Electric Tow Vehicle (Tesla)

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

Procrastinator wrote:
We know that locomotives use diesels to power a generator to power the electric motor. We also know that each diesel engine has a sweet spot for power and fuel economy. Why could we not have a truck that "idles at 1800 rpm" running to power the generator for the electric drive motor. Forget batteries. We would have the electrical motors max torque from rpm 1. I personally want the economy of a diesel with the instant torque of an electric motor. Now if it looked like that....maybe not.

You could. Problem is you lose energy every time you switch from one to another......A LOT of ENERGY.

Ever touch an electric motor after working hard? There goes 20 to 25% of your hard earned diesel up in heat........on top of the diesel you lost to create it.

Turtle is right. For the time being.

In the past I predicted that it would make more sense to use straight electric transmissions instead of the very pricy, newer hydraulic/electric control morphodites we have now. I based my opinion on the high relative fuel efficiency of towing locomotives and the fact that the astounding Toyota Prius uses it too. Neither has a gear switching arrangement or hydraulic torque converter. They both have final drive gears though.

But since then I've realised that Turtle is right. The tried-and-true hydraulic and/or manual gear propulsion is presently less lossy in terms of wasted energy (heat energy). The locomotives have huge blowers directing air through the axle-mounted traction motors, and I believe the Prius gen-motor sets are oil bath cooled.

However, there is a special condition where generators, or motors, are highly efficient, more efficient than gears or hydraulics. That is in the case the windings are super-cooled, whereas the static electrical resistance is practically zero. In these cases, the unimpeded current produces copius magnetism nearly indefinately once electrons began to circulate the frigid zero-resistant wires; without continued application of significant new power. The practical use of such fantastic physics apparently is not as far-fetched as one might think, since considerable experimentation has been done in providing continuous super-cooled magnetic levitation for high speed commuter trains using super-cold liquified gas baths. This phenomena could also be used to run very efficient "vacuum bottled" electric generator/motors since they would waste little, or no, heat energy during their electric coupling.

The reasoning that the locomotives originally used electric transmission is as Procrastinator said, the ideal torque conversion that occurs from a dead stop. Whereas the internal combustion engine has a sweet spot somewhere well above zero rpm, the electric drive provides maximum torque from stall speed and tapers off on up. The Prius, or an electric truck, has this continuously variable transmission(CVT) advantage along with the fact that power may be provided either by a battery, or generator. The anemic Prius engine therefore runs in a very narrow, efficient rpm band.

Wes
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mich800 wrote:
The only thing that held back the development of the electric car was the 100 MPG carburetor.

Right, which was in turn held back by (pick one) Big Oil, Big Auto, Big Gov, Howard Hughes, J. Edgar Hoover, Google.... :)

Procrastinator wrote:
We know that locomotives use diesels to power a generator to power the electric motor. We also know that each diesel engine has a sweet spot for power and fuel economy. Why could we not have a truck that "idles at 1800 rpm" running to power the generator for the electric drive motor. Forget batteries. We would have the electrical motors max torque from rpm 1. I personally want the economy of a diesel with the instant torque of an electric motor. Now if it looked like that....maybe not.

You could. Problem is you lose energy every time you switch from one to another......A LOT of ENERGY.

Ever touch an electric motor after working hard? There goes 20 to 25% of your hard earned diesel up in heat........on top of the diesel you lost to create it.

Tin Pusher wrote:
Finally, something to make CNG range look good.

You know what the cars guys say; "The electric car is the car of the future. And it has been for 100 years" :)

The only thing that held back the development of the electric car was the 100 MPG carburetor.

We know that locomotives use diesels to power a generator to power the electric motor. We also know that each diesel engine has a sweet spot for power and fuel economy. Why could we not have a truck that "idles at 1800 rpm" running to power the generator for the electric drive motor. Forget batteries. We would have the electrical motors max torque from rpm 1. I personally want the economy of a diesel with the instant torque of an electric motor. Now if it looked like that....maybe not.

If they build a truck that makes more sense for my use than other available trucks then I will get one. If I was a betting man I would bet that whatever truck they come out with will not end up in my driveway.

Musk is a boarder line scam artist IMHO.

His cars have more problems than a 6.0 diesel and his electronics have more bugs than Windows 2000. I have lost count of the patches he has put out.

If he does put out a truck I camp more than 50 miles away from home so I won't be buying one. I can also buy a lot of diesel or gasoline for $150,000 grand! :E

Finally, something to make CNG range look good.

You know what the cars guys say; "The electric car is the car of the future. And it has been for 100 years" :)

Wes Tausend wrote:
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There are not batteries available, of high enough capacity, to tow a significant load very far.

Doesn't matter right now. By the time Tesla would release such a truck, say 2030+, batteries should be significantly better. :B

Back to the topic of electric trucks, (not diesel/electric locomotives) ;) the idea is not as weird as it seems. It's already been done, I saw a Smith electric truck a while back. I think it was a Staples company truck. Specs look pretty good for in-town delivery. Probably not at all useful for towing an RV.