THE BIOVOLT TRUCK AND PISTON POWER FROM SYNGAS

[Jim Mller]

Piston power: In an unconventional engine design, a rod with a piston at either end shuttles between two combustion chambers. Magnets at the center of the rod move past metal coils (orange) to create an electrical current.
Credit: Peter Van Blarigan, Sandia National Laboratory

It could be used in the BioVolt Truck to generate electricity to recharge the batteries should they run low on energy. Instead of the large, expensive reciprocating internal combustion engine running the generator as described below, the produce syngas can be factionalized into many different gases (depending on the feedstock) into propane, butane, pentane and ethanol. The proper gas can be compressed and stored behind the cab of the truck and fed to the electric generator as needed. This would greatly reduce the cost of manufacture and greatly lighten the weight of the truck, thus making the combination much more efficient and cheaper to build and operate. There would be little maintenance involved in this electric generator.


Tuesday, September 30, 2008

High-Efficiency Generators for Hybrid Vehicles
Free-piston engines could be used to generate electricity as efficiently as, and less expensively than, fuel cells.

By Kevin Bullis

http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/21442/page1/#comment-205222

An unconventional engine design is attracting attention as a potential alternative to hydrogen fuel cells or conventional engines in some hybrid vehicles. Called the free-piston engine, it could be used to generate electricity as efficiently as fuel cells yet cost less.

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Here is my promo. I have a set of much more detailed specifications and a cost estimate. The project needs an EE to figure out the electrical parts and assemblies and test the same.

Jim Miller


BIOVOLT PICKUP TRUCKS - customer promo

1. OVERVIEW
Do you want a light pickup truck which gets 60 to 100 miles per gallon of fuel? So do we. Do you want that pickup powerful enough to pull a loaded trailer up a steep grade? Do you want a pickup which, while a bit older than the show-room model, is much lest costly to buy and run? So do we. That's why we have invented the BIOVOLT pickup.
First, take a five to ten year old Chevy S10, Ford Ranger or Dodge Dakota, rip out the engine and replace it with a motor-generator. Add a biodiesel-fueled generator and a 50 gallon fuel tank, then add some deep cycle batteries bolted to the pickup bed. Then wire these units together, and we offer you the BIOVOLT PICKUP from Montana Synergy.
How? Save a large bundle of cash by buying a nice, older light pickup with the engine blown. Get the model you want. We recommend a 4x4 with automatic transmission and an extra cab. Bring your candidate to us for conversion. We will install all of the parts, test them and return the finished unit, complete with a new paint job and all the body damaged fixed. In fact, we can go beyond the basics and produce a totally cool, custom job of which you will be proud. It will be the only one of its kind on the face of the earth.

2. FUEL ECONOMY
The BIOVOLT pickup can be plugged into any 120 volt outlet when you need to charge the batteries. (That's the trick to getting 60 – 100 MPG.) Alternately, you can run the on-board biodiesel generator using biodiesel. When you go down-hill the motor-generator not only acts as a brake, but also charges the batteries. A 50 gallon tank keeps the generator running for many hours. When you don't need to charge the batteries, the generator shuts off automatically. Depending on the amount of the load is on the truck and how fast you go, you can get from 600 to 1000 miles on a tank of biodiesel.

3. ENVIRONMENTALLY CORRECT
The idea of “synergy” is to bring us “greenies” the benefits of renewable, green fuels --biodiesel -- to power our transportation needs. Now don't go gettin' on us about the coal-fired power plants which produce the 120 volt used to charge our batteries. The balance is met by recycling an older pickup with a blown engine which generally means it is going into the crusher and shipped overseas and recycled as raw steel. So, we figure that the savings in fossil fuel from not having to make a new pickup, is a net savings to the environment – so there.

4. COST
A BIOVOLT truck costs $25,000 when we supply the core pickup. You can have us pick out your choice of a core light pickup or go find it yourself. The cost of maintenance includes replacing the batteries every 5 years or so, depending on use; probably longer. The biodiesel generator will last according to usage. Generally figure on 10 years with quarterly crankcase oil changes; probably longer.

5. SPECIFICATIONS
We will fully specify the conversions we will complete in our contract of sale, specifically for your BIOVOLT pickup. You get not only our specifications, but then a copy of the factory repair manual and our version of the truck's operation manual. Please be advised, that in order to keep the price down, we use some recycled parts where appropriate. We are not purists greenies, because do use many new parts.

6. WARRANTY
Montana Synergy, LLP, unconditionally warrants the integrity of all work performed by and parts supplied by Montana Synergy, LLP, for normal use of the BIOVOLT pickup. No warranty is given on the core pickup. Our warranty is good for ten years from the date of acceptance of delivery by the buyer. We offer an annual, free, checkup of our components. The sales contract has the complete terms and conditions of sale, which supersedes this paragraph and all other representations.

7. HOW TO BUY
Montana Synergy, LLP, typically performs a great deal of custom work for its customers. Consequently, we produce a completed unit which satisfies our buyer, but may not be what a different customer wants. We require a fifty-percent deposit at the time the sales contract is signed. This deposit covers the direct, out-of-pocket costs for that customer's pickup. The balance is due in good funds at the time the pickup is accepted by the customer. Our customers are welcome to visit our manufacturing shop anytime and ask questions about their BIOVOLT.

8. CONTACT
Montana Synergy, LLP
A Montana Limited Liability Partnership
P. O. Box 1172, Belgrade, MT 59714
Phone: [phone]Email: [e-mail] Miller, Managing Partner