There is an article on CNET today touting an effort to develop fuel cell powered open wheel cars, with aspirations to eventually have the engineering enable them to make a viable competitive sell to the ranks of F1 by 2015 (right....)
http://news.com.com/2300-11389_3-6108133-1.html
Is it just me, or do you think this type of effort is just doomed from the start for at least initially many years to come? F1 running around with a bank full of capacitors instead of 19KRPM engines by 2015? Come on, who at that company really thinks that is going to happen regardless of what hydrodynamics problems they think they have solved? Designing a 500lb go cart is one thing, and a 1500lbs competitive F1 car is entirely different because of the sheer platform weight alone, let alone maintainance when you find yourself needing a quick 11 milion dollar battery change-out in the pits because of charging issues.
Even if they did, can you imagine watching an F1 race as the cars zoom by without much more than a wisper of air disruption and the annoying hum of an electric motor? A dead silent event where you can talk to the pal next to you... with little excitment past the occasional pit stop to empty their water accumulators, or perhaps the occasional pile-up and accidental resulting hydrogen explosion.
Just think about being at a race.. watching race cars go round and round without sound, now that has to reduce the fun factor of the sport by an unimaginable magnitude, and what is to replace it? Music blaring from the RV next to you at the race? Conversation about what racing used to be?
Everything else non-withstanding if today's race car drivers & teams are their eventual customers, then I hope they and their investors aren't looking for an eventual fiscal payoff from this effort. While I do believe that modern engines will eventually subside to electric... it's not going to happen over night... and I don't know a pro race car driver that cares to accomodate the environmental save-the-world perception by exchanging minimal reduced emissions for giving up their very passion.
As a product, their are obviously going to be a lot of downsides and initial resistance... so unless these things move like the Pod racers from star wars with dual 70,000 pounds of thrust or like a controllable rocket sled, and can be engineered to be truely collision safe... while maintaining an equal or greater fun factor.. my initial reaction having not driven one to date would of course be umm... that's great but I think I'll be in the GT3RS today...
http://news.com.com/2300-11389_3-6108133-1.html
Is it just me, or do you think this type of effort is just doomed from the start for at least initially many years to come? F1 running around with a bank full of capacitors instead of 19KRPM engines by 2015? Come on, who at that company really thinks that is going to happen regardless of what hydrodynamics problems they think they have solved? Designing a 500lb go cart is one thing, and a 1500lbs competitive F1 car is entirely different because of the sheer platform weight alone, let alone maintainance when you find yourself needing a quick 11 milion dollar battery change-out in the pits because of charging issues.
Even if they did, can you imagine watching an F1 race as the cars zoom by without much more than a wisper of air disruption and the annoying hum of an electric motor? A dead silent event where you can talk to the pal next to you... with little excitment past the occasional pit stop to empty their water accumulators, or perhaps the occasional pile-up and accidental resulting hydrogen explosion.
Just think about being at a race.. watching race cars go round and round without sound, now that has to reduce the fun factor of the sport by an unimaginable magnitude, and what is to replace it? Music blaring from the RV next to you at the race? Conversation about what racing used to be?
Everything else non-withstanding if today's race car drivers & teams are their eventual customers, then I hope they and their investors aren't looking for an eventual fiscal payoff from this effort. While I do believe that modern engines will eventually subside to electric... it's not going to happen over night... and I don't know a pro race car driver that cares to accomodate the environmental save-the-world perception by exchanging minimal reduced emissions for giving up their very passion.
As a product, their are obviously going to be a lot of downsides and initial resistance... so unless these things move like the Pod racers from star wars with dual 70,000 pounds of thrust or like a controllable rocket sled, and can be engineered to be truely collision safe... while maintaining an equal or greater fun factor.. my initial reaction having not driven one to date would of course be umm... that's great but I think I'll be in the GT3RS today...
Or could you be one of the new generation that listen to Michael Buble and don't know who Sinatra was... :biggrin: j/k 
