You have 13 yrs 11 mths left to buy a GM gas or dsl vehicle

rlw999 wrote:

1320Fastback wrote:
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Build a 1 ton, crew cab, 8' bed hybrid electric with with small turbine engine and I will buy one right now. I know I know battery technology is going to improve, I've heard it before.

I doubt you would -- turbines are expensive to purchase and maintain so that turbine driven truck would be priced out of reach.

In theory turbines can be more fuel efficient than a diesel engine, but it's hard to get that in practice in a mobile platform. With battery electric (and even hydrogen fuel cell) vehicles becoming more popular, it's very unlikely that anyone is going to spend the time/money perfecting a small turbine for vehicles.

It's been tried before without much success - even the Army is moving away from the turbine engine of the M1A1 and M1A2 in the upcoming M1A3, which will have a standard diesel engine.


I wanted to keep myself honest, so I looked up some specs. Aircraft engines are both too big and built to too high a standard for mobile use, I found a used small jet engine for $200K online, 5000 hour overhaul costs for a small jet engine run around $150K - $300K.

There are smaller hobby grade engines like the Jetcat P550-PRO-GL available for around $20K. These aren't rated to provide mechanical power, but this one is rated at 162KW power output, which is around 200HP. At full output it will burn around 20 gallons/hour, at idle, 5 gallons/hour.

In comparison, a new 250HP Cummins ISB 6.7L diesel engine would cost under $15K and you can buy an off the shelf and proven transmission to go with it. And you can get it serviced at pretty much any truck dealer, coast to coast.

I dont think one needs huge powerful generator to charge batteries in hybrid ev,,just somethin with about 50 hp maybe less.
At least thats what Ive heard somewhere,dont recall where now.

1320Fastback wrote:
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Build a 1 ton, crew cab, 8' bed hybrid electric with with small turbine engine and I will buy one right now. I know I know battery technology is going to improve, I've heard it before.

Been done few years back,
100 mpg hybrid electric GM truck,whats holdin them back ? Big oil control maybe

https://youtu.be/4XHbQLfgI6g

SDcampowneroperator wrote:
If Ev is the future there are a lot of considerations to deal with. Evs do fine in commuter distances with moderate temperatures. In a -40f Fargo ND or a + 115f Pheonix the range will be muched reduced due to heating or cooling needs.
Where will all that electric power come from? Coal and natural gas for a long time. the wind and solar can only generate when the sun shines and the wind blows. Wheres the storage - battery - for that to meet demand in times of peak demand
Battery, is a term of reserved power. Today we think of it as an electrical device in our phone or car.
For the solar or wind power gen systems to store power via battery to serve peak demand when the sun dont t shine and the wind dont blow,
' Battery ' must be redifined in populature culture as a storage of energy, in any form.
A lake turning hydroelectric turbines is a battery, the stored energy of the water turning those turbines is a battery. Thats one instance of many.
To put this into perspective, how many places not already used for passive energy storage like water are available.
The addage 'says when no water is available, they will drink the sand'

We made it from stage coaches to Jumbo Jets. To think we can't go from gas stations to charging stations is setting the bar pretty low.
Replacing the ICE was the hard part. Installing the infrastructure is more a matter of will and mindset than technology and science.
Once Henry Ford developed the model T. Do you think we quit building cars because there were no gas stations? Did we say this will never work because we can never make enough gasoline?

Whale oil lamps will be around forever. Nothing cheaper or more reliable on the horizon. (1892)

1320Fastback wrote:
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Build a 1 ton, crew cab, 8' bed hybrid electric with with small turbine engine and I will buy one right now. I know I know battery technology is going to improve, I've heard it before.

I doubt you would -- turbines are expensive to purchase and maintain so that turbine driven truck would be priced out of reach.

In theory turbines can be more fuel efficient than a diesel engine, but it's hard to get that in practice in a mobile platform. With battery electric (and even hydrogen fuel cell) vehicles becoming more popular, it's very unlikely that anyone is going to spend the time/money perfecting a small turbine for vehicles.

It's been tried before without much success - even the Army is moving away from the turbine engine of the M1A1 and M1A2 in the upcoming M1A3, which will have a standard diesel engine.


I wanted to keep myself honest, so I looked up some specs. Aircraft engines are both too big and built to too high a standard for mobile use, I found a used small jet engine for $200K online, 5000 hour overhaul costs for a small jet engine run around $150K - $300K.

There are smaller hobby grade engines like the Jetcat P550-PRO-GL available for around $20K. These aren't rated to provide mechanical power, but this one is rated at 162KW power output, which is around 200HP. At full output it will burn around 20 gallons/hour, at idle, 5 gallons/hour.

In comparison, a new 250HP Cummins ISB 6.7L diesel engine would cost under $15K and you can buy an off the shelf and proven transmission to go with it. And you can get it serviced at pretty much any truck dealer, coast to coast.

If Ev is the future there are a lot of considerations to deal with. Evs do fine in commuter distances with moderate temperatures. In a -40f Fargo ND or a + 115f Pheonix the range will be muched reduced due to heating or cooling needs.
Where will all that electric power come from? Coal and natural gas for a long time. the wind and solar can only generate when the sun shines and the wind blows. Wheres the storage - battery - for that to meet demand in times of peak demand
Battery, is a term of reserved power. Today we think of it as an electrical device in our phone or car.
For the solar or wind power gen systems to store power via battery to serve peak demand when the sun dont t shine and the wind dont blow,
' Battery ' must be redifined in populature culture as a storage of energy, in any form.
A lake turning hydroelectric turbines is a battery, the stored energy of the water turning those turbines is a battery. Thats one instance of many.
To put this into perspective, how many places not already used for passive energy storage like water are available.
The addage 'says when no water is available, they will drink the sand'

I laugh at the Prius drivers, wearing their masks, apparently not knowing their green electric cars, in Tucson, are powered by natural gas.

china has the code to our power grid so best to not worry what might be.

chevman

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Build a 1 ton, crew cab, 8' bed hybrid electric with with small turbine engine and I will buy one right now. I know I know battery technology is going to improve, I've heard it before.

The funny thing about all of this is GM is late to the party. They can reach there goal but they are already playing catch up.
I imagine the GM people have driven a Tesla and come to the realization the ICE is done. Tesla has changed the game. The big boys are scrambling to exit the ICE business and develop there own EV plans.
I've said it in a few other threads but I'll say it again. Personally drive a Tesla if you get a chance and you'll understand the revolution is here. The game has changed. The technology is jaw dropping. Drive a Tesla and you will immediate realize/understand the ICE is obsolete.
It's no longer if , or how, or can we. The only question is when and how soon!
I imagine cowboys, stage coach drivers and those who rode horses had the same reaction to the model T as the current naysayers have to the Tesla.