Stop idling trucks and cars just to keep cool!

[Texas]

The idling of truck and taxis just to keep the driver comfortable is a huge waste of energy. Go to any truck stop or observe a parked taxi with the driver inside. It's the same as using a huge generator just to power a tiny fan. Not only wasteful but produces pollution and that pollution is right next to the driver. Bad for our energy independence goals and bad for our health.

I ran across a truck cooling system that freezes water in a graphite matrix while the truck is driving down the highway. When the driver parks for the night that ice keeps the cabin cool for 9 to 10 hours in 90 degree weather. From the information it says that the pay-back for the system is around 1 year. That’s just in the fuel savings and doesn't take into account the savings from the reduction in pollution.

Since an ICE or diesel engine wastes most of it's energy in the form of heat, it would be a great idea to harness that wasted energy to freeze water to provide for later cooling.


Another application for SOTS (Solar on the Surface)? As the truck or taxi sits in the sun the unit stores that energy by freezing the water. Large and expensive batteries would thus not be needed.

One of my biggest pet peeves is to see idling cars and trucks. Just sitting there in traffic or parked. Such a huge waste in energy that just creates noise and pollution. Thankfully, the high price of fuel will drive the use of these technologies. Oh wait, is the dropping price of oil, due to the global recession, going to slow things down? Probably.




Website for the company:
http://www.bluecooltruck.com/

Information on the system - includes cost analysis and comparison:
http://www.webastoshowroom.com/pdf/N...CT_ROI_USD.pdf

[calgaryvolt]

I will agree that shutting down idling vehicles can really go a long way in reducing fuel consumption.

To go beyond taxi's and big rigs I would also throw police cars into the discussion. Police idle vehicles a lot. I've been told the reason the need to idle is because their computer systems in the vehicles draw a lot of energy. The addition of a suitable battery in the trunk of a cruiser to run their systems could probably be implemented. Albeit the extra weight of the batteries might affect performance.

Individual drivers need to do their part as well. One of the things that bothers me the most is seeing 5 or 10 cars in a drive-thru line up at a fast food place or a coffee shop while the servers inside the place are serving no one. People need to start parking their cars and going inside to get what they need.

[OPEC SUCKS]

The State highway Department, AKA Caltrans, has required for several years now that our vehicles not idle stationary more than 5 minutes. Some of what the public perceives as trucks idling is the refrigeration units, ( not ours but commerical truck fleets) not the main truck engine. But, still, they are converting hydrocarbons into force and heat, by combusting it with mostly nitrogen and some oxygen into other compounds that go out the pipe.

[Steel]

It also makes you wonder why taxi companies are always using crown vics with big ole gas guzzling v8's as taxis. Sure they may be cheap to pick up from police, but with the amount of driving and idling a taxi driver does a year, I think the fuel savings from a more economical car would easily offset the higher initial price of the car itself.

[rgathright]

It also makes you wonder why taxi companies are always using crown vics with big ole gas guzzling v8's as taxis. Sure they may be cheap to pick up from police, but with the amount of driving and idling a taxi driver does a year, I think the fuel savings from a more economical car would easily offset the higher initial price of the car itself.

New York city is leading the conversion of those V8's to hybrid. They are encountering some problems though.

Please read the following article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-..._b_133185.html

[calgaryvolt]

That is interesting news about a hybrid taxi fleet in New York.

Calgary, where I live, has seen a pretty big movement towards hybrid taxi's. There are a lot of Prius', Camry hybrids and Escape hybrids being used as taxis. Taxi's here don't use plastic shields so there are no problems associated with that.

It's also my understanding that a taxi operator can either own his own vehicle or lease one from the company that he works for. We have about a handful of companies that operate our taxi fleet.

It's nice to see the taxi fleet as well as the cities municipal vehicle fleet starting to go hybrid.

[G35X]

Mazda’s “Smart Idle Stop” feature is said to reduces fuel consumption by up to 10%:

http://www.nihoncar.com/en/news-908-...op+System.html

Essentially the system works by injecting gas into the cylinder that is already in compression mode and firing the spark plug as you tap on the gas pedal thereby making engine re-start in about one-third of a second. It does not require assistance from an electric drive motor as in hybrid vehicles. So, what they need is a heavier battery to keep AC running while the ICE is not running, for up to 10 minutes maybe.

Even 10% should be a positive move in reducing overall gas consumption and C02 emission.

[bjhorton2005]

I don't have an ICE idling when I stop for a while in my car. Yet, I still have my comfortable air conditioning keeping me perfectly comfortable. How do I do it?!

I drive a Prius.

[Steve Brown]

Now what's needed is a system to store heat, for use in the winter, to keep the driver warm without running the engine. A small electric motor could circulate engine coolant through the heater, but that would not provide heat for very long.

[igotzzoom]

I think within the next few years, you're going to see almost every new car come with an auto stop-start feature.