Deka Revolt -- fruit of the Industrial Evolution

Dean Kamen is a clever guy. He invented that thing people use to go up and down the Santa Monica/Venice Boardwalk -- the Segway. Perhaps his next brainchild will have a wider appeal. It’s a hybrid electric car with an engine that can be made to run on any fuel, from biodiesel to natural gas.

The car itself is a recycled (so we’re off to a good start) Think electric vehicle. Think is a Norwegian company that had a bit of a fling with Ford a few years ago, but it didn’t go anywhere. Here it’s renamed the Deka Revolt. It runs on lithium-ion batteries, has a range of about 60 miles -- a plug-in hybrid essentially.

Here’s the twist. The other half of the hybrid equation is a Stirling engine. What the heck, right? It’s a closed-cycle regenerative heat engine, a 19th-century invention that works on a different principle to the internal combustion engine we all know and love. The good Mr. K has just revamped it and brought it up to date. Here’s the Wikipedia page for a total geek-out.

What the Stirling engine does is power the defroster and heater, which are big energy drains, leaving the batteries free to concentrate on the task of propulsion. It also acts as what Kamen calls “an insurance policy.” It can charge the on-board batteries so the driver isn’t left stranded with a flat power pack.

And before anyone says anything, yes, the Norwegians have crash-tested the car. Kamen thinks his version could go into production within two years, at a price affordable to the average Joe or Joan.

The Deka Revolt, however, is just one small step in the realization of a bigger dream for Kamen. Speaking in his local New Hampshire paper, The Union Leader, Kamen says: “If I can demonstrate the utility of the Stirling engine by putting it in a car... it will leave me with an engine that I can use to supply electricity to the world.” He understands that some things take time to be embraced by consumers -- the cellphone and personal computer, for example. “Then, 10 years later, it becomes an overnight success and what was indefensible becomes indispensable... that’s progress.”

-- Colin Ryan

Photo: Think/Ford

Comments

[Michael Miller]

Talk about single-minded!
Kaman took out three patents on a more-manufactureable regeneration cycle Hydrogen cell Stirling more than 15 years ago, and he STILL isn't ready to give up.
Give the boy points for OCD as an asset!!

[Rob]

I'd like a couple of these for my family.

[joe average]

GM wants a bailout? How about they design something like this and bail themselves out!

[Bill]

Looks cute, reminds me of the Honda 600, a tiny little bug of a car with a motorcycle engine. Fiat also made such a thing years ago.

[mike gonos]

Sounds as if the auto induastry has its own Bill Gates

[Ed Magowan]

Honda 600!!! I had one of those as a young sailor on Guam 34 years ago. Cheap, effective transporation and a piece of cake to maintain - one of my all time favorite vehicles I've owned. We need simple commuter / errand running cars like these. Larger and more powerful vehicles have their place, but MANY people MUCH of the time simply need to get from point A to B.

[Tim]

I want two... one for my left foot and one for the right!

[Brian O'Keefe]

Use the bailout $ to give each family a $10K tax deduction that buys an American made vehicle that gets 35+MPG. Then watch the innovation at the Big 3! This is a trickle up bailout instead of trickle down, which won't work.what good are direct bailouts when consumers still can't afford cars? Especially crappy low-mileage ones?

[Robin Remde]

Never mind 35 MPG - set the goal at 50 plus - remember the Honda CRX - the 1980 car that delivered 40+ mpg on gasoline? The bar can easily be set MUCH higher than 35 MPG for a tax break, if we truly want to incentivize innovation.