Eco-Friendly Engine Pioneers Are Searching for New Sources of Clean, Green Power
Tom Kasmer believes he can save the Earth with the power of hydraulics. The Binghamton, N.Y.-based inventor wants to use his patented “hydristor” powertrain to clean up the millions of cars and trucks on the road. He also thinks he can make construction equipment operate more efficiently and become less polluting. But there’s one little catch: While Kasmer’s high-pressure hydraulic transmission has been sitting on the drawing board for over a decade, few manufacturers have shown real interest in testing it out. “I could save the auto industry if they’d only listen,” Kasmer says.
Kasmer is one of many visionaries trying to clean up the combustion engine, as fuel prices, energy security and global warming become more politically charged. The fuel of the future for work trucks and heavy equipment, which make up the lion’s share of the construction industry’s day-to-day pollution, is barely in sight. In 20 years, will off-road vehicles and trucks run on zero-emission hydrogen fuel cells? Or will biomass synthesized from forestry waste power the industry’s bulldozers? No one knows for sure. What scientists can say is that they are betting on several “horses” to win the race. Aside from research, economic policy will set the wheels in motion, they say.