Forget the flying cars. Where's my coal fueled turbine car?

[bcp]

The New York Times

[h=1]G.M. DISPLAYS CAR FUELED WITH COAL DUST[/h] [h=6]By JOHN HOLUSHA, Special to the New York Times[/h] [h=6]Published: June 4, 1981[/h] WARREN, Mich., June 3 The General Motors Corporation, in a technical exercise intended to hint at the automobile industry's future independence from dwindling petroleum supplies, has developed a car fueled by powdered coal.
The vehicle uses a turbine engine that burns coal that has been crushed into a powder finer than flour. It was demonstrated today as part of ceremonies marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the G.M.'s technical center, a sprawling, campus-like complex 10 miles north of Detroit.

 

[Wagtail]

Could you imagine fuelling on a windy day?

 

[Einthewoods]

I can see the environmentalists heads exploding right now.

 

[Ken]

I can see the environmentalists heads exploding right now.

Didn't Europeans use chicken litter and wood chips for fuel in the ww1 era of Germany's occupation. ?
ken

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

You can always move to North Korea. The army there is using coal and wood fired army trucks, since petroleum products are so hard to come by.

 

[Streetcar]

Didn't Europeans use chicken litter and wood chips for fuel in the ww1 era of Germany's occupation. ?
ken

Cars were converted to wood alcohol, I have seen YouTube with trucks running on wood alcohol

 

[Ken]

Cars were converted to wood alcohol, I have seen YouTube with trucks running on wood alcohol

The ones I was referring to looked like a BBQ grill on back bumper and the smoke from smothered fire was burned via hose into carb,
ken

 

[CareForLand]

What does everyone think the ultimate energy source for a vehicle or tractor would be. I think my vote would go to solar powered cars. Wish they were more practical. Wood alcohol sounds like interesting fuel. Is it 100% natural?

 

[4570Man]

I don’t think solar panels can ever provide enough power. Based on my brief solar panel research they’re currently about 20 percent efficient and produce 17 watts per square foot in good conditions. That’s going to take 47 square feet of panels to drive a 1 hp motor. Even if solar panel efficiency improved to 100 percent that’s not enough output for the surface area available. Even then you’ve got to produce enough battery reserve for night and rainy days. I don’t think electric cars will ever work either unless every neighborhood had its own nuclear plant and we all know that’s not going to happen. Look how much power it takes for one Tesla and multiply that by millions. Natural gas seems like a more likely alternative. I don’t think oil will ever be abandoned. I don’t think 100 mpgs would be unreasonable for a diesel car if Exxon and the epa would get out of the way.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

The Navy tried coal dust mixed in turbine fuel and it was dropped pretty fast. I think the Greenies got to them. My understanding at the time is that it did work.

Ron