[ExI] gas prices

spike at rainier66.com spike at rainier66.com
Sat Mar 19 05:23:40 UTC 2022


 

 

From: extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> On Behalf Of Rafal Smigrodzki via extropy-chat
Sent: Friday, 18 March, 2022 9:35 PM
To: ExI chat list <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Cc: Rafal Smigrodzki <rafal.smigrodzki at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [ExI] gas prices

 

 

 

On Fri, Mar 18, 2022 at 11:29 PM spike jones via extropy-chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org <mailto:extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> > wrote:

 

 

I did some calculations.  It is a mistake to look up the power use of a Tesla at freeway speeds (about 25-30 kw) then look for a generator to get that capacity, for the stationary generator has two capabilities you don’t need: it doesn’t need its own battery for starting and it doesn’t need to be able to generate power sitting still.  Any time this generator would run, it would have an air flow across it, so… that enable air cooling, which is simple, cheap and light.  It can even be optimized dimensionally, because it operates at a constant load and speed.  So… air cooling is not a big penalty, but it is a big cost and weight benefit. 

 

### What about a drop-in range extender fitting into the trunk or frunk? Rafal

 

 

Hi Rafal, thanks for posting.  I thought of that and worked on it for a while but eventually calculated that there is not a practical way to dump the excess heat. Which is about 60 kW.  You would need some kind of external radiator and those rigs just don’t have a good place to put something like that.

 

I worked it a number of different ways and kept coming to the same conclusion: you need a radiator, a serious one, and it must be hard-mounted to the car, which means carrying the IC engine always (huge weight penalty (and visual penalty.))  

 

But how do we use our cars?  We occasionally go on cross country trips but not all that often.  If we recognize the obvious: the Tesla is not well suited for cross country trips but is great for the most common use for cars, then we have admitted the problem and made way for a good solution.

 

The towed gasoline or Diesel generator is not all that ugly as solutions go really.  I have seen worse than that.  Hell I have done worse than that.  But this notion isn’t as ugly as it sounds.  There is no need for the Tesla-ers (Tesla-ers?) to apologize.  The other Tesla-ers know exactly why they have that trailer back there.  They wish they had one.  Elon won’t like it, but we don’t work for him, he works for us.

 

Think of something we can relate to.  We know what a Harley Davidson looks like.  That’s a very simple pushrod V twin, air cooled, single throw crank.  A sportster engine without the integrated transmission would produce enough power, have ample lubrication and cooling, particularly if we turn it sideways, drive shaft in the direction of travel, so that both cylinders see plenty of air flow, air filter in front, drop the exhaust thru a big sturdy muffler such as on my old-time Lincoln Town Car.  The thing would be quiet enough, the other drivers wouldn’t even need to know it was running.  The Tesla-er wouldn’t feel the vibration or need to listen to the racket (if there is any) because it is outside and out back.

 

Last point: if we carry a gasoline engine always, we give away the engineering advantage of an all-electric.  If we make something that must be loaded, even a small generator is heavy as hell, much harder to handle than a small trailer, which is all this would need.  But an air cooled engine, sound suppression, about 80 gallon fuel tank (we don’t want to make the dignified Tesla-ers hafta fill up at a low-life gas station) and the whole rig would be easily handled (tongue weight about 40 pounds) by even a petite biological woman.

 

I am finding plenty of solutions where the whole rig comes in under 600 pounds without fuel, about a thousand pounds with fuel.  That is easily handled by one person.

 

spike

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