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Most fuel efficient gas car

Give enough lift with magnetic stips under the road to reduce car weight.
 
(+2, -2)
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Here is the most practical way to get the best mileage out of existing gas car. Everyone knows most of the fuel spend in today's car is for dragging the metal around. What if we use magnets (strips under the road and bottom of the car) to give enough lift so the car can go longer distance for the same amount of fuel. I am not talking about lifting off the ground, but just enough to reduce the burden on the wheels and the car is driven the usual way.
my2cents, Mar 30 2012

Hybrid vehicles. http://www.wolfewik...Stories.CarSinister
[mouseposture, Apr 18 2012]

[link]






       It only takes about 12 horsepower to cruise at about 100kph. It takes 100 horsepower or more to quickly accelerate to cruising speed. So, most wastage of gas is directly related to the desire of the driver to accelerate quickly, and the mass of the car. Lifting some of the weight of the car doesn't affect the mass that must be accelerated, not by one whit.
Vernon, Mar 30 2012
  

       erm, braking and cornering?
not_morrison_rm, Mar 30 2012
  

       The French will adopt a south-pole-up configuration, the English will go for south-pole-down. The Americans, meanwhile, will put grossly oversized magnets on the base of the car, allowing them to use smaller magnets in the road.   

       As a result, cars driven outside their country of origin will either clamp themselves immovably to the road, hover uncontrollably above it, or flip over entirely.
MaxwellBuchanan, Mar 30 2012
  

       Won't help inertia or wind resistance, but presumably would help frictional losses in the bearings and from deformation of rubber tires at the point of contact with the road. At the cost of handling. So, better arrange the magnets to exert some horizontal force, as well, to keep the cars in their lanes. That'll work better if lane-switching is restricted. In other words, a mag-lev train. Conjecture: *any* vehicle, in the limit as it's optimized for efficiency, becomes a train.   

       //flip over entirely// Where's the problem? Just design invertible cars with gimbal-mounted seats.
mouseposture, Mar 30 2012
  

       Whole host of problems here.   

       1. Magnetic repulsive power decreases with the inverse square law, so the car magnets would have to be so close to the road as to be aerodynamically probably a net loss in efficiency.   

       2. Magnets are heavy, I'm not sure how the repulsive force compares with their weight, but I'm sure it's not great.   

       3. F = m*g*mu + œ*rho*Cd*Av^2 + ma + m*g*sin(road angle), where the mgC term becomes (mg-F(magnet))*mu, and m has increased by the mass of the magnets themselves.
RayfordSteele, Mar 30 2012
  

       As [Vernon] implied, and [mp] mentioned, maglev only helps with rolling resistance. Given that rolling resistance is a relatively miniscule portion of automotive energy use, this won't help much.   

       Given the related worsening of braking distance and cornering ability due to lower friction forces, it's a net loss in function.
MechE, Mar 30 2012
  

       Also, if you run someone over, they'll be glued to the underside of your car by their belt buckle.   

       Also too, you'd have to stop every few tens of miles to try to remove the bits of unexpected metal junk from the underside of your car. (Actually, that might not be a problem: if the road is also magnetized, it will tenaciously hold on to nails, screws and other bits of junk, holding them conveniently in the driving line.)
MaxwellBuchanan, Mar 30 2012
  

       All of which makes this a great idea for the Halfbakery (+).
normzone, Mar 30 2012
  

       As soon as you start to decouple a vehicle from frictional contact with its supporting surface, you get massive problems with both propulsion and steering - hovercraft are the classic example, relying entirely on aerodynamic methods.   

       This would convert passenger motor vehicles into little more than unstable, highly dangerous and barely-guided projectiles.   

       We see dead people ...   

       Have a non-sticky bun.   

       [+]
8th of 7, Mar 30 2012
  

       Hooooboy. Bad science, bad physics, hideous economics [-]
BunsenHoneydew, Apr 08 2012
  

       We've gone over and over this one; giving cars lift to save fuel is not a good idea! There are at least a hundred ways to make a car more fuel efficient that will _not_ send it careening into the bushes at the first bend in the highway, so why still with the lift thing? And as far as that bad idea goes, this may be the worst variant I've seen yet.
Alterother, Apr 08 2012
  

       Don't give up so easily. This idea deals with dragging the metal around; just combine it with teflon tyres to reduce friction. Add a wind turbine to recover all that wasted air resistance, and you're set.
spidermother, Apr 08 2012
  

       <Heathen King, with longsword and shield>   

       AAAAAAAAAARRGHH!!!   

       <\Heathen King>
Alterother, Apr 08 2012
  

       Is this a metal sword. If so you'll stick to the bottom of the car too...
saedi, Apr 08 2012
  

       If not, you can weld it on with some duct tape. That sword should help the car slice through the air.
spidermother, Apr 08 2012
  

       As it happens, my sword is a very faithful reproduction of a classic Viking weapon in all respects save that it has a stainless steel blade--nearly non-ferrous. Now while I still have it drawn, let's discuss the differences between adhesion and welding...
Alterother, Apr 08 2012
  

       Steel that contains no iron content... hmmm... not so sure about that classification system.
RayfordSteele, Apr 09 2012
  

       Do I have to explain how stainless steel works?   

       Fukkit, I will anyway. Yes, it contains Iron; quite a lot of it. It also contains a bit of Carbon, which is what makes it steel. Unlike ferrous forms of steel, however, it any given type of stainless also incorporates secondary alloying agents in different combinations and ratios, including but not limited to Nickel, Chromium, Manganese, and in rare cases, Berrylium. These seasonings alter the recipe enough to change the crystal structure, making it 'non-magnetic', although the degree to which this is true is subjective. It is made 'stainless' by a thin 'film' of oxidized material layering the crystalline matrix, usually Chromium Oxide, preventing the Iron itself from oxidizing. The matrix is susceptible to free Carbon bonding, which corrupts some alloys and can cause a bit of rust, so don't hone your fancy kitchen knives with a carbide sharpener.   

       'Kay?   

       Ah, I see: 'non-ferrous' vs. 'non-magnetic'. I'll explain that as well. I work in an industry characterized by its noted lack of scientists, at least formally-educated ones. Thus, the two terms have become synonymous in the lexicon of welders and fabricators. Bit of a slip there. Please disregard my previous haughtiness, in this case. I'll leave it there anyway, as it's a rather good description for those interested in the topic but disinclined to read more than a single paragraph.
Alterother, Apr 18 2012
  

       Cars in the same country might also unexpectedly mount one another on following too close. This would produce excellent mileage for the one on top.
bungston, Apr 18 2012
  

       Not to mention making more cars <link>.
mouseposture, Apr 18 2012
  
      
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