Cooperhawk
Buckeye
Now this is cool! Can't wait to see one on the road!
Click below.........
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NER9X4_gtYk
Click below.........
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NER9X4_gtYk
New Truck.
- Thread starter Cooperhawk
- Start date
RugerHound
Hunter
That is spectacularly cool! I work with Capstone turbines periodically... I had no idea they could get enough umph out of them for this kind of application!
All the lefties who's job it is to hate Walmart are gonna have to rethink the Party line it seems! ;)
All the lefties who's job it is to hate Walmart are gonna have to rethink the Party line it seems! ;)
Back in the mid 60's there was a turbine car. Debut at the 1964 NY worlds fair. There were a few sold, but it faded away. Now a micro turbine, air cooled. How is that going to work out in stop and go traffic in 110 degree weather a la California. Or how about -40 F in Minnesota, Dakotas etc.?
gramps
gramps
Viking Queen
Blackhawk
Wow! Waaaay cool!!
VQ
VQ
RugerHound
Hunter
gramps said:
I remember the turbine powered auto of the 1960s very well. Jay Leno has one in his garage as a matter of fact!
Having been in the turbine business for many years, I can tell you that cooling won't be a problem. The problem in high temperatures is loss of horsepower due to low air density, and in cold temperatures the problem is (potentially) too much horsepower from extremely dense air. It's much easier to heat cold air than it is to cool hot air, but I'm certain the Capstone folks have a good handle on the issue of cooling.
toysoldier
Hunter
Gramps, you missed the part about the turbine powering an electric drive. It's a hybrid. In the comments, one person mentioned the difficulty of towing an ultralight empty trailer. Certainly wouldn't stay on the road here in Kansas, unless they can figure out a way to collapse the sidewalls and travel as a flatbed.
cruzerlou
Buckeye
If I'm not mistaken, that aero cab design was a concept truck build by Freightliner about 10 years ago. They also had " skirt " between the tractor and the trailer to stop the vortex effect between the two while at highway speed.
I saw one of those trucks at a truckstop some years ago.they were out collecting aerodynamic data as it related to fuel consumption.
It was still running a 3406 Caterpillar I believe.
It was a cool truck the cab was awesome
.
Lou
I saw one of those trucks at a truckstop some years ago.they were out collecting aerodynamic data as it related to fuel consumption.
It was still running a 3406 Caterpillar I believe.
It was a cool truck the cab was awesome
.
Lou
Thanks RH, and toysoldier. Yeah I picked up on the hybrid part. R. G. LeTourneau built earth moving equipment in the 50's maybe earlier using that concept. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._G._LeTourneau It will be interesting to see this concept play out. Especially interesting to see the return of the turbine, and now mated with the "electric wheel". It worked great for moving very heavy loads, but at a much slower pace.
gramps
gramps
Rick Courtright
Hawkeye
Hi,
Kind of interesting in a "My Grandpa was an AMC Pacer" kinda way. As one commenter noted, I'm not sure driving across the desert in that cab would be a pleasant experience. Still, I'd like to see how some of those technologies work out in the real world: it's sure some will.
Rick C
Kind of interesting in a "My Grandpa was an AMC Pacer" kinda way. As one commenter noted, I'm not sure driving across the desert in that cab would be a pleasant experience. Still, I'd like to see how some of those technologies work out in the real world: it's sure some will.
Rick C
So that's where those big ole carbon fiber panels were bound. Hmm.
Big Old Boy
Hunter
After the army my first job was driving a 1961 kW and I think that new truck is fugly though times are changing.
I too have to question the air cooling having driven a VW van for a year or two..... concept is good as long as you are moving and don't live in the South... Kind of like it seems most folks up north that work in offices don't understand that you can't where polyester down here and do any work at all......
Also, they never showed the back of the trailer... but I assume it is curved too.... one of the major concepts in aerodynamics is not only to efficiently separate the air you are passing through but to also put if back where it was efficiently.... just like when going through water in a displacement hull boat... those big squared back trailers make a hole (vacuum) behind them that is trying to pull the trailer back into it.
Also, they never showed the back of the trailer... but I assume it is curved too.... one of the major concepts in aerodynamics is not only to efficiently separate the air you are passing through but to also put if back where it was efficiently.... just like when going through water in a displacement hull boat... those big squared back trailers make a hole (vacuum) behind them that is trying to pull the trailer back into it.
Rancher Will
Blackhawk
This is an interesting experiment. I will be interested to see how it plays out. Over the years I have watched a number of concepts designed and tested. Some worked and some did not.
Some years ago Kenworth had at least two steam powered semis on the road testing that concept. I had a chance to examine one of them and visit with the drivers and techs who were with the trucks. They were optimistic but I never heard about them again.
I have two of my trucks leased to Walmart hauling reefers to their stores from the Distribution Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming to Walmart stores in the Rocky Mountain area from Montana to Colorado. In the video above I noticed that the Carbon Fiber results in a much lighter trailer. This should improve fuel consumption but I would anticipate some problems when driving in side winds. Even with normal weight trailers, even 40,000 pounds loaded, the winds in Wyoming/Colorado/Montana are dangerous for any but experienced drivers. In fact even the best drivers shut down often due to high winds, sometimes for 24 hours or more with heavy loaded trailers.
Empty normal weight trailers regularly get blown over on I-80, I-25 and empty trailers don't run regularly in high winds. Just a few years ago a number of box cars on the railroad were blown off the tracks onto their sides just south of Cheyenne by high side winds.
Also, I am sure that if the new concept works out the EPA and DOT will figure out a bunch of new regulations that will make it more expensive. They always do and have with every new design and/or efficiency improvement ever implemented.
Some years ago Kenworth had at least two steam powered semis on the road testing that concept. I had a chance to examine one of them and visit with the drivers and techs who were with the trucks. They were optimistic but I never heard about them again.
I have two of my trucks leased to Walmart hauling reefers to their stores from the Distribution Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming to Walmart stores in the Rocky Mountain area from Montana to Colorado. In the video above I noticed that the Carbon Fiber results in a much lighter trailer. This should improve fuel consumption but I would anticipate some problems when driving in side winds. Even with normal weight trailers, even 40,000 pounds loaded, the winds in Wyoming/Colorado/Montana are dangerous for any but experienced drivers. In fact even the best drivers shut down often due to high winds, sometimes for 24 hours or more with heavy loaded trailers.
Empty normal weight trailers regularly get blown over on I-80, I-25 and empty trailers don't run regularly in high winds. Just a few years ago a number of box cars on the railroad were blown off the tracks onto their sides just south of Cheyenne by high side winds.
Also, I am sure that if the new concept works out the EPA and DOT will figure out a bunch of new regulations that will make it more expensive. They always do and have with every new design and/or efficiency improvement ever implemented.
TCGuy
Single-Sixer
gramps said:
Check out "Jay Leno's Garage" on youtube. He has one of the Chrysler turbine cars (one of two in private hands today)
Charon
Single-Sixer
Gas turbine engines have been capable of high power with relatively light weight for decades. That's why helicopters use them. The problem has been fuel efficiency, particularly at less than full power. Even heavy trucks don't run at full power most of the time, even at highway speeds. They need the power to accelerate from rest to road speed, and for climbing hills, but at "level cruise" they throttle back quite a bit. It will be interesting to see how Walmart/Peterbilt handle the issue.
