Fullscreen HTML5Med Res (??MB)HTML4

PUBLISHER’S LETTER www.siliconchip.com.au Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD Production Manager Greg Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.) Technical Staff John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Ross Tester Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc, VK2ZLO Rick Walters Reader Services Ann Jenkinson Advertising Enquiries David Polkinghorne Phone (02) 9979 5644 Fax (02) 9979 6503 Regular Contributors Brendan Akhurst Rodney Champness, VK3UG Julian Edgar, Dip.T.(Sec.), B.Ed Mike Sheriff, B.Sc, VK2YFK Philip Watson, MIREE, VK2ZPW Bob Young SILICON CHIP is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. ACN 003 205 490. ABN 49 003 205 490 All material copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Printing: Hannanprint, Noble Park, Victoria. Distribution: Network Distribution Company. Subscription rates: $69.50 per year in Australia. For overseas rates, see the subscription page in this issue. Editorial & advertising offices: Unit 8, 101 Darley St, Mona Vale, NSW 2103. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 9979 5644. Fax (02) 9979 6503. E-mail: silchip<at>siliconchip.com.au ISSN 1030-2662 Electronics in cars: the improvements keep on coming This month, we have two short stories concerning continued developments in cars. Both involve the application of electronics and both aim to improve fuel economy, passenger comfort and so on. The Volvo development, involving the replacement of the starter motor and alternator with the “integrated starter genera­tor” is particularly interesting, in that it is another approach to a hybrid motor vehicle like the Toyota Prius or the Honda Insight which were featured in our December 2001 issue. In general, hybrid vehicles gain most of their fuel economy improvements because the internal combustion motor only runs when needed and does not run when the vehicle is stationary (ie, otherwise at idle) or running downhill. However, when you look at the whole thing dispassionately, it is all “fiddling around the edges”, isn’t it? Few people are really concerned about fuel economy or “saving the environment”. If we were, very few large 4-wheel drive recreational vehicles would be sold. Nor for that matter, would most of the large six and 8-cylinder cars be sold. Most people would contentedly drive around in small 4-cylinder cars which are perfectly capable of keeping up in today’s traffic. Or they’d take public transport. Or walk! Perish the thought. To take matters further, if there was a real drive to obtain seriously better fuel economy, there would have been a much bigger effort to eliminate the internal combustion engine from cars. Until that happens, the internal combustion engine and our continuing love affair with ever-more powerful cars will continue to be the limiting factors in “saving the environment”. Do we really care? Not really. I must own up myself. I like a big car – I don’t like driving a little four-banger. And if in the future, all-electric vehicles become readily available, I still don’t see myself driving something small and slow. I want space and I want some “oomph” when I push the pedal down. Most people are the same. So is there any hope? Of course there is. Electric cars with heaps of performance will eventually become available. They will be silent, economical and they will be attractive to drive. But it is also a fair bet that they won’t be battery-driven. They will still run on petrol, LPG or some other hydrocarbon fuel and they will have fuel cells to drive the electric motor. Ultimately this is the only practical solution, short of governments making conventional cars illegal. That’s not likely though, in democratic countries at least. So is the fuel cell coming? Is it just a pipe dream? Indeed, it is not. Fuel cells are coming, although it might be 10 years before they become really practical in motor vehicles. Until that time, try to drive a little more economically. And we will bring you the stories on fuel cells in the months to come. Leo Simpson * Recommended and maximum price only. 2  Silicon Chip www.siliconchip.com.au