[Homestead] Two ranchers get together to chat
Don Bowen
don.bowen at earthlink.net
Sun May 18 18:49:26 EDT 2008
>O.K., all you mechanically/electrical engineering type/inclined folks. How
>come they can't use the wheels of a vehicle to generate electricity to
>replace the electricity used? Kinda make the hubs the equivalent of he-man
>sized alternator/generator type thingys? Why is it that they have to drive
>and then "fill up"?
Why would it not work to put a fan at the back of a sail boat and blow
toward the sails?
Heat losses in the tires, in the gears and bearings, friction losses in the
air flow, etc. There is a set amount of power to maintain a steady state.
There are ways to reduce the power requirements but not eliminate them.
Adding a generator to the wheels would only increase the steady state power
requirements.
Some hybrids use regenerative braking. The braking system is turned around
to a generator but at best that only gains about 15%.
Don Bowen KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html
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