Smart's Electric Version 42

smartHHO · 02-01-2009, 09:01 AM

I watched this video and it is very impressive. Car goes pretty fast on the excelleration, is pretty smooth ride, but for me, would have only one problem.

No music! Put a stereo in and it would drain your battery good. I am guessing one would have to have an Ipod with external speakers in order to have some kind of music.

One thing I do think is very funny, why the heck has car companies not even tried to make a car like the big trains that haul everything across the country. From what I was reading, they get 480mpg. The way they work if you did not know how, they have an engine running on diesel. The engin is running at a constant efficient RPM. At this RPM it is using very little fuel and producing the highest electricity. So the big trains you see running down the tracks are actually electric trains with diesel engines making electricity.

So, in a sense, one could put a very small, say weed eater engine in a car, have it running optimal, and run the car on electric motors/battery. Then, cars would get optimal 400+ MPG. That would be better then total electric.

Here is the video:

YouTube - SMART ELECTRIC

Here is the video on how the deisel train works at HOW STUFF WORKS.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/diesel-locomotive.htm

Gortok · 02-01-2009, 09:13 AM

Thanks for that.
Good stuff here, folks!
Gives a good idea just how cost effective an EV really is...

Pops900 · 02-01-2009, 09:24 AM

Pretty interesting video. Unfortunately the guy with the camera is not very expirienced with lighting effects. The little amount shown of the display panel was hard to see with the glare. At least they verbally described what was going on. Also, I did see a radio in the dash.
In a discussion I had with Mr. Schembri last week, he said they would likely offer the EV's to the current owners once they become available! By that time 2011~, I might be ready to switch.

Let's be careful out there,
Pops & Car-lito (pretty soon)

NCC1701 · 02-01-2009, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smartHHO

One thing I do think is very funny, why the heck has car companies not even tried to make a car like the big trains that haul everything across the country. From what I was reading, they get 480mpg.

A locomotive getting 480 miles on one gallon of diesel fuel? Please show me where you read this.

SuperGeek · 02-01-2009, 09:36 AM

smartHHO: What you describe is pretty much how the Chevy Volt will work: a gas engine generates power, the electric drives the car. With an empty battery they estimate 50 MPG from the gas generation, which is twice what a car that size gets now. With diesel they might be able to get 70+MPG but diesel is most efficient when warmed up and at a constant speed. So if you knew you were going to drive 100 miles or more, running diesel for two solid hours at low RPMs to top off the battery could work well. Not sure how the emissions control would work, but there's got to be a reason we don't see many diesels in the USA, even today. By the time you consider the extra cost of diesel, and emissions and stuff I think it pretty well matches gas.

I liked the video and will definitely be watching the Smart EV. If it can get up to 80MPH for a short burst (get-out-of-the-way mode), and be efficient at 60MPH, I'm in the market. Most of my driving's under 50MPH but if I ever do get on the interstate, in some areas the flow is 80+ anything less isn't real safe.

Old smart · 02-01-2009, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smartHHO

... One thing I do think is very funny, why the heck has car companies not even tried to make a car like the big trains that haul everything across the country. From what I was reading, they get 480mpg. The way they work if you did not know how, they have an engine running on diesel. The engin is running at a constant efficient RPM. At this RPM it is using very little fuel and producing the highest electricity. So the big trains you see running down the tracks are actually electric trains with diesel engines making electricity.

So, in a sense, one could put a very small, say weed eater engine in a car, have it running optimal, and run the car on electric motors/battery. Then, cars would get optimal 400+ MPG. That would be better then total electric. ...

Realize that diesel-electric locomotives (and diesel-electric ships) have a great deal of inefficient labor involved in accelerating to their quite narrow band of optimal operation sustainment RPM. The Brits tried to do a bit better with diesel-hydraulic locomotives which use multi-speed transmissions to make them more tractable in hilly terrain. Some are still use in the GWRR's routes out through the West Country to Cornwall. It is a bit odd to leave a station or start up an incline and hear the locomotive shifting up and down.

smartHHO · 02-01-2009, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NCC1701

A locomotive getting 480 miles on one gallon of diesel fuel? Please show me where you read this.

I will look it up. I heard it somewhere but you got to look at how effient we are talking. A 2 cylinder engine, yes, it is huge. But when you have NO LOAD, then you burn almost no gas to get the pistons to go up and down. It is just charging batterys I am guessing, I have not looked up the complete method on how it works. If a Car over in Europe running deisel can get up to 80mpg or more, then with NO LOAD it should be possible to run a train 480 miles on one gallon, since the deisel engine is not the one driving the train but the electric engine.

Some of this information I did hear from some Brits that I know. As Old Smart says, maybe it is due to the Brit's special transmissions. heck, if you think about the way any car works, if you have another gear in a car, IE 6th, you could get better MPG on highway travel. I have found for example on my wife's jetta, 2800 RPM is optimal for her car on MPG. Tha is only running at 60/65 tops. Most cars are doing 75/80. So if you add that 6th gear, then doing the 70/75 on the freeway strech you save gas. Just a thought on all of this though. If the Chevy Volt is using this idea, they are going in the right direction in getting the best MPG.

smartHHO · 02-01-2009, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NCC1701

A locomotive getting 480 miles on one gallon of diesel fuel? Please show me where you read this.

Ok, I did some research on the Deisel locomotive. The person that told me must of misunderstood what he either read or heard. But, this is what I read.

Trains are rated in tons/mile/gallon.

so, a train hauls 480tons one mile on one gallon, 480TMG or something like that.

Britian has the most efficeint trains and get a max of 12mpg for the distance. But, you got to look at the weight factor when it comes down to it.

Just like the smart, small engine, light car = good MPG.

I was reading about peugeot's new car that is deisel hybrid that gets 69mpg. They say it still does not compare to the Deisel Smart that gets 72mpg. So, I am saying that if you take the idea of deisel hybrid and apply it to a smart, I bet you get over a 100 mpg easily. A deisel engine with no load and it's sole purpose to to recharge batteries. You probably go far. Just a thought though. Emmisions would be something else for sure.