Posted on 03/05/2021 6:39:31 AM PST by Eddie01
Instead of a refuel, it's a battery pack change depending on race length.
No noise.
No shifting.
Super fast.
Just a random Friday thought.
Forget the politics, just talking about the sport and engineering.
* I remember a couple years ago Musk showed up at the Nurburgring and set some fast times for one lap but found out those chubby Teslas are really hard on the tires*
**************
Yeh, I would image so. Didn’t he also set some sort of record for 0 to 60 mph? But, about the tires, it will take some engineering work and testing to optimize putting power to the ground most efficiently for sure.
Traffic lights and drive-thrus might be a problem...................
It’s not at-track betting, but you can bet on Nascar here in Indiana through your smart phone apps.
Draftkings/William Hill/etc
Probably never allow EVs.....with no noise fans may sleep during races and they won’t buy wings and beer, drastically cutting revenue.
Yeah, but now instead of one long race have several short races and copy the horse track betting model.
The “breeding” are the fluid algorithm enhancements and sensor arrays.
“Digital Genetics” - must credit Eddie01 3/5/2021
It’ll be like the open seas...you fire a warning shot over the other cars’ bows and force them to divert course.
Drive-thrus will be fitted with docks and people who come out and serve your food, then cast you off when you’re done.
You act like I’ve not thought this through.
;]
Start a new class and see if it catches on. My guess is no because people like the sound and fury of the cars.
Also would/could be a nightmare when these cars crash. There are documented cases of serious crash related fires where the batteries just keep burning and reigniting hours after the initial crash.
We did crap like that too when business was slow or we got done early. Our pallet jack races were legendary.
Cut grooves in the tracks, and lay down flat, braided cable.
It’ll be the world’s biggest slot car race.
How exciting.
It sure was. I spent many an hour at the local track in the late 60s. Apparently there are still quite a few commercial tracks out there, though.
First time we went to Michigan International Speedway, we were just getting out of the car when they turned the pack loose. What a noise! Sounded like a pack of P-51 Mustangs roaring by overhead!
Figure 8 to make it fair.
Equal distance for all. :)
More extreme speed management though from the off center cars...
If you are talking daily drivers, you are right. Talking true track cars? No.
There are very real limits to how much power you can put through a stator at a given speed and voltage, due to back emf issue. You need complex switched mode power supplies to boost battery voltage as motor speed increases. Maybe one day solid state semiconductor switches will reach into that territory, but it isn’t there yet, and I don’t see it for years.
The piston engine is much more dynamic, and much less fussy, more fuel and air, more power. Simple blocks, Rods, valves, cams, pistons and bearings are easier and cheaper to replace if something starts to bend, and they tend to be able to take much more dynamic load than a copper wire. So people tend to push them much harder, and it’s easier to push them harder (said equipment above for emachines is not cheap, and it’s complex).
Also driver safety in a race car. Plasma is a lot hotter than burning gasoline or alcohol, or even burning nitromethane in open air. Which would I like to get hit by in a fire suit? I’ll take oxidizing fuel on a fire suit over vaporized metal plasma or a continuous or even half second multimegawatt arc anyday of the week.
Remember, 1334hp is just over a megawatt. Plenty of built GM LS, Coyote and Chrysler HEmi motors turning that nowdays in entry level track cars.
The “drivers” can sit high above the track with plunger-type controllers, drink beer, curse, and have a good ol’ time.
And, like the old Aurora setups, NASCAR can build giant plastic grandstands with cardboard race fans.
I’d watch that on TV.
Once
“Let’s just take this to its logical conclusion and replace everything with virtual cars racing against AI drivers in on cyber-racetracks !”
Or move the series to iRacing permanently.
Ask Kyle Larson how that worked for him...
” And, on the oval they will be able to sling shot out of the turns leaving gas fueled cars in the dust.”
Maybe on a short track, but on an intermediate or superspeedway the cars don’t really slow down much. OTOH, what you describe above would be a definite advantage on a road course.
To have any reasonable range, you’ll need a lot of heavy batteries. Which means either rock hard tires or frequent changes.
Don’t those Formula E cars weight about 30% more than a similar Formula 1 car?
“Yeh, EV’s will have to be a class of its on. “
NASCAR is running Mustang, Camaro and Camry. About the only difference between them is the decals.
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