Cars: Converting Gas into Energy

(written on June 7, 2019)

The key system in a car which causes it to move is the internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine is the engine which generates the kinetic energy of the car from the burning of fuels such as gasoline. This is a very simple explanation of how the energy is converted. However, there are many other minute energy transformation which happen in this complex system to make the big shift between potential energy in gas and the kinetic energy in the car.

It all starts with the gas. When a person goes to fill their car with the gas, they are filling the gas tank, which is the reservoir of the gas. Once a person turns on the engine and hits the acceleration pad, the gas is moved to a machine called the carburetor through a fuel pump. The carburetor mixes the gas with air making it an explosive mixture. This explosive mixture is transferred to the cylinder-piston system. The combination of the gas and air in the cylinders are ignited by an electric spark which causes an explosion. So far, the potential energy in the gas has been turned into potential energy in the cylinder which has been turned into chemical energy through contact with the air and kinetic energy through the explosion caused by the contact.

The constantly paced explosions in the cylinder cause the piston in the cylinder to move up and down. Most of the times, cars have several pistons to increase efficiency and pick up. The piston, which is connected to a rod, causes a system called a crankshaft to move. The purpose of this crankshaft is to turn the up-and-down kinetic energy of the piston into rotary kinetic energy. The crankshaft system is connected to the wheels of the car through a series of gears, causing the wheels to move. So, in this section of the ICE system, the motion energy in the piston is transferred to the motion energy of the crankshaft. The rotation of the crankshaft causes certain gears to move, transferring kinetic energy to the wheels of the car.

When one wants their car to go faster, they hit the gas pedal. The gas pedal flips a little tab inside the carburetor which monitors the flow of the gas into the cylinders. The more the gas, the faster the pistons move. Therefore, when someone hits the gas pedal, the tab flips out of the way, causing the flow of gas to increase. This is how one can control the output of the system.

When we learn all of these complex systems we find ourselves amazed at all of the creations we have in this material world. However, it is important for us to understand that the source of all energy in this material world is the sun, and the sun is nothing but the reflection of brahmajyoti which is the effulgence of lord Krishna. Hence, all of these systems are owned by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However the materialistic human beings have created the car by using the Lord’s materials and energies, and have claimed to be the so-called proprietors.