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Post by huon on Apr 30, 2012 16:48:17 GMT 9.5
I'm following with some interest the progress of the DeltaWing race car, which will participate in this year's Le Mans. It is designed to have half the weight, half the power, half the fuel use, but all the speed of its competitors.
Efficiency, by itself, will not be enough to stop global warming. But efficiency will help--especially when it is so cool.
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Post by anonposter on May 1, 2012 1:43:48 GMT 9.5
Efficiency may also make things worse (a least from a global warming point of view, though it would be good for the economy) or at least won't help as much as you'd expect it to (with cars you do seem to actually get some emissions reduction, but it isn't as much as people use a more efficient car more).
There's also the question of just how much the improvements of a 2 seat purpose built race car could transfer over to a street-legal road-going vehicle which would have to seat at least 4 and also last at least a decade.
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Post by huon on May 1, 2012 8:49:23 GMT 9.5
Anon, You are quite right that making a vehicle light weight and efficient is only part of the battle. Another big part is to decarbonise the fuel, especially by going electric. So here is one of my real dream vehicles--an electric, self-balancing, enclosed motorcycle called the lit motors c1: www.gizmag.com/lit-motors-c1-self-balancing-motorcycle/21002/Of course, this particular vehicle may not pan out. But I'll bet something like it--electric and ultra-efficient--will be available.
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Post by anonposter on May 1, 2012 9:49:17 GMT 9.5
The gyrocar has been tried before, so far it's advantages don't seem to have been enough to offset having a big flywheel in the car. Still, maybe a modern version can make a niche for itself (just as the segway is actually useful, even if it isn't the transport revolution it was once said to be), I suspect that cheaper motorbikes will dominate with poorer people while those who could afford one of these would just get a car. One thing which does work against efficiency for street-legal cars is crash safety standards (it's a large part of why cars have been getting so much heavier).
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Post by huon on May 1, 2012 16:29:19 GMT 9.5
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Post by grlcowan on May 1, 2012 23:18:36 GMT 9.5
That's a spectrum, all right, but I don't think it's quite a full spectrum ...
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Post by huon on May 2, 2012 7:56:23 GMT 9.5
Touchet! That monster in back, though, could probably use a boron assist.
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Post by huon on May 4, 2012 15:29:58 GMT 9.5
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Post by anonposter on May 4, 2012 16:09:48 GMT 9.5
It would only show that efficiency was a winner at races, it's a street legal vehicle goes which would matter for dealing with global warming.
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Post by huon on May 5, 2012 7:28:01 GMT 9.5
Good point. But the real significance of the DeltaWing--and the reason I even mention it on this site-- is that it's an exciting symbol for the efficiency and decarbonisation already occurring throughout the auto industry and throughout society.
Consider, for example, the Prius Hybrid Plug-in. It gets 50 mpg running on gas. And on battery power, because 20% of electricity in the US is nuclear, for a couple of miles on every charge one can drive an atomic powered car.
That, I think, is real progress; and that is what the DeltaWing heralds and celebrates.
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Post by anonposter on May 5, 2012 8:51:35 GMT 9.5
Decarbonisation throughout society is more talk and tokens than action though.
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Post by huon on May 5, 2012 15:43:46 GMT 9.5
True enough; but there is action. On the automotive front, one can think of a number of plug-in hybrids and EVs which are available now, or will be within a year.
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Post by huon on May 16, 2012 16:11:17 GMT 9.5
Le Mans is just one month away. The race will feature not only the Deltawing, but also a couple of (flywheel) hybrids from Audi and Toyota. I don't normally follow auto racing much, but I'm very interested in this contest. Here is a quick rundown of the three cars mentioned above: www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=129&i=25652 As the article says, "...both Toyota and Audi want to promote hybrid efficiency and there's no better place to do it than the very expensive shop window of Le Mans...."
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Post by huon on May 22, 2012 9:14:48 GMT 9.5
A couple of news items about Tesla and SpaceX, both founded by Elon Musk: The all-electric Tesla S sedan will start shipping in June, a month ahead of schedule. And in a few hours an efficient Falcon 9 rocket, topped with a Dragon space capsule, is scheduled to be launched to the Space Station. The launch should occur at 3:44 am EDT (5:14 pm CST in Australia). Live coverage here: spaceflightnow.com
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Post by huon on Jun 9, 2012 8:56:06 GMT 9.5
Le Mans is just over one week away. As I noted above in Reply #12, the race will feature some flywheel hybrids from Audi and Toyota, as well as the radically efficient DeltaWing.
