This truck-sized car has a water tower that is filled at the station. The water turns a turbine which propels the car forward. A small turbine powers the electric systems. For use in the city, or for destinations close by.

One prototype to be developed, and money from youtube clicks.
-- pashute, Jul 10 2013

Just add a little fuel, make superheated steam, and shoot it at motorists who fail to give you a proper push... http://www.spiraxsa...perheated-steam.asp
[Grogster, Jul 11 2013]

So, give it a water tank holding 20 metric tons of water, with the water's centre of mass 5 metres above the ground.

That gives you 1000,000 Joules of energy (less, if the vehicle has any ground clearance). That's 1 horsepower for about 10 minutes.

Your profile lists you as a mathematician and manager - have you considered updating it?
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jul 10 2013


One solvable flaw is trying to carry your water supply with you. It is quite heavy to accelerate and decelerate and will run out very quickly. What we need is a city-wide system of raised aquaducts that run along each lane of every road. Individual cars can pull water out of the top of these aquaducts using a siphon pipe shaped somewhat like a tall thick shepherd's crook. The water flowing to ground level powers the turbine and is then discharged into a continuous grating between lanes where it flows a short distance to one of the millions of pump stations.

The layout of aquaducts at intersections is left as an exercise for the reader.
-- scad mientist, Jul 10 2013


Just leave a gap in both aquaducts.

-|- (plan) would also work. North-south vehicles would continue unimpeded, east-west would perform a quick --^v^-- (elevation) siphon manouvre.
-- spidermother, Jul 11 2013


of course, the go-faster boys would use heavy water..
-- not_morrison_rm, Jul 11 2013


Use mercury - it's much denser.
-- Wrongfellow, Jul 11 2013


Yes, but then it would be a mercury-powered car. Totally different concept.

Do try to keep up.
-- Alterother, Jul 11 2013


What do they power cars with on Mercury anyway? I mean, petrol stations would just catch fire the whole time.
-- not_morrison_rm, Jul 11 2013


Water?
-- pocmloc, Jul 11 2013


You would need a colossal tower, methinks... Have you considered converting the water to superheated steam <link>? You could then shoot it (with the appropriate high pressure nozzle) at all the motorists who fail to give you a push...

(Of course, steam power via locomotives predates your idea by a century or two, but this would be a different application, and locomotion would be obtained through the overbearing use of Quasi-Indentured Servitude --- which, now that I think about it all ironical-like, also happened a couple of centuries ago)
-- Grogster, Jul 11 2013


Colossal tower - where do I buy that? I couldn't find one on alibaba.

pocm - rotfl.

people! Please read the last line. The money for this business comes from youtube clicks. (probably this HB entry is taking all the glory)
-- pashute, Jul 19 2013



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