Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"We were essentially being shell-shocked by rapid change. That was one of the things you needed science-fiction writers for back in the Sixties, because we could cope with the future."
- Peter Watts
 |
| Vehicle Energy Reclamation | ||
| Reclaiming the energy gained by climbing a hill on the way back down. |
This is a key feature of the new Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles, which use regenerative braking.
| On reaching the top of a long and steep hill, if we do not wish to coast, we convert the motors into dynamos, while running at full speed, and so change the kinetic energy of the descent into potential in our batteries. This twentieth-century stage-coaching is one of the delights to which we are heirs, though horses are still used by those that prefer them. |
| Technovelgy from A Journey In Other Worlds,
by John Jacob Astor IV. Published by D. Appleton and Co. in 1894 Additional resources -
|
When you are going too fast and want to slow down (either to stop or when coming down a long grade), the kinetic energy of the car is used to charge the battery.
It works exactly as described more than a century ago:
So was John Jacob Astor the first person to write about this idea? The earliest reference I can find to it is something that was called dynamic brakes used on electric trolley cars in the early 20th century:
Toyota engineers asked themselves, "Why not recapture some of the energy lost while coasting, slowing down or coming to a stop?" Well, that's exactly what Prius' regenerative braking system does. When the driver does any one of these three things, the system turns the motor into a generator. The energy of the wheels produces electricity, which is then stored in the batteries.
(From Toyota Prius Regenerative Braking)
The driver’s control handle had a position that cut power to the traction motors and supplied a small, finely controlled excitation current to the motors’ field windings. This turned the motor into a generator that was driven by the motion of the car. Increasing the magnetic field current increased the generating load, which slowed the car, and the current being generated was routed to a set of huge resistors on top of the car. These resistors converted the current to heat, which was dissipated through cooling fins. By the 1920s, techniques had been developed for returning that current to the power grid, making it available to all the other cars in the system and so reducing the load on the streetcar system’s main generator by as much as 20 percent. Regenerative braking systems like this are still being used in cities around the world.
(From Regenerative Braking Charges Ahead)
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from A Journey In Other Worlds
More Ideas
and Technology by John Jacob Astor IV
Tech news articles related to A Journey In Other Worlds
Tech news articles related to works by John Jacob Astor IV
| San Francisco Autobus |
| Volvo's Autonomous Truck |
| Eviation Alice Electric Plane First Flight |
| Robotaxi By Cruise Premieres in Austin, Texas |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Science Fiction Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
'... he had tightened the chest to gain maximum pumping action from the motion of breathing.'
'...a prayer wheel swung into view and began spinning at a furious pace.'
'And are all the people willing to be governed by a machine?'
'It's an old model,' Rawlins said. 'I'm not sure what to do.'
'the robot-boss was busy at the lip of the new lode instructing and egging the men on to greater speed...'
'He rode the bike with an intense lack of physical grace...'
