Electric Vehicles, Hybrids...Battery tech... Land Air and Sea. Let's See 'em.

Is the internal combustion engine doomed to history

  • Yes

    Votes: 10 25.6%
  • No

    Votes: 21 53.8%
  • Not sure

    Votes: 5 12.8%
  • Don't care

    Votes: 2 5.1%
  • ...er... what was the question again?

    Votes: 1 2.6%

  • Total voters
    39
Just thinking out loud for us penny pinchers.
a Prius battery conversion to lithium ion with a software upgrade might give a "best of both worlds" with low investment. Electric commuting and gasoline range and freedom.
Lets not forget that INDIVIDUALS can invest in solar panel infrastructure. An investment case that becomes stronger with vehicle battery charging.
A downside of electric only is that cabin heating DESTROYS range for those of us in the winter icebox regions.
 
A downside of electric only is that cabin heating DESTROYS range for those of us in the winter icebox regions.

Thats funny you mentioned that. When the Prius was first introduced, I went and test drove the very first model year. I had to set up an appointment with the one guy at the dealership who knew anything about them. On that first year model, the air conditioning was belt driven off the motor and if you wanted the AC on , the engine had to be running, which kinda ruined the whole idea. This is the desert, hell we run our AC even in the winter! 😄
That was a deal killer for me. Later models rectified that problem by making the AC electric driven ( which probably doesn’t help battery life, compressors are a big drag.
 
Electric commuting and gasoline range and freedom.
Lets not forget that INDIVIDUALS can invest in solar panel infrastructure. An investment case that becomes stronger with vehicle battery charging.
A downside of electric only is that cabin heating DESTROYS range for those of us in the winter icebox regions.
IMO a plug in hybrid EV (PHEV) is the way to go at the moment. For the majority of my trips I can run on electricity, which the solar panels/ battery provided 80% of the power last month. I still wouldn't be happy running a pure EV for the two or three times a year I do longer trips; the infrastructure in the UK is still far form adequate.
As battery technology improves then the PHEV range will increse from the 45 mile in summer and 29 in winter.

Having the air con running all the time does vehicle range no favours either.
 
Never timed it but on mine (MB A250e) some heat starts to come through pretty much straight away - not instantaneous as it still need to heat up the heater and associated trunking.
Alternatively you set the time on the Mercedes Me app you want to leave and when you get in the car is already toasty. :D
 
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"At each charging stop, in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York, I ran into problems. A five-minute wait to see if the car and charger would establish communications was invariably the case. Waiting 10 minutes was not uncommon. Even then, there was no time to relax; more than once, an error somewhere in the loop shut everything down after just a few kWh." Link.
 
That was an interesting article.
I came across this the other day, a real world comparison test between a Ford F-150 Lightning Extended Range pickup and a Full size GMC with a conventional gas engine, doing something a typical pickup owner might do. Towing a toy hauler trailer. The results are not really surprising, but it was interesting. Here’s a hint, towing a trailer is very hard on range.


 
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Not directly related to EV's, but to the supply and use of electricity. ............was reading a while back we need to produce 75% more electricity than we do today to transition to EV's and away from Fossil fuels.

This replaces the need for industrial and residential, (mainly industrial) electricity, in part, reducing the need to produce as much in the future.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science...nd-world-first-heat-thermal-storage/101235514
 
The military option, the Zero MMX, built for special forces and police work.

I just came across a reference in another article about Zero motorcycles all electric , special built bike for the military. They modified one of their existing dirt bike themed bike specifically for military use.
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It is keyless for quick take offs, it has infrared lights for night use, hot swappable quick change battery packs,
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It can run at sustained speeds of 70 mph, and can cross water obstacles up to 3’ deep.
B31FC04F-EE61-4BA8-9822-C7EBB05B3E74.jpeg5A111431-A394-442E-8E9D-C44BEA27D982.jpegC22B0BB1-45B7-4B19-97A9-2793020E48C0.jpeg

This article from Army Times is from 2013, but I have also found newer references that show this program is ongoing.
https://www.armytimes.com/news/your...uld-soon-drive-special-operators-into-battle/
 
Oh and one additional note I forgot to add, I thought it was interesting that the usual belt drive that Zero uses, has been swapped out for traditional chain and HUGE sprocket.
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Oh and one additional note I forgot to add, I thought it was interesting that the usual belt drive that Zero uses, has been swapped out for traditional chain and HUGE sprocket.
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One more time I wish my dad was still around! He did escort duty in the southern states for convoys on motorcycles before heading to Europe in the 1940's. Did not rid over there but did talk about the opposed twin, shaft drive Harleys he road at one point. He didn't like them because he said the weight or the torque of the drive shaft seemed to pull the bike down in the corners at times.

He also talked about having to learn to lay the bikes down on the, I think it was left side, and while bike was sliding on crash bars pull the Thomson machine gun out of the scabbard mounted to the right front fork and hit a target before bike stopped sliding.
 
He also talked about having to learn to lay the bikes down on the, I think it was left side, and while bike was sliding on crash bars pull the Thomson machine gun out of the scabbard mounted to the right front fork and hit a target before bike stopped sliding.

Holy Crap! They don’t teach that move in Motorcycle Safety Courses!
Season 4 Wow GIF by The Office
 
Holy Crap! They don’t teach that move in Motorcycle Safety Courses!
Season 4 Wow GIF by The Office
Well the way some people drive these days it might be a handy skill to develop.

While I'm going OT here anyone recall when small local road bridges were made like this with the straight up concrete posts at each end:

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Well one night while out riding one of the Army motorcycles, probably with the shrouded head lights they used back then to make vehicles hard see at night from the air. Story is dad came around a corner on a narrow road and did not see the bridge. He woke up in a hospital but no serious injuries. He made it across the bridge but motorcycle did not! They assigned him a new one when he was released from hospital. Maybe that's why the put him in the back of a half-track when he got to Europe!
 
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The Ampaire hybrid-electric EEL demonstrator aircraft completed a 1,633-nm mission from Camarillo, California, to Oshkosh, Wisconsin on July 22. The EEL is on display at EAA AirVenture’s Boeing Plaza. The trip included the longest nonstop flight ever made by a hybrid-electric aircraft—986 nm. Link.
 
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The Ampaire hybrid-electric EEL demonstrator aircraft completed a 1,633-nm mission from Camarillo, California, to Oshkosh, Wisconsin on July 22. The EEL is on display at EAA AirVenture’s Boeing Plaza. The trip included the longest nonstop flight ever made by a hybrid-electric aircraft—986 nm. Link.
Their test pilot, Eliot Seguin, is a great follow on youtube / instagram for flight test and general airplane stuff.
 
To be clear a hybrid electric/GASOLINE engine aircraft. Why the mixmaster was chosen, with engines in line, unequal thrust isn't issue.
Before I look, I'll guess the squeeze bang unit is up front.

Nope
Wikopedia:
"Ampaire is replacing the Cessna 337 Skymaster (a push-pull aircraft) forward piston engine with an electric motor.[2] The forward Continental IO-360 piston engine is replaced with an electric motor powered by a battery in a parallel hybrid configuration, optimising power output to reduce operating costs and pollution. The centerline thrust makes the 337 a useful testbed, allowing thrust differences with no yawing unlike a conventional twin-engine aircraft"

More of a test bed?
 
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