Greenhouse gases are a threat to the planet. They try to minimize this problem. Therefore, they develop new technologies for the automotive industry. One current project is green fuels. Another is the rotary engine that could extend the autonomy of electric cars.
The rotary engine would be the solution to electric cars
Internal combustion engines will be banned from 2035. This is why car manufacturers must make quick decisions. The electric car was chosen among other alternatives because it is the most viable.
However, it presents the problem of the autonomy of the batteries. They still have short ranges of use. In addition, recharging stations are few. Finally, this causes delays to recharge the vehicle
Solar energy was tried, but the amount of photovoltaic panels to move a car make it unfeasible. Something similar happens with hydrogen. It is too volatile to enter the combustion chamber without detonating the entire engine.
The cost of a technology to avoid this is sky high, so they ruled it out as well. However, the rotary engine (Wankel) developed some years ago could be the solution. The company’s technicians and engineers have been working on it for years.
Features of the rotary engine
Without going into technical details that are difficult to understand, the rotary engine is optimal for running on hydrogen. It does not have intake and exhaust valves like conventional engines. On the other hand, the intake and exhaust chambers are separated from each other.
This offers the advantage that the mixture of air and hydrogen is not near areas with high temperatures. Thus, it favours direct hydrogen injection. Ideal for replacing fossil fuels.
However the Japanese company that is conducting the tests, bets to go further. It also wants to recharge the batteries of electric cars with a rotary engine. Recently a well-known brand patented a new scheme. It allows to extend the autonomy of the batteries for many more kilometers.
How would they manage to extend the range of electric cars?
The project includes a hydrogen rotary engine. It has small batteries and supercapacitors. In principle, it is ideal for those who have to travel long distances.
They will be able to do so without having to recharge the batteries. The function of the super capacitor is to get energy from each braking or acceleration. It then sends it to the batteries. Besides being cheap and light they are efficient.
The rotary engine offers the advantage of recharging the batteries without stopping and when needed. It is a motor that runs smoothly and quietly. It has already been tested and the result was very good.
This whole scheme makes it possible to reduce the size of the batteries, which enlarges the space inside the car. The energy from the supercapacitors powers the car through the energy stored in the small batteries.
Simply put, when the batteries need recharging, the rotary motor is used as a generator. The electric car industry can grow with this idea because it extends vehicle range.
