[rollei_list] Re: OT - The Mother of all Hybrids


Hi Bernard,


On Friday, January 28, 2005, at 11:01  PM, you wrote:

> The list of technologies banned from F1 is much longer than the list 
> of what is allowed. Current regulations allow only for 10 cylinder 
> engines of 3 liter displacement.

That doesn't answer my question, now does it. WHY did they ban turbines 
and hybrids? There's a reason for the ban.

> Turbine engines have been somewhat successful at Indy.

Yes, that was in 1968 if I remember correctly. And they were 
immediately banned from Indy car racing too.

> Oval racing is more suitable for engines that have high horsepower but 
> poor throttle response. A turbine car almost won one year, but there 
> are no prizes granted for almost winning a race.

Straight turbines are of course not too good at winning races. But a 
turbine-electric hybrid is quite another matter. Get a hold of the 
September, 2004 printed issue of *Popular Science* at your local 
library, and see the blurb on "The Mother of All Hybrids" on the 
fold-out between pages 120 and 128, where the authors say:

[QUOTE]

Turbines, with their tremendous power-to-weight ratios, seem perfect 
for racing. They aren't nearly as responsive as piston engines, though, 
which has helped keep them off the track. To overcome this, we have 
created a hybrid turbine-electric powertrain. The turbine runs 
continuously, but its driveshaft is connected to an electric generator 
instead of directly to the axles. The generator powers four in-wheel 
electric motors and keeps a supercapacitor fully charged for an extra 
boost when necessary. The supercapacitor stores energy like a battery 
yet discharges it much more quickly.

[END QUOTE]

Cheers.

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