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Kolkata couple invents fuel-less, battery-less auto engine
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by Emilio Lizardo | January 19, 2009 at 09:15 am
1354 views | 3 Recommendations | 6 comments
Claiming their invention is 'pollution free' this husband-wife team from Kolkata, India, is now mass producing this engine, at the level of about 15,000 units per month, here in the US. The engines are then shipped back to India for sale there.
KOLKATA: Kanishk Sinha, 30, and his wife Lipika, 25, chose to do something different from looking for jobs - they invented a fuel-less environment-friendly auto engine.
"This engine is switched on by a chemical reaction between zinc and oxygen; hence it is pollution-free. This technology also increases the durability of the engine," Kanishk Sinha, chairman of the Jasper Motor Vehicle company, said.
He said the engine can be used in cars as well as other vehicles like three-wheelers, apart from water pumps.
"A water pump can run for five years without any interruption on this engine and a four-wheeler car can run 450,000 km," said Sinha, a native of Bihar.
The young couple established the company registered in the US five years ago with Rs100 crore raised from non-resident Indians. They got the engine patented with BigPatents India, a body supported by the Ford Foundation.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (6)
at 09:25 on January 19th, 2009
They did not invent it. Nor is it non Toxic and does need fuel.
Zinc-air batteries (non-rechargeable), and zinc-air fuel cells, (mechanically-rechargeable) are electro-chemical batteries powered by theoxidation of zinc with oxygen from the air. These batteries have high energy densities and are relatively inexpensive to produce. They are used in hearing aids and in experimental electric vehicles. They may be an important part of a future zinc economy.
Particles of zinc are mixed with an electrolyte (usually potassium hydroxide solution); water and oxygen from the air react at the cathodeand form hydroxyls which migrate into the zinc paste and form zincate (Zn(OH)42-), at which point electrons are released and travel to the cathode. The zincate decays into zinc oxide and water is released back into the system. The water and hydroxyls from the anodeare recycled at the cathode, so the water serves only as a catalyst. The reactions produce a maximum voltage level of 1.65 volts, but this is reduced to 1.4–1.35 V by reducing air flow into the cell; this is usually done for hearing aid batteries to reduce the rate of water drying out.
The term zinc-air fuel cell usually refers to a zinc-air battery in which zinc fuel is replenished and zinc oxide waste is removed continuously. This is accomplished by pushing zinc electrolyte paste or pellets into an anode chamber. Waste zinc oxide is pumped into a waste tank or bladder inside the fuel tank, and fresh zinc paste or pellets are taken from the fuel tank. The zinc oxide waste is pumped out at a refuelling station and sent to a recycling plant. Alternatively, this term may refer to an electro-chemical system in which zinc is used as a co-reactant to assist the reformation of hydrocarbon fuels on an anode of a fuel cell.
Zinc-air batteries have properties of fuel cells as well as batteries: the zinc is the fuel, the rate of the reaction can be controlled by controlling the air flow, and used zinc/electrolyte paste can be removed from the cell and replaced with fresh paste. Research is being conducted in powering electric vehicles with zinc-air batteries.
at 13:01 on January 19th, 2009
Firstly, I will admit right away I have little expertise in this area, and so on that basis I am inclined to defer to you, Paschen.
Secondly, perhaps the Times of India is not usually counted amongst the highest eschelon of those publications famous for their journalistic integrity, and so on this basis as well I defer to your opinion ( that is - I suppose there's every possiblity they are wrong and you are right ).
On the other hand, these individuals have been granted a patent on this device, so there must be something there in terms of new art ... hence, they must have invented something !
I guess I'll have to go off and do some digging now ... darn !!!
Editors ... jeeeshhh ...
at 13:23 on January 19th, 2009
Well, at first blush anyway, the research effort does not look very promising ...
I was able to locate original source article at -
Source: ians.in
At the same link were other articles in Science/Tech, such as -
Source: ians.in
So, I guess I'm starting to see things your way now ...
Also, was unable to find a home page for Jasper Motor Vehicle company.
Thanks for the comments, Paschen.
at 14:03 on January 21st, 2009
Great story Emilio, good explainer from Paschen. I believe somehow it is a Zinc-Air battery to run the electric motor. The Zinc part can be reloaded. BMW once had a Zinc-air electric car, they burnt it the battery got so hot. However the 3rd industrial revolution with simplified products for developing world will give birth to one or the other solution, not to control by the petrol lobby.
at 14:54 on January 21st, 2009
Thanks for positive feedback, Solar.
I am personally of the opinion that any energy technology which reduces emissions and dependence on petrolium fuels is going to be a value-added solution to the major problems we now face as a species !
My own incliniation is that mass-transportation is ultimately the only answer that makes sense for Americans and everybody else who now finds themselves forced by circumstances largely beyond their own control to be slaves to their cars !!
I know I can't afford one, even though I have to drive one, and would certainly get rid of it the minute I had some sort of viable mass-transport alternative ...
If I ever need a car, say for the week-end, I can just rent one !!
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