Efficiency, combined with renewable fuel and electrification, can remake the transportation sector. These innovations are certainly going to make Le Mans interesting this year.
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Post by huon on Jun 9, 2012 12:39:26 GMT 9.5
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Post by sod on Jun 11, 2012 7:15:50 GMT 9.5
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Post by aos on Jun 11, 2012 7:17:19 GMT 9.5
sorry, typo (erasing the dot..)
the tank is using 1500 Gramm CO2 per km...
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Post by anonposter on Jun 11, 2012 12:55:22 GMT 9.5
So why isn't anything other than the pious selling that well? It also is a hybrid, not a full electric car (which means it doesn't have the limitations of electric only vehicles so doesn't really undermine attacks on them). The simple fact of the matter is that where fuel prices are low people don't worry too much about efficiency (and so we get SUVs) whereas when fuel prices are high diesels and smaller petrol cars tend to predominate (not hybrids), it's possible that hybrids may end up taking over from diesels as the efficient option (there are some who think the equipment needed to meet emissions standards may end up more expensive than a hybrid) but at the moment hybrids are fashion statements (just like SUVs) and right now there's really only one hybrid that it generally recognisable as such by other people. Oh and I wouldn't mind a leopard, being able to drive over traffic jams could be useful. :-)
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Post by huon on Jun 16, 2012 9:10:16 GMT 9.5
Less than 24 hours until the start of Le Mans--it begins at 3 pm local time in France. Why am I focusing on this apparent triviality when more important matters call for our attention? Well, first, it's fun. But a deeper answer is that because it features the ultra-efficient DeltaWing, as well as some magnificent hybrids from Audi and Toyota, the race can be very inspiring to us Promethean greens, who will use other technology to solve the bigger environmetal problems. So I'm proud to call myself a " racing" green: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_racing_green
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Post by anonposter on Jun 16, 2012 21:35:51 GMT 9.5
The Poms seem to have been ahead of their time, painting gas guzzlers green to make them ecofriendly.
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Post by huon on Jun 17, 2012 15:53:50 GMT 9.5
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Post by huon on Jun 18, 2012 13:24:13 GMT 9.5
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Post by huon on Jun 23, 2012 9:25:12 GMT 9.5
A week ago, hybrids took Le Mans by storm. Today the Tesla S was released. These are exciting times for those of us who seek a zero-carbon society. Here is one early review of the Tesla; you can find many more on the web. "But if our brief seat time is any indication, Tesla hasn't just delivered a functional, all-electric sedan--it's made a luxury EV that can outpace and outclass the stalwarts of the premium sports sedan segment, and has the potential to change the perception of electric mobility. It's also a complete hoot to drive." www.wired.com/autopia/2012/06/tesla-model-s-drive/
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Post by huon on Jul 26, 2012 16:38:44 GMT 9.5
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Post by huon on Sept 9, 2012 13:15:48 GMT 9.5
The number of plug-in hybrid models is steadily growing. Just recently, Honda announced that it would soon be coming out with a plug-in Accord. It will join the Chevy (GM) Volt, the Ford C-MAX and Fusion ("Fission" would be better) and the Toyota Prius. So all the big guns will be battling it out in this new space. Should be interesting.
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Post by huon on Nov 12, 2012 16:31:19 GMT 9.5
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Post by huon on Jan 15, 2013 12:31:12 GMT 9.5
One more quick video of the amazingly efficient DeltaWing at the Petit Le Mans race: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUdKk_lp2qkWe need to use all energy efficiently, electrify what we can, and produce electricity largely through nuclear.
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Post by anonposter on Jan 15, 2013 14:00:58 GMT 9.5
We need to use all energy efficiently, No, energy is abundant so we shouldn't sacrifice efficiency of things which are scarce (e.g. labour) to use it more efficiently.
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Post by huon on Jan 15, 2013 16:31:50 GMT 9.5
Anon, your point is well taken. We should use energy as efficiently as is cost-effective. Same goes for building plug-in hybrids, and constructing the SMRs (small modular reactors) to power them.
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