Very cool. Is there any reasoning for the body design besides making it an 'art car?'
Quote:
Originally Posted by aerohead
It's a shade tree mechanics look at an actual 'light' rail system.
The probe,with parallel-hybrid drive,could be the locomotive for very light passenger railcars,festooned with photovoltaics,ganged together to feed the electric traction motor.
*Low mass
*Mass below the floor
*Low center of gravity (seating only,no standing)
*low frontal area
*1/10th rolling resistance if on steel wheels
*Low Cd
*Carries it's own 'fuel'
*'Modular'
*Regenerative braking
*Downhill coasting
*No idling
*Low-to-zero carbon
What would that cost to construct?
What would they have to invent?
What would that cost to operate?
Would tracks and wheels from a children's amusement park roller coaster system not be adequate?
What safe velocity could it operate at without risk to commuters?
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Erm, would it not be more cost effective just to put train wheels on one of these:
and call it a day? We are talking about a passenger service discontinued due to losses (or at least, lack of large profits). I doubt designing a locomotive and passenger cars for said locomotive would be anywhere near as cost effective as a bus on rails. Heck, they already have triple-articulated busses too. Shouldn't be too difficult to daisy-chain center sections together and expand the bus/doodlebug as needed.
Plus, if done right, said bus/doodlebug could pull up the rail wheels and take surface streets where it needs to go when necessary. Something like what the Adelaide O-bahn is (with existing rail infrastructure instead of wacky concrete busway):
O-Bahn Busway - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia