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2008-06-06

Motor Shows and Concept Cars  

Importance of Motor Show or Car Show

The history of cars dates back to the year 1769 according to Wikipedia: History of the Automobile. 1769 is 3 centuries back in time. That is a mighty long time. Other than electric cars and hybrid cars, practically all the cars currently on the road are using very old technology, the internal combustion engines. A revolution in car technology is definitely overdue. The hosting of Motor Shows or Car Shows hopefully can provide the impetus to the birth of truly revolutionary New Cars. I own 2 patents, one of which had been infringed upon by the tolled road operators in my country. I still have lots of ideas that have not seen daylight. As an inventor, I know the importance of brain storming. I am pretty sure there are lots of brain storming prior to any motor shows. The whole world is currently eagerly awaiting to a truly new technology car can will solve the current woes of the environment and meet the ongoing energy crisis.

Concept Cars

At any motor shows, especially the Tokyo Motor Show, you will see lots of concept cars. Concept cars are prototypes created to illustrate a concept. Most of these concept cars on display at motor shows will never make it to the production lines. Most of the ideas or contraptions probably never even made it to the motor shows. However, it is in the brain storming of new concept cars in which our hope for a real revolution in car technologies lie.

concept car
Photo of a concept car? is property of antje verena


The most likely new technology car

Futures are hard to predict, but let me go out on a limb are be a fortune teller on this new technology car. My predictions are that cars using internal combustion engine will be replaced by electric cars. What make the difference between the predicted new electric cars from existing electric cars would be way the electrical power is generated or stored.

Electric cars with power generated by fuel cells

This would be an easy one as there are already prototype electric cars with electricity generated by fuel cells (fuel cell is "some kind of battery" which uses chemical reaction between 2 substances, for example between hydrogen and oxygen, to generate the electricity). All that is required is refinement of the fuel cells to a point where electric cars with fuel cells become a practical realty.

Electric cars with power generated by nuclear fusion

It would be ideal if the electricity is generated by controlled nuclear fusion. Those familiar with power generation using controlled nuclear fusion will know that it involves nuclei of hydrogen (can also be other elements) fusing together to become atoms of helium (if other than hydrogen, the "final product" will be other elements) with huge amount of energy released. If you know nuclear fusion, you will know that had already been demonstrated, but it involves huge apparatuses plus so far, energy input needed to get the nuclear fusion going exceeds the energy output. However, I have heard of a development where nuclear fusion had been demonstrated using small apparatuses plus with power output greater than input. If this can be confirmed, then the raw material for this nuclear fusion reaction is just water. Plenty of that stuff. Don't you find that exciting?