fastcompany.com — Johnathan Goodwin can get 100 mpg out of a Lincoln Continental, cut emissions by 80%, and double the horsepower. This is more than a mere American Chopper--style makeover. Goodwin's experiments point to a radically cleaner and cheaper future for the American car.
Oct 30, 2007 View in Crawl 4
rscheweOct 30, 2007
Forget about the Lincoln. Look at what he is doing with the Hummer H3. Turbine engine? "5,000-pound vehicle that gets 60 miles to the gallon and does zero to 60 in five seconds"?..and there is a whole bunch of mods he is doing. He even hacked the damn engine to bypass the anti-theft security to be able to drop a different engine in there.If this is all accurate, it is pretty nuts. Efficiency, power, environmentally friendlier, helpful towards energy independence. Now of course, cheap zero emissions sustainable fuel is the ultimate goal, but what a monumental shift this would be.
abdulnNov 1, 2007
I always find it amazing how people refuse to acknowlege reality.Reality 1) American auto manufacturers have had experience with turbines in cars since the 50's. This is not something revolutionary. Though, it is a cool experiment.Reality 2) No auto manfacturer will tell you it's impossible to deliver this sort of car in general... They will tell you that it is impossible to deliver this to a consumer market, at least in this day and age. As a few others have pointed out, turbines are extremely complex and expensive. They cannot be produced in mass at an affordable price. They cannot be made quickly. They cannot be repaird inexpensively, they have a very narrow band of efficiency, they do not contain heat well, etc...Reality 3) The vehicle the gentleman is building may work, but that does not mean it will last 200k miles. It may not make it to 20k miles... Even if it was refined to have that level of longevity, it would so expensive who's going to buy it?This is a clever project, no doubt; credit where credit is due. However people who hail these sorts of things as proof that auto manufacturers are stupid, lazy, or are hindering technology just don't have a firm understanding of market requirements and the fact that automakers have to meet those requirements.Reality 4) Eh,you get the point.I have worked for Rolls Royce, in their turbine engine refurbishing facility in Oakland. I have a long history with turbines. I also have a long history designing specialty cars. I see articles like these once in a while and I applaud people take on such endevors, but shake my head at that clueless people who start making uneducated claims that this sort of stuff exposes auto companies ineptitude; it's sheer and utter nonsense.
happyscrappyNov 1, 2007
H1s come with Diesel engines. Why did he have to replace one Diesel motor with another?
askquestionNov 16, 2007
#2, the turbine will be used only to charge the bank of batteries... not to power the drivetrain of the vehicle.#3 BioDiesel is being refined at greater amounts. It is not only the veggie oil found behind chinese restaurants.and... I live in Wichita - I drove Johnathan's Caddy. I can't verify the mileage... but I certainly can verify the power. <a class="user" href="http://www.ksn.com/news/businessbeat/11259626.html">http://www.ksn.com/news/businessbeat/11259626.html</a>
askquestionNov 16, 2007
... and this too: <a class="user" href="http://www.ksn.com/news/businessbeat/11259626.html">http://www.ksn.com/news/businessbeat/11259626.html</a>
askquestionNov 16, 2007
Can you please give specific information on his 'ripping off clients'? Facts, names, articles, indictments? I'd hate to spread rumors.
dbrisindaFeb 27, 2008
The original link can be found at <a class="user" href="http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/120/motorhead-messiah.html">http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/120/motorhead- ...</a>
evilestoverlordAug 29, 2009
There is nothing too good to be true here, He just understands how to build something better than most. Plus when your dealing with Hydrogen and a diesel engine your going to get something better than you had. Remember he isn't using the premise you can't do something, he is using the premise that if you have an Idea, try it and see what happens. Every thing he talks about in the article is not new, just different.