From: "Michael S. Lorrey" <mike@datamann.com>
>My own preference for a perfect car is a twist on the hybrid
>vehicles we are now seeing. The drawback with hybrid vehicles is
>that the one skimpy engine puts a limit on you, it can only
>operate in a certain range, a battery is not very efficient at
>converting stored energy, and the inverter also draws off several
>percent as well. My solution is to utilize micro-turbine
>technology. Some of you have seen the MIMS projects the US Army is
>working on, with a 10 watt pocket turbine generator to power
>infantry field equipment. For a hyrbid vehicle, use little or no
>battery at all, instead have a bank of 20, 1.5 kW micro turbines
>generating electricity for the drive motors. As demand changes,
>start and stop individual turbines in the bank. Thus the user can
>vary ouput from 1.5 up to 30 kW. A larger vehicle would use more
>turbines in the bank, and since they would be
>modular units, users could add and subtract turbines to match the
>individual's taste/budget, and failed turbines could easily be
>removed and replaced, sending the bad unit off to a refurb depot.
>If one fails on the road, you aren't dead in the water, either, so
>there would be less need for tow trucks, fewer ruined
>vacations, etc.
Interesting variation on the standard hypercar
(www.hypercarcenter.org) of course for you Mike, wouldn't it be a
"hyperpickup", and for EvMick a "hypertruck". ;)
Brian
Member:
Extropy Institute, www.extropy.org
Adler Planetarium www.adlerplanetarium.org
Life Extension Foundation, www.lef.org
National Rifle Association, www.nra.org, 1.800.672.3888
Mars Society, www.marssociety.org
Ameritech Data Center Chicago, IL, Local 134 I.B.E.W
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Jul 27 2000 - 14:05:35 MDT