the future????

http://www.teamsteamusa.com/

Some years ago, maybe in the 70s, there was an attempt by a company, maybe in AZ or NM, to bring back steam powered cars. The technology was there but the fossil fuel industry killed it. Maybe someone remembers this better than I do. At any rate, the attempt failed.
Jim

Actually, steam is alive and well. All coal fired and nuclear power plants run steam generators (about 80% of all power generated in this country) almost all large ships use boilers, too.

Economies of scale and stubborn auto companies are the worst enemies. (The auto companies have always embraced the newest and best..NOT) They cried and moaned every time they were "forced" to improve something. Like seat belts, emission controls, air bags, ABS brakes, etc. Yet somehow after the doomsday we have cars that last way longer, don't need tuneups, burn cleaner, and are way safer.

Not to ever defend them, but the petroleum companies have more to lose from the electric cars that are essentially remotely coal powered vehicles. The steamers still need fuel onboard, which means some liquid (hydrocarbon) is carried in tanks and burned. (same old thing, different way to burn)

There are alternative biofuels, but steam car demand would overwhelm existing supply streams and drive prices back to petroleum levels. Look at subsidized ethanol and corn/food prices, what a disaster, but at least the farmers are getting a bit more...

I'm not seeing much future in steam cars.

Then again, if it was hot air we needed...

I'll second that and maybe volunteer my 28', that i drove to TN GTG for conversion!!

quote:

Originally posted by Kevin:
barthmobile sponser this??

We can sponsor only if one of our members gets to drive. I nominate Mary Ray because she may be our lightest member with lots of driving experience.

Mary Ray... would you accept???

quote:

...almost all large ships use boilers, too.

Not so much anymore. In the USN, only the carriers and subs are steam turbine, and those are nukes. The remainder are either gas turbine, diesel, or obsolete.

Foreign navies still have many fossil-fueled steam-powered ships, however. Contemporary civilian ships are diesel-powered, even the largest container ships and cruise ships.

A lot of people don't know that in WWII, the German pocket battleships Graf Spee, Lutzow (nee Deutchland), and Admiral Scheer were diesels. At least one of the German heavy cruisers wS hybrid (can't recall which one) was a hybrid, with both diesels for transit and steam turbines for high speed.