The role of the Stirling engine is briefly examined for automobiles (not busses or goods vehicles). It is shown that simply replacing conventional engines with Stirling engines will do little to improve the present ecologically disastrous situation. A better use for the Stirling engine in private urban and suburban transport lies in its use as a charger for a new breed of efficient light-weight electric vehicles. These vehicles can be charged from photovoltaic cells in summer and stationary Stirling co-generation plants in winter. Smaller on-board Stirling chargers can be used for range-extending and suplementing the battery. In this application an extremely high power density is not necessary and encapsulated generators are well suited. The advantages of the Stirling generator over its competitors in this role can include the use of many fuels such as renewable CO2-neutral ones and the potentially lower costs if free-piston technology is perfected.
Hybrid vehicles for Stirling engines
Hybridfahrzeuge für Stirlingmotoren
1993
6 Seiten, 7 Quellen
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch
Experiences with Stirling Engines in Underwater Vehicles
British Library Conference Proceedings | 1988
|Stirling Engines for Hybrid Electric Vehicle Applications
SAE Technical Papers | 1992
|Kraftfahrwesen | 1982
|TIBKAT | 1993
|Kraftfahrwesen | 1982
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