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The Croatian sports car manufacturer, Rimac, is conducting tests on a new technology called “nanotubes,” which could become an important source of electricity to power the engine of any car, according to a report by the German News Agency.
Several years ago, engineers at the famous American Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) discovered a method for generating electricity using tiny carbon particles that produce a current through their interaction with the surrounding liquid.
Engineers say that the liquid, which is an organic solvent, pulls electrons from carbon molecules, generating an electrical current that can be used to catalyze chemical reactions or operate small or nano robots.
For his part, Rimac CEO Mette Rimac said in statements to the British automotive magazine Auto Car, “Rimac does not specialize exclusively in electrical appliances, but it is currently doing what may be considered the most exciting technology at the present time.”
The technology can be made to work with unique boiling-resistant fuel liquids in the form of a thin coating covering “hollow tubes made of a network of carbon atoms, which have unique electrical properties,” according to one MIT method.
If this technology is successful when tested on a larger scale, it could replace current heavy battery packs as an alternative fuel source in existing electric or hydrogen vehicles.
Rimac said that liquid petroleum gas, hydrogen, and diesel are among the potential fuels that can be used in this new method of generating electricity.
The Croatian company is currently collaborating with a startup to conduct tests on nanotubes that achieve fuel efficiency to generate electricity by 80% on a small scale.
But the downside of this technology is that it emits carbon dioxide emissions, and therefore it will not be in line with the goals of achieving zero-emission cars that many governments and car manufacturers are currently seeking.
