Are we bound by gasoline? Can we escape the hold of expensive fuel and pollution? Yes, we can. The DCEI Drivetrain unleashes an entirely new concept that could revolutionize automotive technology as well as travel.

1. ARE WE LIMITED IN
OUR CLEAN
TRANSPORTATION
OPTIONS?
Harrison Dodge
B.S., Marketing Candidate
Kean University
Class of 2018

2. INTRODUCTION
My name is Harrison Dodge. Growing up, I always expressed an
interest in automotive technology. As I got older, I started to see the
importance of keeping our planet healthy, which also meant finding
alternative energy sources for one of the largest causes of pollution in the
world today : Transportation.
With today’s expanding clean energy movement, it is important that
new ideas are competitive. That leads to my idea.
The Propane / Electric Hybrid Automobile
The DCEI Drivetrain

3. THE CONCEPT
The world has seen its share of gasoline/electric hybrids, propane,
diesel, electric, and biofuel cars; but it hasn’t seen a propane/electric hybrid.
Propane cars have already been proven to cut down on emissions,
and are popular among service jobs, public transport, and forklifts
nationwide.
Propane is a very unique fuel. The higher octane requirement of
propane fuel and lower carbon and oil contamination characteristics have
shown documented increases in engine lifetime of up to double that of an
ordinary gasoline engine. Cold starts are also less of an issue due to the
fuel being a mixture of pure propane and air.

4. THE CONCEPT, CONT.
Liquid Propane Injection engines are similar to conventional
gasoline engines in the way that they inject liquid fuel into the combustion
chamber. Liquid injection of propane fuel has proven reliable in terms of
power, engine durability, and cold starting.
Vapor Injected Propane systems store liquid propane in a low-
pressure container, which is then transferred to a vaporizer through the fuel
line. The vapor produced is sent to a mixer close to the intake manifold,
where the gas mixes with air and drawn into the combustion chamber.

5. THE CONCEPT, CONT.
Full-electric cars such as the BMW i3, Tesla Model S, Tesla Model X,
and Tesla Roadster have already hit the roads with reasonable ranges of
transport (anywhere from 85mi to 270mi). These cars help remove pollution from
the roadways, but people are often reluctant because of the range limitations.
Imagine this; you’re going on a cross country trip, and you’ve only got a
full-electric car. Your range is nothing spectacular, and you’re worried that you
wont find stations to charge your car faster than overnight. That’s where our
concept comes in.
The propane/electric hybrid concept takes the high-voltage Lithium Ion
battery technology currently being used in electric vehicles, scales it down, and
pairs it with a Liquid Propane Injection fuel engine for longer range on both
power sources.

6. THE IDEA PUT TO LIFE Pictured to the left is a diagram
of a gasoline/electric hybrid car.
The idea behind the DCEI
Drivetrain is quite simple.
By substituting the gasoline
drivetrain portion the hybrid
vehicle and replacing it with a
propane drivetrain, we’ve
created a more sustainable form
of transportation.
Hybrid cars often only run about
40 miles on their battery, but
many also use Nickel Metal Alloy
batteries. Lithium Ion has shown
longer ranges, and once that
range has passed, a clean
burning fuel is used, rather than
gasoline
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Plug-
in_hybrid_electric_vehicle_(PHEV)_diagram.jpg

7. DESIGN
Shown to the right is a diagram
of the BMW i3 electric car. The
Lithium Ion battery pack is
stored on the bottom of the
chassis.
The DCEI Drivetrain would use
this design cue to relocate the
battery pack to a more
convenient location that would
allow a slightly larger pack and
preserve as much
passenger/cargo room as
possible.
The parts of a propane-powered drivetrain would
make it difficult to affix the battery to the bottom of
the chassis as BMW and Tesla have done, but
with proper research and development, we have
no doubt that a solution could be found.
http://s2.paultan.org/image/bmw-i3-042-e1315776477606.jpg

8. WHY CLEAN ENERGY IS
IMPORTANT
http://image.internetautoguide.com/f/gas-prices/americas-dependence-on-foreign-oil-
reality-check/26432623/us-foreign-oil-dependence.jpg
The diagram to the left
shows the largest exporters
of oil to the United States, as
well as how rapidly our
consumption is surpassing
our level of imported oil.
With US consumption at a
higher rate than we can
import it, we are increasing
the reliance on our own
reserves.
If we do not slow down our
consumption, all of our
domestic oil will be gone in
12.4 years.

9. PERFORMANCE COMPARISON
(FUEL)
The graph to the left shows the
extreme similarities in
Torque/Horsepower between a
gasoline engine and a propane
fuel engine.
Propane would provide cleaner
performance with little to no
sacrifice.
http://www.roushcleantech.com/sites/default/files/torque_hp.jpg

10. PERFORMANCE COMPARISON
(BATTERY)
http://kilowatt-
age.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/image012.269191610_std.png
The graph to the right shows
quicker acceleration in the
electric vehicle as opposed
to standard gasoline cars.
High Voltage Lithium Ion
batteries have shown quick
acceleration. For example,
BMW’s new i3 hits 100mph
in just 7.2 seconds.

11. COST COMPARISON
The average yearly fuel cost for a
gasoline vehicle is $8,946, based on
driving 15,000 miles a year
Propane costs approximately
$3.03/gallon (as of March 2014).
That is less expensive than regular
gasoline in most states

12. CONCERNS YOU MAY HAVE
- Development Costs – Technology already exists, just needs to be
applied to this particular system
- Sustainability – Propane may not be renewable, but it is not as scarce
as oil is becoming, and can buy us time to develop more efficient ways to
travel
- Application – You may ask which manufacturers would use this
technology, and we do not have a concrete answer, but hopefully any of
which would like to preserve our planet
Feel free to ask any questions to clarify portions of this presentation

13. CONTACT INFORMATION
Harrison Dodge
Kean University ‘18
Shenendehowa High School ‘14
(862) 324-5402
harrisonkdodge@gmail.com
dodgeh@kean.edu