Hypercar - what is it?

Mar 20 00:39 UTC 1998

What is a hypercar?  We keep running across references to it,
some in connection with Amory Lovins, who spoke here recently and
is an advocate of reducing energy consumption.  We got there late.
He is predicting an ultralight vehicle (a bicycle?) that can go 180 pmg (how
many miles could I go on 1 gal ice cream) and may count for 1/3 of the market
by 2005.  How is this thing fueled?  Is it some sort of hybrid gas/electric
vehicle?  Fuel cell?  How does it differ from a bicycle?

response 2 of 15:

Mar 23 00:47 UTC 1998

There have been vehicles based on motorcycle engines that resemble a very
small, streamlined car.  One or 2 passenger capacity.  It's also possible to
power via electricity or some combination of combustion and electricity, and
have solar options and braking that generates power to put back into the
battery (instead of turning the car's inertia into heat, the way conventional
cars work).  

A few years ago, UM students won a "solar car" race primarily by optimising
the car itself, rather than the type of solar panels it used.

response 4 of 15:

Mar 23 13:48 UTC 1998

(The other timing that they fail to tell you about the U of M solar car it
had several support vehicles.  At least one of which was a lab on wheels
that monitored solar flux, wind speed, inclination, charge state of the
batteries in the solar car, etc. and told the "driver" in the solar vehicle
*exactly* what to do.  I would be surprised if the fleet fuel economy was
any better than 5 MPG.  After hearing that, the whole concept slid into
the dump for me.)

response 6 of 15:

Mar 24 02:57 UTC 1998

Right, it sounds like a control issue.  Like all other such things, once you
get it figured out you can start stamping out chips.  Hopefully the chips can
be small enough so that running the computer doesn't take up all the solar
power, leaving none for the wheels.  ;)

(Yamaha produced a really great synthesiser (music keyboard) back in the 80's
called the DX7.  Really ahead of its time, and still a good value.  The
prototype was two 6 foot tall racks full of chips.  The production model took
that part of the hardware down to a just a handfull of chips (maybe just
two?).

response 8 of 15:

Mar 25 21:31 UTC 1998

BUt if the support vehicles were reflecting energy to the solar car, where
are they supposed to be getting their own energy from?  Is this just a race,
or a way to improve solar technology?

response 10 of 15:

Mar 27 00:44 UTC 1998

Sound like biking across country with a van carrying all your
tents, bedding, clothing and food, and prearranged campsites 
with hot water.  Not for us, we carry it all ourselves.
Hopeful solar technology is also being advanced at the same time
as the race is being one.  Are there any usable solar-powered cars?
Or bicycles? (for uphill).

response 12 of 15:

Mar 30 02:54 UTC 1998

Solar power on a good day yields 1300 watts per square meter. That's *ALL*
you get. And this is a square meter of area facing *directly* toward the sun.

An _Impala_ class passenger car requires 25000 watts to cruise at 60 MPH -
that's the equivalent of around 20 square meters of solar cell. (A _Monte
Carlo_ does a bit better - 19000 watts at 60 MPH.)

And this is what must reach the drive wheels. Inefficiencies in the conversion
will increase the solar cell requirement. What's the efficiency of solar cells
these days? Is it up to 10% yet?

response 14 of 15:

Apr 4 11:20 UTC 1998

I believe that No. is for noon during, during the Summer Solstice on a very
clear day.