New CCE powered vehicles unveiled at AutoMania in London

LONDON, England – The AutoMania trade show and conference is always a popular destination for people from around the globe.  Manufacturers and designers from all corners are there to showcase their wares, technologies, and new developments with the world of automotive enthusiasts; this year was no different. AutoMania 2014 showcased the increasingly popular electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and of course, the ever present high horsepower exotics the likes of Ferrari and Porsche.

One booth was drawing the majority if interest, however, and that booth belonged to Ratro Motors and its new CCE powered truck.  Retro Motors has been designing alternative fuel vehicles since 2007, and with solid financial backing from several top corporations, the Canadian-based company is ready to realize its CCE engine technology.  For people not already in the loop, CCE stands for Coal Combustion Engine, and that’s why it garners so much curiosity at AutoMania.  CCE might seem like a throwback to the days of old, but the research doesn’t lie.

We know it sounds horrible.  But guess what?  It’s not oil.  It’s not explosive hydrogen.  And it sure as heck isn’t toxic lithium batteries.

 

We have created a very efficient combustion chamber and resonance system that traps 94% of burned particulates, and achieves roughly 40 miles to the imperial gallon of ground coal dust.  Thats 5 or 6 times better than most cars, and much less expensive to fill your coal chamber.

 

We know infrastructure will take awhile to come around, but you can order coal online and have it shipped to your house.  What could be easier? – Jeremy Finkletter, Spokesman for Ratro Motors

CCE engines are basically a steam engine on s smaller scale.  The combustion chamber uses a finely ground coal powder, heated up by burner systems to the point of combustion in a small, tightly packed chamber.  The chamber is surrounded on 3 sides by water which is heated to steam, which then exits through 6 valved turbines on the top of the engine.  These turbines turn a complex series of torque converting gears before the final drive gears at the wheels.

It might sound overly complicated, but it is pure and simple, old school technology.  You could almost fix it with parts from a hardware store.  The initial vehicle release will be a half-ton pickup aimed squarely at the industrial markets with heavy haulers to follow in place of diesel transport trucks.

I don’t know about a coal powered pickup, let alone replacing Darlene out there with a coal fired behemoth.  She gets me going good enough, and coal just smokes all to hell doesn’t it?

I can’t see it making much for horsepower either, and when I’m on a long haul from Tacoma to Drurreyburg, I need me some horsepower. – Randy Skip, ARUGNE Trucking

If the AutoMania presentation was any indicator, it would appear there is more simple curiosity about CCE than there is genuine interest.  2P News will try to secure an interview and gauge serious interest when Ratro Motors makes its appearance in January at the Calgary Auto Show.