Idea for future Corvettes - maybe C-7 -more power
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 790
Likes: 0
From: meraux louisiana
Idea for future Corvettes - maybe C-7 -more power
I was watching a locomotive putting the pedal to the metal yesterday clearing an intersection. The thobbing of the diesels and the heat of the exhaust coming out of its ports on the top of the engine were powerful.
I know these engines are producing electicity from onboard generators that are making incredible amounts of torque to push those heavy railcars.
With all the talk of hybrids I was wondering if the prototype Corvette of the future could could have small electric motors at each wheel that could take power from capacitors that have stored up electical energy. These capacitors would only be discharged when needed under heavy acceleration to drive the electic motors which would add to the amazing amount of horsepower that the Vette engine already creates.
I believe the Lexus RX-400 hybrid is already blazing this path. It is much faster than the RX-330 without a huge increase in weight. The Corvette maybe could pick up an extra easy 100 horsepower when we really feel like kicking up our heels!
Andy
I know these engines are producing electicity from onboard generators that are making incredible amounts of torque to push those heavy railcars.
With all the talk of hybrids I was wondering if the prototype Corvette of the future could could have small electric motors at each wheel that could take power from capacitors that have stored up electical energy. These capacitors would only be discharged when needed under heavy acceleration to drive the electic motors which would add to the amazing amount of horsepower that the Vette engine already creates.
I believe the Lexus RX-400 hybrid is already blazing this path. It is much faster than the RX-330 without a huge increase in weight. The Corvette maybe could pick up an extra easy 100 horsepower when we really feel like kicking up our heels!
Andy
Former Vendor
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 9,615
Likes: 13
From: Burlington NC
The future will be interesting! My old RC car days may come in handy in future cars. I will be telling me grand kids about the race gas we used to run. And they will have no idea what I'm talking about. I will miss the sound of big cams, big compression, open exhaust. But the electric world will have a major part of autos in the future, can't wait to drive one.
Randy
Randy
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 10,089
Likes: 14
Originally Posted by 2000 green hornet
I was watching a locomotive putting the pedal to the metal yesterday clearing an intersection. The thobbing of the diesels and the heat of the exhaust coming out of its ports on the top of the engine were powerful.
I know these engines are producing electicity from onboard generators that are making incredible amounts of torque to push those heavy railcars.
With all the talk of hybrids I was wondering if the prototype Corvette of the future could could have small electric motors at each wheel that could take power from capacitors that have stored up electical energy. These capacitors would only be discharged when needed under heavy acceleration to drive the electic motors which would add to the amazing amount of horsepower that the Vette engine already creates.
I believe the Lexus RX-400 hybrid is already blazing this path. It is much faster than the RX-330 without a huge increase in weight. The Corvette maybe could pick up an extra easy 100 horsepower when we really feel like kicking up our heels!
Andy
I know these engines are producing electicity from onboard generators that are making incredible amounts of torque to push those heavy railcars.
With all the talk of hybrids I was wondering if the prototype Corvette of the future could could have small electric motors at each wheel that could take power from capacitors that have stored up electical energy. These capacitors would only be discharged when needed under heavy acceleration to drive the electic motors which would add to the amazing amount of horsepower that the Vette engine already creates.
I believe the Lexus RX-400 hybrid is already blazing this path. It is much faster than the RX-330 without a huge increase in weight. The Corvette maybe could pick up an extra easy 100 horsepower when we really feel like kicking up our heels!
Andy
But batteries with large amounts of energy storage are heavy. The state of the art in lead-acid batteries is about 40 watt-hours per pound. Gasoline does *much* better as an energy storage medium. It has 6.4 million watt-hours per pound. Of course that's just the weight of the gasoline, you also have to figure in the weight of the engine and drivetrain, and deduct the efficiency losses that come with trying to convert the chemical energy stored in gasoline to motion by burning it. But there is much more room for improvement in chemical energy to mechanical energy systems than other available methods. Hence the intensive research currently being done on fuel cells.
