Filed under: Etc., EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels
The Whirlygig Emoto: a flame-throwing, electric-steam hybrid motorcycle
In case you are not faimiliar with the term "steampunk", it's a part of the literary sci-fi punk genre. Need more explanation? Consult the all-knowing wiki here. Now that we're all on the same page, check out this electric-steam hybrid motorcycle, built by Tom Sepe. We think that it's pretty cool, although the steam part is a bit misleading. Sure, steam bellows forth from the rear of the bike, but that's for show only. We think it would be epic if the steam boiler powered a turbine which in turn powered the batteries. As it stands, though, this is still an electric motorbike, plus, it throws flames ... and that is cool enough for us. Follow past the break for a short video of the machine in action.
[Source: Steampunk Workshop via The New Cafe Racer Society]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
brn 7:02PM (3/21/2008)
There's nothing more green than generating steam for the heck of it.
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Chris 7:47PM (3/21/2008)
That thing looks and sounds like a death trap...
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GenWaylaid 8:12PM (3/21/2008)
Minor point: motorcycles usually can't be "death traps" because there's no surrounding bodywork to trap the rider in the event of an accident. The term "death launcher" would be more appropriate.
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kevin 2:21AM (3/22/2008)
lol i agree with poster #3
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Thomas Sepe 4:34AM (3/24/2008)
I thought about having the steam boiler turn a turbine to charge the batteries, but that would add too much weight and bulk to the vehicle. It would make more sense to have a stationary steam boiler run a generator to charge the batteries.
My intention was to create an electric vehicle and to make something beautiful and compelling to showcase the technology and turn people on. the steam came midway through the design and I only run it occasionally, probably uses less propane than someone using a campstove for a weekend camping trip. But it has proven to be an inspiring conversation piece for people, and it is an opportunity for me to show many people how functional zero (at the "tailpipe")emission electrcivehicles can be.
This was my first ever steam boiler built from scratch, and I'd love to build a steam-electric generator with adjacent steam sauna. I would burn trash and brush and dead tree debris from forest fire supression.
However as far as locomotion goes, I'm more interested in building a wood-gassifier - here's a link to a 1989 FEMA report: http://www.gengas.nu/byggbes/index.shtml
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