Ill take this over a new C7
01-31-2012, 07:48 PM
#61
Team Owner
When I drive conservatively on the highway (65-70mph or so) I get 31mpg according to my C6's DIC. The best was when I did that on the way home from the track after running a few 10 second 1/4 mile passes.
Amazing cars these Corvettes are.
01-31-2012, 09:07 PM
#62
Le Mans Master
01-31-2012, 11:47 PM
#63
Team Owner
Yes, I'd assumed that it might be reading a slight bit on the high side.
02-01-2012, 11:08 AM
#64
Le Mans Master
02-01-2012, 06:27 PM
#65
Burning Brakes
Member Since: Jul 2011
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Don't forget FLYWHEEL storage... That's already being used and is doing quite well. They're cheap, they aren't harmful to the environment, they don't have a cycle life and they don't even require any sort of electric drive system. If you have something bad to say about flywheel energy storage, I'd be surprised if the point is valid.
One drawback I see, is the potential for explosive release of the energy in an accident. Not that isn't an issue with hydrogen, but with modern hydrogen fuel cells it is very minimal.
Of course there is the whole need for dual counter rotating flywheels to eliminate gyro effect, and they have to be 100% synchronized or they create torque forces that can ruin the shafts they turn on. But with today's tech, that should be a minor issue.
Matter of fact, after reading about them, if they could be sealed with their bearing in some super cooling agent, they could use super conductor bearings and their energy efficiency could be greater than 90%. Maybe 97/98%.
02-01-2012, 06:34 PM
#66
Burning Brakes
02-02-2012, 03:08 AM
#67
Le Mans Master
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Not sure how accurate the instant DIC numbers are, but I have compared the average DIC mileage with manual calculation on several tanks and, at least on my car, the DIC average comes out to match.
Hadn't done much research on flywheel energy storage, so did so.. Does seem to have potential. 90% energy efficiency or close to it is impressive. It still needs some way to create the energy, which I still would prefer hydrogen to gas, ethanol, or battery. But seeing as the actual energy source could be much smaller, it is less of an issue.
One drawback I see, is the potential for explosive release of the energy in an accident. Not that isn't an issue with hydrogen, but with modern hydrogen fuel cells it is very minimal.
Of course there is the whole need for dual counter rotating flywheels to eliminate gyro effect, and they have to be 100% synchronized or they create torque forces that can ruin the shafts they turn on. But with today's tech, that should be a minor issue.
Matter of fact, after reading about them, if they could be sealed with their bearing in some super cooling agent, they could use super conductor bearings and their energy efficiency could be greater than 90%. Maybe 97/98%.
Hadn't done much research on flywheel energy storage, so did so.. Does seem to have potential. 90% energy efficiency or close to it is impressive. It still needs some way to create the energy, which I still would prefer hydrogen to gas, ethanol, or battery. But seeing as the actual energy source could be much smaller, it is less of an issue.
One drawback I see, is the potential for explosive release of the energy in an accident. Not that isn't an issue with hydrogen, but with modern hydrogen fuel cells it is very minimal.
Of course there is the whole need for dual counter rotating flywheels to eliminate gyro effect, and they have to be 100% synchronized or they create torque forces that can ruin the shafts they turn on. But with today's tech, that should be a minor issue.
Matter of fact, after reading about them, if they could be sealed with their bearing in some super cooling agent, they could use super conductor bearings and their energy efficiency could be greater than 90%. Maybe 97/98%.
The good thing about using flywheel tech for economical use is that it doesn't actually need a separate power source to work. Buses use it with a special transmission directly linked to the flywheel storage. When the bus brakes, the transmission changes gearing so that the rear wheels drive the flywheel to spin up. While the bus sits, the flywheel spins free. When the bus accelerates, the transmission changes gearing again to use the flywheel as a parallel power source to drive the rear wheels. This allows the bus to capture and reuse the majority of the energy normally lost to braking via heat.
Porsche uses this same principle, except they use 3 small electric motors. This is a far more costly design and a bit more complex, but it also comes with far more options as far as how the system can be used. The way their system works is that the two front wheels are driven by 2 independent electric motors. The flywheel is driven by a single larger electric motor. The two electric motors act as generators (electric brakes) and the power is sent to the 3rd motor driving the flywheel store the energy. When the power is needed either in flat acceleration or power boosting, the flywheel motor becomes an electric brake and sends that energy to the front wheel motors.
Your concerns about the gyro effect are likely valid. I've had the same thought about that as well. Judging by the size and shape of the Porsche GT3R setup, I'd guess they have stacked two flywheels in the case that counter spin via gearing. It wouldn't be hard to do so and would naturally maintain a 1:1 spin ratio with very little cost or weight.
