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Monday, June 09, 2008

Alternative Power Engine

We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey-Kenji Miyazawa

Since the price of crude petroleum is on the rise with no sign of stopping. For the sake of future generation and maybe for future car purchaser, let's check all the alternative engine technology available to use today.

NGV - All the sudden everyone is talking about NGV, but what is it. For short NGV stands for Natural Gas Vehicle. It uses compressed natural gas or liquified natural gas as automobile fuels. In Malaysia it started out as the eco-friendly taxi. (You know to green MPV kind of van). But later as people realise it save a lot of money, more taxis started to change to NGV. Now of petroleum price spike, more and more drives are more willing to change their car to this eco-friendly technology.

The good side - beside you can save a lot of money on fuel, you don't have to change your car, the only thing you need to do is convert your existing engine to NGV powered one. You can check out this website for more info on that: NGV Malaysia. It's eco friendly so you will be participating in saving the world from pollution campaign.

The not so good side - You will eventually end up with smaller boot space, to make space for the NGV cylinder (hey!...what's a boot space compared to saving the world and your pocket right?). Another downside, in Malaysia right now the only petrol station offering NGV refueling is Petronas.

Hybrid car - If you watch film like Aliens you would know that hybrid means combination of two of more things to achieve a specific purpose. In this instance its to powered a car. They are a few hybrid types, fuel-electric hybric, fuel-pnuematic hybrid or fuel hybrid (in other terms in uses two different kind of oil).

Fuel-electric hybrid is do far the most advance in production, company like Toyota, Honda and Ford have been coming out with more and more models in this category. We have Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Honda Civic Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid and a few others (apart form Toyota Prius, I don't think we have the other models in Malaysia..is there?)
Pneumatic powered hybrid like Ford Expedition uses pnuematic/hydaulic powered engine.

Plug-in Hybrid Electrical Vehicles (PHEV) - plug and play....yup! like your remote control helicopter or car, this type of vehicle need to be charge, it's part fuel and part battery powered car. Anyway since the price of electrical charge is also said to be increasing after this, I don't think it's quite the perfect solution. Besided people living in high-rise condo or flats will have trouble trying to recharge their car...hehehe.

Electric Vehicle - It uses electric, not many are produce out there. But like I said earlier it will cost you more in electric bill and there's issues about battery pollution.


I'm still looking forward for anyone who came up with solar powered car, I mean in a country that receive 365 days of sunlight without fail. Can't we try to use that to powered the Malaysian car. (Proton...Perodua..anyone?). But than again we don't even try to use it to generate electricity. I have this dream of building a house that is powered totally by sun (come-on! we abundance of it). Therefore I don't have to pay TNB bill...hmmm

You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of it as your ticket to change the world.-Tom Brokaw

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