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Old 05-11-2016, 02:28 PM   #71 (permalink)
JRMichler
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Phillips, WI
Posts: 1,018

Nameless - '06 GMC Canyon
90 day: 37.45 mpg (US)

22 Maverick - '22 Ford Maverick XL
90 day: 43.95 mpg (US)
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That Nikola truck has got to be vaporware. A PT6 gas turbine is rated for 500 to 1000 hp depending on which version. It has specific fuel consumption of 0.67 lbs/hp/hr (Wikipedia). That's almost double the fuel consumption of a truck diesel engine.

What would be the cost and weight of a 320 KwH battery pack?

That size battery pack would allow running an engine at its best efficiency point until the pack was charged, then shut off and run off the battery. The losses from charging/discharging the battery would need to be less than the efficiency gain from running the engine at its BEP in order to show a net gain.

An interesting idea, but TANSTAAFL.

__________________
06 Canyon: The vacuum gauge plus wheel covers helped increase summer 2015 mileage to 38.5 MPG, while summer 2016 mileage was 38.6 MPG without the wheel covers. Drove 33,021 miles 2016-2018 at 35.00 MPG.

22 Maverick: Summer 2022 burned 62.74 gallons in 3145.1 miles for 50.1 MPG. Winter 2023-2024 - 2416.7 miles, 58.66 gallons for 41 MPG.
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