Too good to be true, but controversial E-Cat generator claims to have extended EV battery life while driving continuously

[B5S46M]

Hoax:

https://skepticalinquirer.org/2019/01/why-e-cat-is-a-hoax/

 

[Vulcanproject]

Andrea Rossi again? Haha good one.

It has been around over ten years, multiple times had patent applications examined then rejected. Scientists looked at the claims for operation and so on. No real independent testing. It's the same cold fusion fraud propagated by a convicted scammer as it was back then.

 

[float2kegs]

If this actually worked (it doesnt), it would mean that these guys employ the GREATEST PHYSICISTS ALIVE

 

[p51d007]

I'm STILL going to hold off! You can have batteries, e-cat generators all you want.
I'M WAITING for the "Mr. Fusion" reactor. Just pop in a 1/2 can of Coors, some banana
peels and I'm good!

 

[scavengerspc]

Yea but it also won't run forever or charge itself

I guess we will just have to let 5 billion years from now worry about that.

 

[Mr Majestyk]

The only sustainable energy for now is nuclear fusion, at least if they can minimize the structure to engine size

You mean until our natural tritium fuel reserves run out. And you need a conventional nuclear reactor to make it synthetically.

 

[Mr Majestyk]

We didn't build the sun. It doesn't break. It needs no maintenance.
And now it is child's play to collect its power.

Well but in a few billion years it's going to start showing it's age and kill all earth life (which admittedly won't be human - thankfully)

 

[ChrisH1]

Good for you, harnessing zero point energy. Just don't wear a cape, that's where old Thunderhead went wrong as Edna Mode said.

 

[MasterAce]

Hey it worked in the stargate TV-series, it has to be legit?

 

[AUsan]

I had a friend that said he did not believe in McDonalds..
I replied that McDonalds does not require his belief to exist.

 

[gamerk2]

Nobody has gotten net energy production from nuclear fusion, regardless of what the hype articles say. I think you might be thinking of nuclear fission.

We've made a net positive on the reaction itself, disregarding the input energy necessary to start said reaction.

That last point matters; since the reaction should be perpetual (assuming sufficient input fuel), over a long enough time frame you should see a net positive energy production.

 

[colemar]

Just going to throw out that the company is likely Leonardo Defense, a semi-major defense company based in Italy, which brings in around $14 Billion in revenue per year and is currently the 12th largest defense contractor on the planet.

So hardly a *small* company that's come out of nowhere.

But yes: Big claims require bigger proofs.

No, it's not.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228589176_A_new_energy_source_from_nuclear_fusion
It is more like a one man company which makes unsustainable claims.

 

[gamerk2]

No, it's not.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228589176_A_new_energy_source_from_nuclear_fusion
It is more like a one man company which makes unsustainable claims.

Ok then; disregard entirely.

 

[wiyosaya]

Well yes, aside from at night. Or during bad weather. Or the winter.

Those tend to throw a wrench in the works.
My question is, did these madmen build a tiny reactor and put it in a car?

Clearly it did something, because of the range they got, a twingo is nowhere near big enough for a second battery allowing that kind of range. So how does it work?

It could have gotten the range by a hidden gasoline powered generator in the car.

This device, if true, amounts to a perpetual motion machine. Many, throughout the ages, have claimed invention of such a device. No one has conclusively proven that what they "invented" actually works.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_perpetual_motion_machines

 

[rickfitz]

Or, maybe, the sun?

umm.. solar radiation is fusion energy

 

[scavengerspc]

umm.. solar radiation is fusion energy

Wow. Thanks for the morning laughs.

 

[rickfitz]

Wow. Thanks for the morning laughs.

so what exactly do you think the sun is...some kind of light bulb? Running how? Since you don't know I'll clue you in. It's a giant fusion reactor that will run for a few billion more years. It's energy output is transported wirelessly to earth via radiation, some in the easily usable form of "Sunlight". All we have to do is collect and use it.

 

[scavengerspc]

so what exactly do you think the sun is...some kind of light bulb? Running how? Since you don't know I'll clue you in. It's a giant fusion reactor that will run for a few billion more years. It's energy output is transported wirelessly to earth via radiation, some in the easily usable form of "Sunlight". All we have to do is collect and use it.

Ok look. I said this earlier, but I see it needs to be repeated.
We didn't build the sun. It does not need us. It won't break. We don't have to refuel it. It needs no maintenance. And will still run as intended long after we are gone.
I doubt anyone cares if it was fueled by a giant gas station with a permanent nozzle lovingly jammed through its photosphere.

A 4th grader knows what fuels the sun, but I'm pretty sure the original post I quoted wasn't referring to any natural source, and certainly didn't think it would be nerded to death.

 

[Hitman Ceon]

Annnnnd... there it is... "Currently, Leonardo Corporation is offering pre-orders for 10W and 100W E-Cat electricity generator cells. Once the company reaches pre-orders equivalent to 1 million 100W units, it plans to begin mass production."

Except it's completely free to make a pre-order, and you can cancel it at anytime. It seems to be just a way of measuring interest.

 

[Hitman Ceon]

I have followed this since January 2011, and I am very skeptical, but still it's hard to know what to make of it... Rossi has convinced quite a few high level scientists and engineers that this thing is real. But he seems paranoid about someone stealing the technology and has been extremely protective about the inner workings of his reactor.
Most of the people who have been in touch with Rossi seem convinced that he is extremely knowledgable about the science involved, and certain that this is not a scam. Maybe he is deluding himself in some way, but the people who have gotten up close with him for some time, all seem convinced that he himself believes in what he is doing. Multiple scientists and engineers have verified the technology on some level, but there hasn't been a proper third party verification where everything was fully accessible.
This is not some typical scam... while he has made it possible to "pre-order" his e-Cats, it's free to pre-order and you can cancel the pre-order at any time, so clearly not a way to scam people of their money. It seems like just a way to measure the interest.
The engineer involved in this latest test, Maico Marzocchi(no prior connection with Rossi), seems absolutely convinced that this was the real deal.