Queenslanders Wake Up, Invent New Engine

Revetec, a Gold Coast, Australia-based company has created a new type of internal combustion engine, dubbed the "controlled combustion engine", which uses half as much fossil fuels, is half the weight and is cheaper to make than a similarly sized modern engine.

If that's not enough, because the engine delivers higher torque, and can perform and operate well at much lower revs than a conventional engine, the noise levels are lower.

gas2.org reports that Revetec have a prototype which has been attached to an actual vehicle and independently tested to substantiate their claims.

Even in the foreseeable future we'll be needing secondary engines to give battery powered cars extended range by charging batteries on the go. Platforms like GM's E-Flex system, to be used first in the Chevy Volt, are designed in such a way that the secondary motor can be replaced with pretty much anything that can generate electricity. GM should talk to Revetec.

Thanks for the tip Ottey!

DARPA Designs Scramjet Hybrid Engine

In today's world, when we hear hybrid we think of Priuses with their ICE/Electric hybrid drives but imagine a Prius that can go Mach 24. Now imagine the Prius doesn't look like a beached whale and is flying and you might glimpse what DARPA is up to with their new scramjet hybrid.

The US agency DARPA has designed a hybrid jet that uses a regular old turbo jet to get their flying machine up to the magic speed of Mach 4 where the scramjet can kick in and accelerate it up to a theoretical maximum of Mach 24 (that's 29,401 km per hour if you're on the ground). Fast enough for ya?

Check out the video and further details over at Engadget.