Infinite Clean Energy

[Flint]

We don't really need perpetual motion, we should just re-use some of the wasted motion we already have (like using the braking system in a vehicle to help power the propulsion system - brakes currently dissipate that energy as waste heat) ...

At any rate, how does a perpetual motion machine constitue a power source? If it were a perfect, frictionless machine, the minute you tapped into it to power something, you'd introduce a friction which would drag it down...right?

[barefoot serpent]

Originally Posted by Flint

We don't really need perpetual motion, we should just re-use some of the wasted motion we already have (like using the braking system in a vehicle to help power the propulsion system - brakes currently dissipate that energy as waste heat) ...

it's call a Prius

The Prius saves fuel and reduces emisions by scavenging energy that most cars waste. Regenerative braking links the brakes to a generator, helping use the car's kinetic energy to recharge the battery whenever the brakes are applied. Along the same lines, the transmission offers a setting that helps recharge the battery when the driver merely lifts off the accelerator and lets the car coast, most beneficially downhill. In sum, with all these regenerative methodologies, there's no need (and no way, for that matter) to plug the car into an electrical outlet to charge the battery.

[HungLikeJesus]

Originally Posted by barefoot serpent

it's call a Prius

The Insight does the same thing. The other benefit is that the brake pads last a long time.