Also, if the trucks are all networked together, none of them can 'surprise' the others, so you could close the following distance between trucks to effecting form a 'train' where they draft off each other. THAT will significantly reduce aerodynamic drag.
December 3, 2020 2:25 PM, "Peri Hartman via EV" <ev@lists.evdl.org> wrote: > Very interesting idea. Would it be possible to design something that allows > that transition: to and > from rails ? It would need to be able to make the switch in a few tenths of a > second in order to > respond to emergencies. I've seen the track work trucks which have rubber > tires and steel wheels > that can be lowered, but they don't have quick action. Maybe a similar > mechanism could work, > though. > > As for electrifying, that sounds unnecessary. True, there would be a lot of > wind resistance eating > up energy, but overall the efficiency should still go up dramatically and we > are already reaching > the economic point of using a large battery for long hauls. Or, am I wrong on > this: is the majority > of energy, at 70mph, used to push wind ? > > Another consideration: with good "autopilot" software, drafting becomes > possible. That means a > series of trucks could approach the efficiency of a train, as far as wind > resistance goes. If wind > resistance is the major player, here, then the steel rails aren't needed. > Just do the drafting. > > Then, there's the cost consideration: how much would it cost to put in high > quality rails on the > long stretches of the Interstates ? A lot. > > Peri > > << Annoyed by leaf blowers ? https://quietcleanseattle.org >> > > ------ Original Message ------ > From: "Peter VanDerWal via EV" <ev@lists.evdl.org> > To: "Electric Vehicle Discussion List" <ev@lists.evdl.org> > Cc: e...@vanderwal.us > Sent: 03-Dec-20 9:07:07 AM > Subject: Re: [EVDL] 'All's not well with UK public charging' / Autonomy > >> If that's the case, then they aught to embed steel rails in the lane. The >> truck can get to/from the >> lane on rubber tires and then switch to steel wheels on steel rails. Much >> better efficieny, reduce >> wear on tires (saves money) and less micro-partical pollution. >> >> As an added bonus the rails could be electrified to power the trucks so they >> don't need to haul >> around tons of batteries. Power could be derived (at least part of the time) >> by using solar roofs >> for those lanes. >> >> This, of course, would make too much sense to ever be implemented. > > _______________________________________________ > UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub > ARCHIVE: http://www.evdl.org/archive/index.html > INFO: http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org > Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA) _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub ARCHIVE: http://www.evdl.org/archive/index.html INFO: http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
