AirFlow StarShip Initial Reveal

[Shepherd777]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Now, if you could do something about the frontal area....

Yeah, I hear you. But us truckers are all stuck with dragging a rectangular box, 13'6" high and 102" wide that people want to put freight inside.

[grins2go_brett]

Wish I had more pull at the Arizona Trucking Association for you. But alas, I am the photographer who works with them once a year for a 3 day conference. So my influence is very low. I would love for you to be able to get your truck (when it's completed) in front of the companies out here...especially Swift and Knight.

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by Shepherd777

We had an aerodynamicist from Honda R&D in Torrence, CA do CFD simulations of the complete truck, and the final version came out to 0.25 Cd, believe it or not.

0.25!

Hot damn!

[Shepherd777]

Originally Posted by grins2go_brett

Wish I had more pull at the Arizona Trucking Association for you. But alas, I am the photographer who works with them once a year for a 3 day conference. So my influence is very low. I would love for you to be able to get your truck (when it's completed) in front of the companies out here...especially Swift and Knight.

Thanks, but that's not necessary. We'll be at all of the shows next year and all of the carriers will see it. And by virtue of my build customer, we'll have extensive worldwide press and exposure.

[windshadow]

All that work on the front and side skirts. I wonder what they did on the back?

[ctmaybury@yahoo.com]

What kind of mileage improvement do you expect from a conventional setup? I have no idea what these things can get on a long haul.

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by Shepherd777

The rear of cab to trailer is an active aerodynamic, pneumatic mechanical origami-type device that articulates. It is constructed from aluminum tubes and sheet aluminum panels. It keys off a signal in our custom digital dash to deploy at 45 mph and it stows at 40 mph so the tractor and trailer can articulate. So at any speed below 40 mph, we have the standard gap between the tractor and the trailer. At 45 mph and above, it closes that gap.

Yes, it would work with a standard trailer as the device is cab-mounted. But a standard trailer with the StarShip tractor would just be a waste of fuel.

.

CAN you make the rear of cab / front of trailer curved like a ball & socket joint? That way it can turn left or right with minimal flow interruptions & no crunch points.
Make the back of the cab half-a-ball shaped, & the matching socket curvature at the front of the trailer. Or I guess you could make it the other way as well

[Galane]

Originally Posted by rmay635703

Now you need to apply your tech to diesel motor homes

Look up the 1990-1996 Navette motorhome. Only a few were built. One is a one of a kind on a Ford chassis (instead of the Isuzu the rest used), built special to haul the Kellogs Tony the Tiger hot air balloon.

Why they stopped production is the guy building them got cancer. He survived that but didn't restart production. Last I heard, he was wanting to sell all the tooling, parts on hand plus one complete Navette. The design would of course need to be adapted to a new chassis.

Wouldn't need a single thing changed on the exterior to look like it's from 2020. 'Course something current would have to be adapted for the headlights.

navette [Tin Can Tourists Wiki]

1996 Navette Custom Built - TOY HAULER

[freebeard]

Twenty-year-old tooling and fabrication? One could probably do better stating over.

The Vixen had a BMW turbo-diesel.

[Galane]

The Vixen is older and not as slick as the Navette. The great granddaddy of aero RVs is the GMC. Unfortunately those still ended up with plenty of 'warts' poking out where General motors didn't use parts custom designed to be low drag.