It's also less expensive to produce and maintain because it doesn't need a catalytic converter, muffler, oil or a transmission like an internal combustion engine. The steam gets so hot that it behaves more like a liquid, which yields more power. So what's different? Schoell's design is built on a closed-loop system of heating and cooling, which makes the engine much more efficient and produces less waste than previous models. While the steam engines of the past have been large and unwieldy, Schoell's engines would fit easily into the footprint of a standard internal combustion engine. Then there's Harry Schoell, whose company, Cyclone Power Technologies, has produced a steam-driven automotive engine that might actually convince consumers to give water vapor power a try. Some, like the B ritish Steam Car Team, seem to be in it for the challenge and fun. A handful of mechanically-inclined tinkerers and entrepreneurs have set out to build more efficient steam engines. ![]() Thus far, internal combustion engines have proven themselves to be physically smaller and more fuel-efficient than their external cousins.īut that might be changing. In contrast, steam-powered engines work by external combustion, which means that a fuel source is required outside the engine to produce the steam that propels the moving parts. This means that fuel is burned inside the engine, and the explosion from the burning gasoline results in the pressure necessary to turn the moving parts of the engine. They were very popular in the early 1900s, but it soon became cheaper and more efficient to purchase what is now the norm for commercial automobiles - a car with an internal combustion engine. The Stanley Motor Carriage Company produced steam vehicles that were affectionately known as Stanley Steamers or Flying Teapots. By the time automobiles starting becoming commonplace on city streets, steam-powered cars were one of the options. ![]() Innovations in steam power continued throughout the 19th century. His steam-powered carriage was slow and quickly ran out of steam (literally), but it still marked a breakthrough in transportation. There's little evidence to suggest that Verbiest ever built the vehicle, but a better-documented first attempt is that of Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in 1769. Around 1672, a Flemish Jesuit named Ferdinand Verbiest drew up the specs for a very small steam-propelled vehicle (possibly a toy) while living at the Imperial Chinese court. Plans for steam-powered vehicles date as far back as the 17th century. Powering a vehicle with steam isn't so much an innovation as it is revisiting an old idea.
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