[ExI] towed evs again

[spike at rainier66.com]

From: Mike Dougherty <msd001 at gmail.com> 
Sent: Monday, 23 October, 2023 10:02 AM
To: ExI chat list <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Cc: Gregory Jones <spike at rainier66.com>; BillK <pharos at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [ExI] towed evs again

 

On Mon, Oct 23, 2023, 12:16 PM spike jones via extropy-chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org <mailto:extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> > wrote:

{Lotsa words}

 

Remove the requirement to push the car, let the camper follow under its own power and the range of the car is back to the normal range.  If "self drive" can't be trusted to follow the leader, we must admit that self drive has failed completely.

 

Now the exercise becomes how to make a camper out of a powerwall with enough solar collecting skin that it pays for itself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My design exercise led to exactly that conclusion Mike.  I had to give up the notion of axles close together if it is to be self-propelled.  Those two requirements are just incompatible: oscillating instability in all configurations with close axles.  But if we allow one steerable axle… then the axles can be separated, and the design can close.  The camper doesn’t push the car but rather just pushes itself.  That simplifies the control system enormously.

 

Having solar on the roof is good, but by itself will make little difference on a typical three day weekend outing.  You still need to carry along most of your power-storage capacity, fully charged.  The PVs dial in cost and weight with insufficient advantage.  Even hauling a generator is not a great solution: they don’t make enough power, even though they make a lotta noise, which spoils the experience for other glampers.  So… pay the price in cost and weight, carry more capacity.

 

spike

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