01/2008, -1/+5FTA. "The next step is to build a power station at a place where you want to 'steal' energy from traffic. A downhill lane with a stop sign at the bottom where vehicles need to slow down, for example. They'd be hitting the brakes and dissipating the energy as heat anyway, so you might as well turn part of that energy into electricity."
Now, THAT makes sense to me (instead of applying the power station on a flat highway where the energy generated would come from the traffic fuel, the energy would come from gravity). - ybotoby, on 05/01/2008, -1/+5Or even better would be to harness the energy wasted while breaking for stop lights or stop signs. Much like hybrids already do for themselves.
- dougmc, on 05/01/2008, -0/+4Actually, no -- this device would actually sap energy from the cars, making them go slower. The article mentioned this -- did you read it?
They suggested putting them in places where the cars had to slow down anyways -- in that case, it might make sense. - ATLien74, on 05/01/2008, -0/+4I agree. If the electric company is going to charge me for electricity I generated, then the price of gas should be discounted to reflect that.
- ricksite, on 05/01/2008, -0/+411oops, thank you for the correction.
- BigManOnCampus, on 05/01/2008, -3/+7Exactly.
- BigManOnCampus, on 05/01/2008, -4/+7No, Cougaboy. The power it "generates" (steals is more like it) comes from the kinetic energy of the vehicle running over it. This means your gas mileage and your wear/tear on the vehicle both suffer. Yes, the trucks were going over that part of the road anyway, but adding kinetic-energy-capture-devices means those trucks spend more diesel fuel to go over that same road, period.
- Timmmm, on 05/01/2008, -0/+3You mean conservation of energy. It's different.
- dgendreau, on 05/01/2008, -1/+4There is nothing wrong with brainstorming like this, but to paraphrase a physicist, "there aint no such thing as a free lunch". Its basic thermodynamics. Energy has to come from somewhere.
In this case, any energy generated by this scheme would tax the vehicles a little more than the same amount of energy in terms of fuel efficiency, not to mention extra physical wear on the vehicles. - 11oops, on 05/01/2008, -0/+3Learn to post a link.
- breckinshire, on 05/01/2008, -0/+3What are you talking about, kneecap? My link works.
- jmkiii, on 05/01/2008, -1/+4You don't mind potholes? I certainly do.
- kaleesh, on 05/01/2008, -0/+3the link got cut off dude :((. i tried to edit it..
- BigManOnCampus, on 05/01/2008, -2/+5As was said previously...
"2nd law of thermodynamics...Learn it"
Energy doesn't come from out of the aether. - aywwts4, on 05/01/2008, -0/+3It all depends on how many useless jobs it would create using federal money, and judging but a lot of the comments on digg, if a politician announced he supported it, odds are most people would think it was a great idea.
- 11oops, on 05/01/2008, -0/+2I know someone that thinks dreams there are rabid wombats living in his garage and that they are eating his power tools. What's your point?
- 11oops, on 05/01/2008, -1/+3Isn't increased gas mileage a good thing? I understand what you were trying to say, but come on -- proofread a bit.
- IllBeBack, on 05/01/2008, -0/+2The roads get so hot that it seems like all of that heat could somehow be harnessed to be turned into energy... Just a thought.
- dgendreau, on 05/01/2008, -0/+2Considering it is describes as the equivalent of hitting potholes, yeah, I would agree with you.
- kurtu5, on 05/02/2008, -0/+2Instead of using engine braking, supplemented by brakes on steep mountain grades, truckers could benefit immensely.
With out installing regenerative braking systems, they could get a little money from the, lets say Chattanooga weigh station, for the energy its going to steal from them later over the pass.
Build a single couple mile lane for trucks. See how long it takes to catch on. - ecrunner, on 05/01/2008, -0/+2I know someone who dreams about making bacteria a form of power..... we'll see.
- maaaaark, on 05/01/2008, -1/+3"Dragon Power Station" you say? Isn't that the name of one of the hatches in LOST?
- crimsonnblue, on 05/01/2008, -0/+2You sir, win.
- ozydingo, on 05/01/2008, -1/+3Odd, I sweat the article mentioned exactly that...
"Maybe the next step is to build a power station at a place where you want to 'steal' energy from traffic. A downhill lane with a stop sign at the bottom where vehicles need to slow down, for example. They'd be hitting the brakes and dissipating the energy as heat anyway, so you might as well turn part of that energy into electricity." -
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