“Do you think that the future of propulsion lies in the
modification of the internal combustion engine? I think, at
least for the long term, [we] are spitting into the wind. We
already have an efficient IC [internal combustion] engine. I
think we should be looking at other means of propulsion.” –Steve
Grantham, maintenance supervisor for Allied Waste Services,
which is now mergered with waste giant Republic Services A long
time reader of this blog and a frequent, insightful commentator,
Steve Grantham posed the question above in reference to my post
yesterday on the joint efforts by the Dept. of Energy (DOE),
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and private industry to
spur vehicle innovations. Steve’s question – submitted within a
longer comment – raises a very interesting point; for all
intents and purposes, has the internal combustion engine,
specifically the diesel model, run its course as an efficient
method for vehicle propulsion? Is it time to replace it with
something else? I don’t think so – especi