[Racer X 69]

I remember one model of Chevrolet where the #8 spark plug could not be changed without either removing the engine or cutting a hole in the fender.

I worked at an electric utility for 30 years, in vehicle maintenance. In the late 70s, early 80s the line trucks were mostly GMC 6000 and 7000 series chassis, with the Detroit Diesel Fuel Pincher 8.2 liter turbodiesel engine and Allison automatic transmission. The trucks had one piece fiberglass tilt hoods, with the power train set back deep into the firewall. The last pair of cylinders were completely inaccessible. Removing the rocker covers to adjust the injection racks was impossible. Then the engines began having head gasket failures due to a design flaw, so we went through a period where the trucks were taken out of service one by one to pull the heads and perform an update to correct the problem. With a couple hundred trucks, we had a couple mechanics dedicated to the project, for about a year and a half.

Some hacks, er, mechanics tried beating the firewall back with a hammer. Not only did this not really give adequate access, too often the sheet metal would tear, opening the cab to underhood heat and fumes. There was a removable panel over the transmission, but it offered zero access to the cylinder heads.

As an apprentice I was given one to do.

The first thing I did was pull the seat and floor mats out of the cab, and lay out where to cut acces openings in the firewall and floor. I cut the areas away, swapped out the cylinder heads and gaskets, and performed the headbolt update that was supposed to fix the problem.

Then I used the removed sections, added a flange to each one with similar gauge sheet steel, and used rivnuts on the floor and firewall to reattach the pieces, much like the transmission access panel.

Every truck we did after that got the same treatment, and yours truly was there to provide guidance or even actually do the modification.

[R.Miller]

Ah Chevy. I remember back in the 80's during Drivers Ed we had the amazing Chevy Vega. We were on the freeway doing 55 (Vega max speed I think) and someone foolishly turned on the A/C. The cars speed instantly dropped to 45. I think the A/C compressor was as long as the engine block.

[bogwalker]

Really?

When I drove trucks I hauled windmill components to the wind farms, where the towers are assembled and erected. Active wind farms.

Never saw a single dead bird or bat.

A few years back I went to a wind farm, did the tour, then went back the next day before sunrise to make photos. Again, no dead birds, or bats.

If millions of birds and bats are being killed in wind farms, then why isn't the ground around the towers littered with their carcasses?

Agreed. My parents lived by a big wind farm in SW Minnesota, I've walked several times under the operating turbines. Kinda spooky hearing the woosh as the giant blades spin right above you. But no birds on the ground, and I asked the farmers (the towers are built in corn fields and cow pastures that are leased from the farmers), they didn't notice any dead birds.

Some wind farms out west are in areas where birds migrate, so it might depend on the season. But if you look at the numbers, windmills kill about 1% of the birds that power lines do, which kill about 1% of what high rises do, which kill about 1% of what domestic cats do. So relatively speaking, they're not the big problem some people make it out to be.

That's all I'll say on the topic, I just had to get that off my chest.

Saw my 3rd Rivian truck today. They're making deliveries, but the wait list is >9 months currently, according to one owner I talked to. And they already got their first recall, but for a brand new design, I guess that's to be expected. Pretty cool though, lots of space. This owner went to a car show with his wife and 3 kids and a dog and car parts in the back.

[lesmore49]

Ah Chevy. I remember back in the 80's during Drivers Ed we had the amazing Chevy Vega. We were on the freeway doing 55 (Vega max speed I think) and someone foolishly turned on the A/C. The cars speed instantly dropped to 45. I think the A/C compressor was as long as the engine block.

It's wasn't Chevy, it was the times.

Many different maker's cars were like that. Not much power in any mid to late '70's cars...because of the difficulty in attaining emission standards. It took pretty well to the '90's for makers to figure out how to meet federal emission regs, develop good power again and meet the federal MPG standards.

[R.Miller]

It was Chevy. The Vega was a horrible car with an aluminum block with iron cylinder inserts. Yes, the 70's were bad automotive wise, but the Vega should never have been produced.

[Just1MoreDave]

Great points Chris.

