BMW reveals Magnetic Tow Technology by citizen

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BMW reveals Magnetic Tow Technology

POSTED BY: CITIZEN
UPDATED: Thursday, May 14, 2009 13:14
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Thursday, May 14, 2009 6:45 AM

Quote:
BMW’s award-winning EfficientDynamics programme has been taken to the next level with the announcement of an innovative fuel and emissions saving system called Magnetic Tow Technology. In a bid to retain its World Green Car of the Year crown, BMW will launch MTT across its range today.

http://www.businesscar.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=4357&c=
1

I've been hearing about this for a few weeks now, basically it's a system that uses a magnetic field to get a tow from a car in front, allowing the BMW to save fuel by continuing it's journey with the engine off.

A couple of thoughts:
Firstly, this should be illegal. Yes, illegal. This is theft, however BMW touts it, towing a vehicle requires the towing vehicle to expend more fuel, regardless of how the vehicle is towed. Because of that when this system is in use, the BMW is using the fuel of the car ahead of it to continue it's journey, which is theft. I see no difference between that, and Syphoning fuel from another car directly.

Secondly, it is not green or environmental. No system can be more than 100% efficient, that's shown by the second law of thermodynamics. In a perfect frictionless environment with no inefficiencies, the losses of the towing vehicle, can only equal the gains of the one being towed. That is it can only ever break even. In reality due to inefficiencies, the sum of the entire system would mean that more carbon is emitted and more fuel is burnt over the two cars (there's a saving on one side, but a much greater loss on the other).

As I see it, this system doesn't reduce petrol usage overall, it reduces the petrol bills of BMW owners, in essence it's no different to supplying each new BMW with a petrol syphoning kit so that BMW owners can fill up for free in the car park directly. The only difference is that this system lets them do it indirectly and invisibly on the road.

Get it?

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Thursday, May 14, 2009 6:55 AM

CITIZEN

Get it?

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Thursday, May 14, 2009 7:02 AM

RUE

I have a vote and I'm not afraid to use it!

How I would LOVE to have a car made out of titanium, aluminum, and polymers.

***************************************************************

Silence is consent.

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Thursday, May 14, 2009 7:11 AM

CITIZEN

Actually, since it's so far past april I thought I should say it's a joke.

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Thursday, May 14, 2009 7:16 AM

RUE

I have a vote and I'm not afraid to use it!

ARRGGhhhhhh !

You got me !

I still DO want a car with a frame made out of titanium, though.

***************************************************************

Silence is consent.

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Thursday, May 14, 2009 7:36 AM

CITIZEN

Quote:
Originally posted by rue:
ARRGGhhhhhh !

You got me !

Yeah, I was just caught by it, so I posted it

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Thursday, May 14, 2009 8:18 AM

WASHNWEAR

On the broad, general subject (of being taken in, that is), a few years back I fell hook, line, and the other thing for this somewhat less technologically advanced story about the potential fury of maple trees:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4571982

I even related it to a couple of friends (and wondered why they were looking at me with amused pity) before I realized my raging gullibility.

W W G D ?
What would Gimpel do?

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Thursday, May 14, 2009 8:39 AM

RUE

I have a vote and I'm not afraid to use it!

Totally off the subject (except fleetingly related by titanium auto frames) - another thing I've been wanting is an LED TV. I have waited over a decade for that sucker. Now that it's here (Samsung), I will wait just a little bit more for the price to come down.

***************************************************************

Silence is consent.

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Thursday, May 14, 2009 12:52 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

Quote:
Originally posted by rue:
I still DO want a car with a frame made out of titanium, though.

You might be better off with carbon-fibre, Rue. Watch this video. It's hard to take, but watch all of it. And know that the driver walked away from that horrific crash, after hitting a concrete barrier nearly head-on at an estimated 300kph (186mph). He suffered a mild ankle sprain and a very slight concussion. Carbon-fibre saved his life, 100%.

I watched it happen live on TV, and was certain he was dead, or at the very least would be in a coma for weeks.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e64_1181508083

Mike

Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day...
Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

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Thursday, May 14, 2009 1:12 PM

WHOZIT

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
Quote:
Originally posted by rue:
I still DO want a car with a frame made out of titanium, though.

You might be better off with carbon-fibre, Rue. Watch this video. It's hard to take, but watch all of it. And know that the driver walked away from that horrific crash, after hitting a concrete barrier nearly head-on at an estimated 300kph (186mph). He suffered a mild ankle sprain and a very slight concussion. Carbon-fibre saved his life, 100%.

I watched it happen live on TV, and was certain he was dead, or at the very least would be in a coma for weeks.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e64_1181508083

Mike

Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day...
Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

The bad thing about carbon-fibre is it shatters, remember how those F1 cars have to avoid those parts after a crash. They become very sharpe after they break and can cut thru tires, and I guess bodys.

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Thursday, May 14, 2009 1:12 PM

KWICKO

Quote:
Originally posted by rue:
Totally off the subject (except fleetingly related by titanium auto frames) - another thing I've been wanting is an LED TV. I have waited over a decade for that sucker. Now that it's here (Samsung), I will wait just a little bit more for the price to come down.

***************************************************************

Silence is consent.

Those are very pretty. Amazingly thin, apparently quite energy efficient - I want one too. But in the meantime, I'm making do with my trusty Westinghouse 42" 1080p Flat Panel LCD HDTV. Considering I paid $799 a couple years ago, and you can find refurbished models for around $525 now, it ain't shabby.

My favorite thing about it is that it's got a TON of inputs. Several RCA jacks, *FOUR* HDMI inputs (!), PC input, etc. At the moment, I'm running my cable DVR, a Philips DVD Recorder with 160GB hard drive, home theatre surround sound w/ DVD player, and a new upconverting 1080p DVD player I just picked up, along with a PlayStation 2 and a Wii. And I've still got a couple HDMI ports free! :)

And of course, my REAL favorite thing is that the HD TV is just astonishing.

Mike

Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day...
Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

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Thursday, May 14, 2009 1:14 PM

KWICKO

Quote:
Originally posted by whozit:
Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
Quote:
Originally posted by rue:
I still DO want a car with a frame made out of titanium, though.

You might be better off with carbon-fibre, Rue. Watch this video. It's hard to take, but watch all of it. And know that the driver walked away from that horrific crash, after hitting a concrete barrier nearly head-on at an estimated 300kph (186mph). He suffered a mild ankle sprain and a very slight concussion. Carbon-fibre saved his life, 100%.

I watched it happen live on TV, and was certain he was dead, or at the very least would be in a coma for weeks.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e64_1181508083

Mike

Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day...
Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
The bad thing about carbon-fibre is it shatters, remember how those F1 cars have to avoid those parts after a crash. They become very sharpe after they break and can cut thru tires, and I guess bodys.

Well, there IS that little drawback... Still, I'll take CF over aluminum or other composites. And titanium gets pretty brittle, too, apparently.

Mike

Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day...
Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

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