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?

15 responses total.

I believe it differs from a bicycle in that it's a small car with a gasoline
powered engine.  It's just a very fuel efficient engine.

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.

The main complaint I have heard about solar cars is that people want them to
be heated so they can wear summer clothing in the winter, and that uses up
the battery really fast.
I imagine cars could be insulated, and could have solar gain.

(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.)

In theory you could build all those monitoring systems into a small computer
chip.  WOuld you have believed a computer could control a car, even twenty
years ago (or before whenever chips started being used in cars).  Just think
what could be done with solar and public transport combined - with luck you
could even generate excess power for the grid by extracting it from heat
produced from the crowds riding your vehicle.

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?).

Perhaps.  I just don't think it is fair to off so much of the vehicle
control.  A vehicle that includes more of this technology on-board
would have more of a disadvantage because of the added weight.  Perhaps
the support vehicles could "beam" more energy to the solar car via
microwaves the next time around?  Or be equipped with huge mirrors to
focus more light to the solar car?  I see these as being equivalent
to off-site control.

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?

It is just a race.  The winner is the first one across the finish line
not the one who advanced solar technology the most.

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).

You can get a toy solar powered car form Radio Shack (they may have to
special order it for you.)

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?

Are you talking about a sunny day in Michigan in late June, or the average
sunny day in Michigan at 3 pm, or what?

Is anybody planning to go to Lansing on the 18th to the solar energy or
alternative energy fair?  We would prefer not to burn nonrenewable fules in
order to get there, but maybe with a full car.  It is a bit far to bike for
just one day.  Does anyone know the times and events?

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

This guy modified a '92 Honda Civic to reduce drag, adding a streamlined
nose, boat tail, wheel skirts, and underbody pans.  He claims 95 mpg,
about a 53% improvement over stock:
http://www.hackaday.com/2008/01/02/inexpensive-mpg-modding/

As I note in the comment thread, I figure if that's correct he's only
putting out about 8.5 horsepower at the drive wheels at 60 mph.

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