I’m not the average driver. I exceed 30,000 miles a year, and during the 5 years I drove long haul trucks I covered 800,000 miles in the trucks alone (of course my personal vehicle mileage average was pretty low those years).

I’m still wondering how the engineers will solve the energy density equation for big trucks. A battery pack for a truck that grosses at 80,000lbs will need to weigh about 1,200 pounds ( the weight of the engine and transmission) or less, be able to move that weight for 10 hours, covering about 600 to 800 miles in that 10 hours, over various terrain including mountains, and be fully recharged after a 10 hour rest period (for the driver).

This of course doesn’t account for team operation, where one driver sleeps while the other driver is on duty driving. Breaks during team operation typically are a half hour, maybe an hour, the truck is fueled, the drivers grab a meal, and sometimes a shower.

Not enough time to recharge a battery pack.

The Nikola truck prototype worked perfectly on video. Except it was fake.

The energy density of diesel is way more than a lithium ion battery. The numbers I found are all over the map, partly because battery tech is changing and partly choosing numbers to support a political position. Also it is hard to tell whether people are talking about just the chemical reaction in a battery or a fully functioning unit which needs some extra stuff to use. Tesla is starting with a bigger building block right away for their big truck, so from the start admitting that battery tech isn't there yet. Anyway, I will use the ratio 30 to 1 energy density just for fun. You probably have an idea of the weight of diesel required for a day's driving. The electric drivetrain would be simpler and lighter but I believe still need two or three speed transmissions. The truck would still need coolant and air systems. If you add weight to the tractor you need a heavier suspension. Any extra weight in the tractor gets subtracted from the freight capacity. Only a couple of things work out better for electric trucks: regenerative braking and performance at altitude. For long distances, I don't think it works yet, despite Tesla's vision.

But even a short range truck would be useful. They'd be quieter with no emissions. It would be a good thing for a busy port or a city. Shorter routes means shorter charging times. A scaled up electric forklift.

Interesting detail about regenerative braking. It turns the electric motor into a generator to recharge the batteries when you slow down. But EVs need big brakes anyway just in case they need to stop when the battery has 100% charge.

[RichardS]

The title says "vehicle," so I may as well add in my sailboat.


I love my Hobie 16 because it's amazingly fast and its' fun to "fly" a hull, but but it's a lot of effort and often too much to handle by myself. I nearly capsized yesterday, so I'm slowly realizing it needs to go away... My wife "resigned" from sailing after a pitchpole in 2015.

I've sailed a Hobie 14 (once), but never a 16. I sailed and raced A-Class catamarans (

You Tube

You Tube

) for many years, so I have some experience. You can right Hobies single handed. There are probably several techniques and probably even videos about it on youtube.

Was your wife on the trapeze when you pitchpoled? That can be a bit disconcerting if you get the slingshot effect from the mast. Many years ago, when I was 18, I was racing in a 14' dinghy with a very pretty blond girl as crew. She grumbled a bit when it started raining, but there was a good breeze and we were leading the race. She complained that the rain was hurting her face, so I suggested she put the bailing bucket over her head. She was still complaining when we won the race. She wouldn't come sailing with me after that.

[trixtroll]

I've sailed a Hobie 14 (once), but never a 16. I sailed and raced A-Class catamarans (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS4Au6_IdWs) for many years, so I have some experience. You can right Hobies single handed. There are probably several techniques and probably even videos about it on youtube.

Was your wife on the trapeze when you pitchpoled? That can be a bit disconcerting if you get the slingshot effect from the mast. Many years ago, when I was 18, I was racing in a 14' dinghy with a very pretty blond girl as crew. She grumbled a bit when it started raining, but there was a good breeze and we were leading the race. She complained that the rain was hurting her face, so I suggested she put the bailing bucket over her head. She was still complaining when we won the race. She wouldn't come sailing with me after that.

Yep, we were both on the trapeze when I turned her into a human tetherball....

15kts is the top end of what I can handle myself (5'4" and 160lbs), so I'm probably going to look at "downsizing" to smaller catamaran in the near future. Even when my wife was still sailing with me, our combined weight was around 275 and getting it back up was exhausting.

