Electric Tow Vehicle (Tesla)
Food for thought... http://jalopnik.com/tesla-will-make-a-pickup-truck-1463624298
Forum Discussion
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First of all, I think this is article someones idea of either typical negative propoganda or a joke. There are not batteries available, of high enough capacity, to tow a significant load very far. It would be like having a 3 gallon diesel fuel tank. But daily driver, sure.
Off hand, electric motors have way more low end torque than direct gas or diesel, so they are a good match for towing otherwise.
I think you just missed it: Hybrid Silverado
Of course there were a couple of things not to your spec. It would have needed a huge bed-mounted "fuel tank" on the order of a more massive battery (lithium) to go very far on electric alone. And the Silverado above was overpriced by the board-room, as per usual GM "electrics policy"...
Note, the $40k+ Volt is not anything more than a $23k Prius with a bigger, apparently very expensive, battery. ;)
I think all vehicle manufacturers, including Toyota, are now in mortal fear of ultra-simple electric cars. After all, the only technical auto component not built by outside vendors is the proprietary internal combustion engine. Sales are typically damned by faint praise and overpricing to purposely create low sales. "You want an electric? Sure, we'll do it!, snicker, snicker."
Like the Electric Ranger. :)
They have two cup-holders, one on the left for the brakeman/conductor, and one on the right for the driver. They are merely depressions in the top of the plastic desk, and/or flat operating console. The diesel driven generator supplies power to "brushless" AC motors, all possible because of huge solid state current devices that have only become generally available since the mid 90's. Prior to that, all DC locomotives used high maintenance brushes and suffered frequent traction-motor breakdowns because of their failure. Brush maintenance is one of the reasons high current DC electric autos lost out to gas engines long ago. The cooling fan in the computer you are using now, has a solid state brushless AC electric motor.
The Prius, and all other hybrids, use brushless motors and operate nearly identically to the AC locomotives that preceeded them. The brush type locomotives, themselves, were preceeded by the technology of stealthy, battery driven WWII submarines.
Wes
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First of all, I think this is article someones idea of either typical negative propoganda or a joke. There are not batteries available, of high enough capacity, to tow a significant load very far. It would be like having a 3 gallon diesel fuel tank. But daily driver, sure.
Off hand, electric motors have way more low end torque than direct gas or diesel, so they are a good match for towing otherwise.
smkettner wrote:
I would be looking for a truck that could do 50 to 100 electric miles before the gas kicks on. Also have the electric to help get up the hills and recapture energy on the way down. Around town as a grocery getter it could be all electric. Unfortunately I don't think that is what Tesla will build but maybe inspire Toyota/Ford/GM. And of course recharging at a campsite would be sweet
I think you just missed it: Hybrid Silverado
Of course there were a couple of things not to your spec. It would have needed a huge bed-mounted "fuel tank" on the order of a more massive battery (lithium) to go very far on electric alone. And the Silverado above was overpriced by the board-room, as per usual GM "electrics policy"...
Note, the $40k+ Volt is not anything more than a $23k Prius with a bigger, apparently very expensive, battery. ;)
I think all vehicle manufacturers, including Toyota, are now in mortal fear of ultra-simple electric cars. After all, the only technical auto component not built by outside vendors is the proprietary internal combustion engine. Sales are typically damned by faint praise and overpricing to purposely create low sales. "You want an electric? Sure, we'll do it!, snicker, snicker."
Hammerhead wrote:
To support the weight of all the batteries stuffed under the box. ???
Like the Electric Ranger. :)
dbear wrote:06Fargo wrote:
Electric tow vehicles of any kind will never work, due to SRW:
Electric tow vehicles
That'll pull any 5er for sure, but how many cup holders does it have?
They have two cup-holders, one on the left for the brakeman/conductor, and one on the right for the driver. They are merely depressions in the top of the plastic desk, and/or flat operating console. The diesel driven generator supplies power to "brushless" AC motors, all possible because of huge solid state current devices that have only become generally available since the mid 90's. Prior to that, all DC locomotives used high maintenance brushes and suffered frequent traction-motor breakdowns because of their failure. Brush maintenance is one of the reasons high current DC electric autos lost out to gas engines long ago. The cooling fan in the computer you are using now, has a solid state brushless AC electric motor.
The Prius, and all other hybrids, use brushless motors and operate nearly identically to the AC locomotives that preceeded them. The brush type locomotives, themselves, were preceeded by the technology of stealthy, battery driven WWII submarines.
Wes
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