Blistering speed of...

[Frank Lee]

I believe that to even want to participate in these kind of races, you have to be eco minded and bona fide.
But if anyone wanted to play tricks, there is a lot that is possible. If the front wheels trail the steering point any sideways shake provides forward thrust, and it would be very hard to notice.

You have to be a student member of SAE for the U.S. SAE competitions.

It would be easy to notice a contestant steering like a spaz instead of smoothly.

I don't know if there's any incentive to cheat except to get bragging rights. However I have wondered if anyone has tried to do something along the lines of the 1973 Shell Economy Run's infamous Opel "Vapor" engine.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by RedDevil

I believe that to even want to participate in these kind of races, you have to be eco minded and bona fide.
But if anyone wanted to play tricks, there is a lot that is possible. If the front wheels trail the steering point any sideways shake provides forward thrust, and it would be very hard to notice.

Apparently you can get 10.000 mpg from a 130 kg car/driver combination doing 15 mph.
Lets extrapolate that to 1300 kg and 75 mph, assuming 10 times as much air restistance times 25 for 5 times the speed.
10.000 divided by 250 is just 40 mpg... and 40 mpg at 75 mph, that is something my Insight can do easily. Ah ha...!
10.000 mpg? They're not even trying

Well, if it were ten times as heavy, then wouldn't the volume be ten times as well? Assuming they keep their aerodynamic proportions, 10^(2/3)=4.64.

I get 86 MPG.

[RedDevil]

Originally Posted by Xist

Well, if it were ten times as heavy, then wouldn't the volume be ten times as well? Assuming they keep their aerodynamic proportions, 10^(2/3)=4.64.

I get 86 MPG.

Lengthwise there's not much difference. Total front surface; probably more than 10 times. So I stand by my calculation, tongue in cheek but nonetheless.
(The volume is actually way more than 10 times bigger)

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I'm gonna start using Frankunits. It got 379 mpg in Frank gallons. We butcher our language so badly these days; might as well butcher the numbers and units too.

Let the gibbing begin!

Elhigh Π = 4. Four, do you hear me? FOUR.

[bschloop]

I'm just realizing that no one has yet mentioned solar challenge cars in relation to this thread. In very similar vehicles, they average speeds approaching 60mph without using a drop of fossil fuel. not even from the power grid. to me there is no contest, the solar cars win.

[Frank Lee]

Different strokes. Wind cars can go even faster plus there aren't any complex energy systems.

[jkv357]

Originally Posted by bschloop

I'm just realizing that no one has yet mentioned solar challenge cars in relation to this thread. In very similar vehicles, they average speeds approaching 60mph without using a drop of fossil fuel. not even from the power grid. to me there is no contest, the solar cars win.

Definitely a great idea, but you do need sun, and a way to store extra energy.

That means you are dependent on weather conditions and time of day, which makes it a bit less practical.

This is the current state of the art of compact solar power systems as far as I know - http://www.solarimpulse.com/

[Xist]

My mother keeps telling me that we do not have more solar panels here in Arizona because it gets too hot, although hopefully it does not get cold enough to severely impair battery life.

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by Xist

My mother keeps telling me that we do not have more solar panels here in Arizona because it gets too hot, although hopefully it does not get cold enough to severely impair battery life.

CSP systems thrive in heat. This is, I think, the primary generation paradigm used by those giant solar installations in Spain. Except for the mirrors and collectors, the generation end is completely familiar territory. Take a regular thermal generation engineer out of his coal-burning power plant and drop him into the hot end of a solar thermal power plant, he will recognize everything.

[bschloop]

Originally Posted by Xist

My mother keeps telling me that we do not have more solar panels here in Arizona because it gets too hot, although hopefully it does not get cold enough to severely impair battery life.

A solar powered vehicle would have a built in cooling mechanism for the cells, the air you are moving through. even a black car cools down considerably when you start moving.