The A-Class has always intrigued me, but they're way too fragile for my tastes.

[Racer X 69]

Saw my 3rd Rivian truck today. They're making deliveries, but the wait list is >9 months currently, according to one owner I talked to. And they already got their first recall, but for a brand new design, I guess that's to be expected. Pretty cool though, lots of space. This owner went to a car show with his wife and 3 kids and a dog and car parts in the back.

I saw one the other day in traffic. Intrigued me enough that I looked them up when I got home. Apparently they don't have a dealer network with the typical dealership lot where one can kick the tires, nose around and take a test drive. Interested buyers can schedule a look at one that is already in service, by current owners who are willing to make themselves and their new 'lectric pickup available for perusal.

Sounds like too much bother for me.

Besides, I am not in the market for any new vehicles, and don't anticipate being in the market ever.

I have been considering converting one of my early Datsun 240Zs to full electric, but so far the cost of batteries and hardware are just oo expensive.

[Racer X 69]

The Nikola truck prototype worked perfectly on video. Except it was fake.

The energy density of diesel is way more than a lithium ion battery. The numbers I found are all over the map, partly because battery tech is changing and partly choosing numbers to support a political position. Also it is hard to tell whether people are talking about just the chemical reaction in a battery or a fully functioning unit which needs some extra stuff to use. Tesla is starting with a bigger building block right away for their big truck, so from the start admitting that battery tech isn't there yet. Anyway, I will use the ratio 30 to 1 energy density just for fun. You probably have an idea of the weight of diesel required for a day's driving. The electric drivetrain would be simpler and lighter but I believe still need two or three speed transmissions. The truck would still need coolant and air systems. If you add weight to the tractor you need a heavier suspension. Any extra weight in the tractor gets subtracted from the freight capacity. Only a couple of things work out better for electric trucks: regenerative braking and performance at altitude. For long distances, I don't think it works yet, despite Tesla's vision.

But even a short range truck would be useful. They'd be quieter with no emissions. It would be a good thing for a busy port or a city. Shorter routes means shorter charging times. A scaled up electric forklift.

Interesting detail about regenerative braking. It turns the electric motor into a generator to recharge the batteries when you slow down. But EVs need big brakes anyway just in case they need to stop when the battery has 100% charge.

Diesel fuel weighs about 7 pounds per gallon. The over the road trucks I drove carried 300 gallons in twin 150 gallon tanks, about 2,100 pounds not counting the weight if the tanks, mounting hardware and fuel delivery systems. Earlier I misstated the weight of the engine and transmission at around 1,200 pounds, it is closer to 1,400 to 1,600 (about 800lbs for the engine, 600lbs or more for the transmission, depending on configuration), so 1,400 to 1,600 lbs for the drivetrain. Add that to the weight of a full load of fuel at 2,100 lbs and you have 3,500 to 3,700 pounds of powertrain and fuel.

So the electric powertrain would need to weigh at or less than that to be feasible, and the energy density per pound would need to be at or less than that of the diesel fuel.

And yes, a system would be needed to provide air for the brake systems, and the airbags (trucks are mostly riding on airbags these days as opposed to steel springs, trailers too).

As I understand electric vehicle drive systems, a cooling system is part of the design, to keep the batteries cool as they discharge and recharge, and to cool the electronic components, and systems for driver comfort, i.e. air conditioning and heating are also present. Some of these items will be a trade off, I think.

The drive motors for electric vehicles have copper windings, over a steel armature, and we all know that copper is quite heavy. Drive motors that will produce enough torque to move a heavy load on a truck will be very heavy, and the design will need to account for that. The motors would need to be designed to be heavy enough to handle the torque required to initiate the forward movement of the truck and trailer(s), as well as maintain that forward motion, and handle the required torque to climb grades under load.

Semi truck suspension and drivertrain is designed for the anticipated gross weight of the vehicle, i.e. 34,000 pound drive axles, or 40,000 pound drive axles, steering axles rated for 18,000 pounds or 20,000 pounds.

As for a transmission in an electric truck, again, as I understand electric drive systems, gear reduction is not required, so there may be some weight savings there.

[ivanvernon]

Earlier I posted about my new RAM 1500 truck, which I explained was bought for purpose, so now let me post about my little hybrid around-town car.

I truly love my little Prius C. I normally get around 42 mpg, and on short trips have occasionally achieved as much as 72mpg, not bad for a car that is comfortable to drive and powerful enough with its 99hp engine to get me where I want to go. At 99 hp, the Prius C cannot compete with the Ram truck's 395 hp 5.7 liter Hemi with eTorque, which only averages around 17 mpg.


Though small, this little vehicle is precision built with great fit and finish. Its diminuative size is not an issue now that I have given up medium format in favor of K-mount and A-mount cameras. In use, it gives the pleasing tactile touch of a Zeiss lens. The only thing I do not like is the fact that water vapor has reached the inside of the rear light housings with consequent fogging, but apparently of no great operational consequence.

This little article tells more about the model.

https://www.edmunds.com/toyota/prius-c/2015/review/

[Oldaker]

Mercedes C Class saloon for daily use. TVR Chimaera for those sunny days

[rvandenbrink]

Diesel fuel weighs about 7 pounds per gallon. The over the road trucks I drove carried 300 gallons in twin 150 gallon tanks, about 2,100 pounds not counting the weight if the tanks, mounting hardware and fuel delivery systems. Earlier I misstated the weight of the engine and transmission at around 1,200 pounds, it is closer to 1,400 to 1,600 (about 800lbs for the engine, 600lbs or more for the transmission, depending on configuration), so 1,400 to 1,600 lbs for the drivetrain. Add that to the weight of a full load of fuel at 2,100 lbs and you have 3,500 to 3,700 pounds of powertrain and fuel.

So the electric powertrain would need to weigh at or less than that to be feasible, and the energy density per pound would need to be at or less than that of the diesel fuel.

And yes, a system would be needed to provide air for the brake systems, and the airbags (trucks are mostly riding on airbags these days as opposed to steel springs, trailers too).

As I understand electric vehicle drive systems, a cooling system is part of the design, to keep the batteries cool as they discharge and recharge, and to cool the electronic components, and systems for driver comfort, i.e. air conditioning and heating are also present. Some of these items will be a trade off, I think.

The drive motors for electric vehicles have copper windings, over a steel armature, and we all know that copper is quite heavy. Drive motors that will produce enough torque to move a heavy load on a truck will be very heavy, and the design will need to account for that. The motors would need to be designed to be heavy enough to handle the torque required to initiate the forward movement of the truck and trailer(s), as well as maintain that forward motion, and handle the required torque to climb grades under load.

Semi truck suspension and drivertrain is designed for the anticipated gross weight of the vehicle, i.e. 34,000 pound drive axles, or 40,000 pound drive axles, steering axles rated for 18,000 pounds or 20,000 pounds.

As for a transmission in an electric truck, again, as I understand electric drive systems, gear reduction is not required, so there may be some weight savings there.

I've had lights fog up over the years - a nice 1/8" drill bit fixes that up nicely.

[mroeder75]

Agreed. My parents lived by a big wind farm in SW Minnesota, I've walked several times under the operating turbines. Kinda spooky hearing the woosh as the giant blades spin right above you. But no birds on the ground, and I asked the farmers (the towers are built in corn fields and cow pastures that are leased from the farmers), they didn't notice any dead birds.

Some wind farms out west are in areas where birds migrate, so it might depend on the season. But if you look at the numbers, windmills kill about 1% of the birds that power lines do, which kill about 1% of what high rises do, which kill about 1% of what domestic cats do. So relatively speaking, they're not the big problem some people make it out to be.

That's all I'll say on the topic, I just had to get that off my chest.

Saw my 3rd Rivian truck today. They're making deliveries, but the wait list is >9 months currently, according to one owner I talked to. And they already got their first recall, but for a brand new design, I guess that's to be expected. Pretty cool though, lots of space. This owner went to a car show with his wife and 3 kids and a dog and car parts in the back.

I am in NE Iowa. About one-half of Iowa electricity is generated by wind farms.

Wind farms are required to hire someone who, during the weeks after harvest and before spring planting (manure spreading season in Iowa), are required to walk the field under the windmills looking for deceased birds, and in particular for bald eagles, a now abundant species in Iowa, but our national bird, that is protected. This person is also responsible for educating area farmers to not put dead piglets, and dead pig fetuses within a certain distance of the windmill. It is against federal law because bald eagles scavenge for pig fetuses and dead piglets. I believe the little pig carcasses are put in manure spreaders with manure and straw, and spread (I assume - I have no pig farming experience).

A branch of the government will audit the person whose job it is to check the field by placing bird carcasses here and there, and if the checker doesn't spot them they could lose their job. These checkers contract with the wind farm company so it would seem there would be a conflict of interest, but they have to be accurate in their reporting of birds because the government audits them with dead bird carcasses, and it comes back on the checker who doesn't pass the audit, and they can be fired.

I learned about this through my representation of one of the checkers, and I am not looking at my file so I don't recall her job title - it was much more fancy than "checker." She wrote reports on how she would perform her job, and recorded and filed written reports on her findings. It was very interesting, and I had no idea before meeting her there were persons educating farmers on their legal duties, and walking the windfarms basically in the winter, and reporting on bird carcasses, mostly to protect bald eagles. She has a masters degree.

[Wheatridger]

Five years ago I stumbled onto the best car I've ever owned, almost by accident. I thought I wouldn't like a hybrid, because the only hybrid I knew of was the Prius, which to me is like a Ferrari with all the good parts removed and and keeping the worst part, that low, extreme-lined styling. So I was helping my dear daughter select her first car. Running a brand-agnostic search for "hatchback" and "good on gas" kept turning up an awkward-looking Ford hybrid hatchback, the C-Max. We took a good long test drive, both spending time behind the wheel. Suddenly I appreciated the large windows and top-hat headroom, because I sit tall in a car. Though I'd been driving a turbo VW GTI, I found the instant electric torque most satisfying. The Ford's handling and ride seemed good enough, too, since I never used the extremes of the VW's performance envelope.

So my daughter bought that C-Max Hybrid, and I started shopping a plug-in hybrid C-Max for my own. Summer 2017 was a great time to be doing that. Ford was closing out this slow-selling model, and there was a $9007 combined federal and state tax credit for the plug-in models. My car listed around $34k, loaded, but my net cost was approximately $20,000. On a zero percent loan for no money down! I bought the car with Ford's money, and I'm almost finished paying it off. It was 62,000 miles before I did the first repair, replacing a leaky seal on the transmission cooler for about $100. The car's lifetime average is 67 mpg. Every local trip under 18 miles or so can be done in EV mode.

The Ford C-Max rides like a big car (it does weigh 2400-2800 lbs). It has oodles of passing and climbing power, with just 10 less HP than that GTI. It's almost perfect. There's no spare tire (which makes it similar to a modern BMW). There's little ground clearance and no all wheel drive option. And let me come right out and say it- it's ugly. The car has two power sources, but why does it need three front grilles? The dashboard is ugly, too, a riot of triangles and trapezoids that turns out to be a quite practical and useable control layout. You don't have to use the screen for much, and it's well integrated into the dash integrated into the dash, with a sunshade and a place to rest your hand when doing touchscreen commands. Best of all, there's a convenient button to turn the dash screen OFF. I don't find that combination in any new cars these days. (Question for Pentaxians: If you don't like using video screens to take photographs, how do you like them in your car?)

Currently I'm back on the market, searching for an AWD SUV that can tow a small trailer. Even on the luxury side of the market, with Mercedes, BMW and Volvo, I'm having trouble finding a vehicle so well equipped as my Titanium model. Even If I had one of those premium SUVs in my driveway, I'm sure I'd choose the C-Max nine times out of ten, to save on gas.