General thoughts on Hybrids

valhalla360 wrote:


But if the MH slams on the brakes and the Toad gets electronically confused and applies full power...

I would think this would be more likely with a human driver, not a self driving car.

PS: Yes, I'm quite familiar with barge towing having spent time on our boat running the river systems and the Intercoastal Waterway. I have seen tugs pulling a string of barges. If you are referring to "tows", those are custom "tow boats" designed to operate from the rear. Once hooked up, they a really are a single entity far more so than any on road towing system. And this supports my point that a custom design Toad that pushes is not the same as dragging a standard Toad.

My experience with barges is limited, but when I asked the captain why he would unhook from the front, move his boat to the other end before he would take the load out into the river he said with the load behind him, if he needed to stop, backing into the front of the barge would likely cause the barge to ride up on his boat. I asked why he didn't just back his boat in so the barge was up to ramp? Would prefer to keep back of boat in deeper water.
(I wanted them to switch tows faster, I hated to set there under a pile of rocks waiting for them to get a barge in place for me to back on and unload.)
Another discussion about how many angels can dance on head of pin, but still fun. Custom design toad? From what I understand a lot of changes need to made for brakes and lighting to tow any vehicle 4 down. And a limited number of ICE powered vehicles can be used without mods to prevent damage to transmission. A electric vehicle needs no disconnect wheel/motor because electric does not idle. And because the power band for E starts at 0 rpm, no need to change gear ratios. And if you tried to spin ICE you must overcome the friction, plus the compression, moving the air. Driving a E motor, some friction, (Fewer moving parts, none of which speed, stop, reverse, repeat every revolution) so less friction. It will generate electricity, but if the circuit is open is there a load from that?
From what I see, the only change in a E vehicle drive train need to tow 4 down would be open the circuit, and make sure a parking brake was released.
And while the angels are dancing, how far downhill can any car coast in drive at highway speed without damage? Next question. If the car could coast all day without issue, would the car know that a MH is forcing it to move instead of a downgrade? In other words could prep to tow be instead of removing fuses and whatever be hook up brake system, start, put in drive? And if the engine is running in drive, could the reactive cruse control be programmed to keep a much shorter distance behind one vehicle? Steering would be controlled by towbar. Brakes the normal system.