# Using exhaust to help power your car =)
**URL:** https://forums.speedlife.net/t/using-exhaust-to-help-power-your-car/78287
**Category:** NYSpeed Automotive
**Created:** [January 16, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/using-exhaust-to-help-power-your-car/78287 "2010-01-16T18:12:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ubengineering](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ubengineering)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/using-exhaust-to-help-power-your-car/78287/1 "2010-01-16T18:12:34Z")
Not the famous picutre that you may think im ref. to (D.E.I.)
i was just reading in my popular mechanics that GM hopes to have a prototype ready by the end of this year
the exhaust pipes would be made out of a material known as shape memory alloy
the heat from the exhaust would be turned into electricity through pulleys.
What the alloy does is shrink when heated and stretched when cold. there would be one hot pulley and one cold pulley with the memory alloy
one will shrink the other will expand causing the pulleys to work against eachother to generate power
the overall goal is to power all of the cars accessories
:run: id like to see it in action =)
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### Author:  [@klug](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/klug)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/using-exhaust-to-help-power-your-car/78287/2 "2010-01-16T18:15:58Z")
seems a bit far fetched.
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### Author:  [@Jeller](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Jeller)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/using-exhaust-to-help-power-your-car/78287/3 "2010-01-16T19:01:03Z")
BMW has been doing this for a while, they have a 740 with it. In one of the mags about a year ago. Cant imagine what that catalytic converter costs :eek:
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### Author:  [@ubengineering](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ubengineering)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/using-exhaust-to-help-power-your-car/78287/4 "2010-01-16T19:46:01Z")
i had a feeling after owning pop mech for the last few years they keep writing bout the same stuff =p
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### Author:  [@Penfold](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Penfold)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/using-exhaust-to-help-power-your-car/78287/5 "2010-01-17T02:07:48Z")
My understanding was that the pulley example was purely for concept understanding and thats not how the system actually works at all. I was under the impression that actual contraction and shrinking happened at a very small scale and the material generated electricity from the temp/size change. They would then use that electricity to replace the alternator in the car.
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### Author:  [@Justin](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Justin)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2010, 9:10am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/using-exhaust-to-help-power-your-car/78287/6 "2010-01-17T09:10:59Z")
> [@ubengineering](#):
>
> i had a feeling after owning pop mech for the last few years they keep writing bout the same stuff =p
You own Popular Mechanics? What are you doing working at Valvoline? j/k \<3
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### Author:  [@glitch](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/glitch)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2010, 12:25pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/using-exhaust-to-help-power-your-car/78287/7 "2010-01-17T12:25:46Z")
Popular Mechanics seems more like an advertisment/junkmail with a huge bias to me. :tdown:
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### Author:  [@PureXTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/PureXTC)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2010, 12:41pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/using-exhaust-to-help-power-your-car/78287/8 "2010-01-17T12:41:07Z")
> [@glitch](#):
>
> Popular Mechanics seems more like an advertisment/junkmail with a huge bias to me. :tdown:
+1 for sure.
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### Author:  [@ubengineering](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ubengineering)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2010, 1:20pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/using-exhaust-to-help-power-your-car/78287/9 "2010-01-17T13:20:45Z")
> [@Justin](#):
>
> You own Popular Mechanics? What are you doing working at Valvoline? j/k \<3
running an underground nys inspection sticker business full of illegal aliens duh
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### Author:  [@ubengineering](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ubengineering)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2010, 1:22pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/using-exhaust-to-help-power-your-car/78287/10 "2010-01-17T13:22:09Z")
> [@glitch](#):
>
> Popular Mechanics seems more like an advertisment/junkmail with a huge bias to me. :tdown:
they have some useful tips in there, i had this rusty bolt and they recommended using wd40 on it to help break it free, worked like a charm :tup: