Quote:
Originally Posted by Hersbird
Off topic a bit but here is my idea. Build electric cars with a sturdy front and rear steel plate of specific size shape and height. Then the cars could chain together on the highway using electromagnets to attach each car front and rear to the next. Also use the automation and let them talk to each other about intention, what exit they want, overall destination, emergency braking, etc. You could even add "freeway tugs" basically a big diesel tow rig that could pull a whole chain of maybe 20 or more cars and let the electric cars use zero battery until they were at their exit point.
Just for instance a drive I make a few times a year Spokane WA to Seattle. There must be thousands of cars every hour doing the almost exact same drive. Pod them up into 20 car groups every 2 mins pulled by a tug that gets 10 mpg. 275 miles so 27.5 gallons of diesel or 1.38 gallons for each car to go 275 miles (200 mpg), but they arrive in Seattle or Spokane with a full battery remaining. The pollution out on the windy plains of Washington has far less impact than in the metro areas and then people would be less apprehensive of electric cars and limited ranges or recharge locations and time.
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I've thought of this same idea myself. In addition, you could have a positive and negative side on the front and rear connections of each car. That way, a current could be provided by the tug to charge the cars why they are being towed, or the cars in the chain could share electricity as needed. But all this would require a high level automation or AI to make this work. I wouldn't trust the average driver, to connect and disconnect from a road train...