Planet Mechanics (Foxtel) - Wood Gas Car

[Spanrz]

Don't know how many here have Foxtel, but I have been a keen watcher of the Nat Geo program "Planet Mechanics".

2 guys put their minds together to come up with really good ideas for the future.
Some ideals fail so badly, you wonder why they thought of them, and some work great.
The one I'm mentioning, is about a Ute that was fueled by Wood Gas.
Never heard of it, never seen it what it does. And only caught the last half of the idea.

The challenge was to create a wood gas fuel, to use on a road going vehicle, drive it through London (city) during peak hour at night and still give it to the customer who asked for one.

The concept was to use a fuel (gas) other than the common fossil fuels.
They came up with the idea of some sort of stove (furnace) to burn the wood and create the vapour off the wood, feed it into the engine as to use it to bring the engine to life.

Well blow me down, after all attempts they failed. Hahaha, "yeah right" I said, "sif it would work". They had to incorporate some international help.
Some guy came along after 30 minutes trying they had this ute going and running on wood gas.
It surpassed all of my expectations, that it would work. AHaha.
It went really fast too, very surprised.

The only problem is, you need wood, and greenies don't like chopped down tree's, you've got a bit of pollution and the furnace takes up most of the ute body.
So for a concept, it's great, but practicle, no!

Did anyone see this?

[Kryton]

nothing new at all about it.
look up the old war times and what they used for fuel in the era and the depressions.
Wood Gas.

about half way down: http://journeytoforever.org/at_woodfire.html

http://www.financialexpress.com/news...prices/337114/

http://highforest.tripod.com/woodgas/woodfired.html

[cowboy]

I saw that, cool concept but like you say, not practical. The other problem is having to go and out and stoke up the furnace a half hour or so before you want to drive anywhere. And like Davway said, these were common in WW2 ear.

[Jesk]

at one point they had one of these at birdwood, dunno if its still there