[geeks] [rescue] Computerfests (was: first real server hardware) -OT

[Sandwich Maker]

" From: Dan Duncan <dand at pcisys.net>
" 
" On Mon, 26 Apr 2004, Sandwich Maker wrote:
" > otoh hybrid tech has a ways to go.  the toyota sells - reputedly at a
" > large loss - for twice the echo it's based on, gets mileage no better
" > than a vw diesel, and when the batts run their life out - guard your
" > wallet...
" 
" <begin rant>
" There are
" plenty of perfectly good examples of hybrid electric in long term
" use and the car crop has ignored it in an attempt to reinvent their
" wheels.  Trains and submarines (nuke and diesel) have been hybrid for
" ages.

locomotives aren't strictly -hybrid- -- they just have electric
transmissions, with trivial batts that aren't even reliable for
cranking the prime mover -every-day-.  locos are designed for
continuous operation, and assumed to be in revenue svc 24/7.

the only diesel hybrid i could find was the alco-ge-ir unit of 1928,
but they were rather specialized, not very successful, and only about
46 were made.  at that, they did better than their parent non-hybrid
diesel electric design, with 28 300hp and 18 600hp units '24-'30.
[2nd diesel spotter's gd, pp alco-212 and ge-143]

" It seems to me that a basic
" premise of a hybrid is that you can get rid of things like transmissions
" and differentials and simplify the design somewhat, but what are
" Toyota and Honda doing?  They're keeping them and ADDING complexity
" by trying to integrate an inline electric motor inside the mix.  Gah!
" Part of the inefficiency of a conventional vehicle comes from having
" to run the engine at varying rpm's.  So why do it?

exactly!

otoh, mech trans are -very-compact-, and i don't know if a gen/motor
could be as small.  but they should be working on it.

" Instead of
" trying to make gas suck less, why not choose something less sucky
" to begin with like diesel or natural gas?

this may be a us-mkt phenom - diesel cars are a hard sell, vw and
mercedes [possibly] excepted.

" As you mentioned above,
" they merely bump a gas car up to the level of an ordinary diesel.
" Why not START with a diesel?

diesel has its own problems, but i agree.  and then there's
biodiesel...

i would prefer lpg to natural gas - much easier to handle mobile.

" If I want to build myself a great computer, I'm not going to
" start with a Gateway PC.

yup.
________________________________________________________________________
Andrew Hay                                  the genius nature
internet rambler                            is to see what all have seen
adh at an.bradford.ma.us                       and think what none thought