Inboard engines and a changing world

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

If I had to guess....I'd say that 90% of the men in my neck of the woods likely own and drive a truck, typically a V8. All makes and models. I myself drive a truck.
I just don't see a move happening to an electrical truck, unless they can pipe an exhaust note into the truck interior.
The other 10% wished they drove a truck.

True, fuel consumption of these beasts is not pretty, neither is the current gas price, but so far it has not been a deterrent to stand between man and his truck.

I do however see, a trend with truck manufacturers going to a smaller 6 cylinder engine which is turbo-charged, making more horsepower and torque. The V8 is likely on it's last legs or better said on it's last decade.

I do see some of the newer cruise ships going to electric propulsion, but those electric motors are run by a diesel generator. Cannot speak to the economy of doing this, but I suspect that there is likely sound engineering behind this move, prompted no doubt by the bean counters back home.

Ah well, I'll keep my two stroke Yamaha for a while yet....

I not only drive a truck, I drive a Cummins turbo diesel truck with manual transmission. The most Bubba of all Bubba trucks. Ha ha ha.

15mpg empty, 10mpg with a load.

It would be stupid to drive this just for fun and as a daily driver without using it. But I am routinely hauling about 3000 pounds in the back of it. Or towing. So it’s a necessity.

[MicHughV]

When you get right down to it, the vehicle we know as the car, is really an outdated mode of travel. Cars can only be used on roadways, so must go, where the road goes.
It's time for some Jetson type spacecraft to make an appearance.

Some attempts at doing this by use of drones is already happening, but still in it's infancy.

Who would have thunk the cell phone would have made such an impact. Can anyone even remember standing in a phone booth ??

Same goes for computers....phenomenal growth.

I want a Jetson space craft in my life. That would be so cool. Replace the dink with one

[Chotu]

Don’t even get me started. I would love a Jetson dinghy. Wow! It would be incredible to have a small version of something like that. You wouldn’t have to worry about the choppiness of the harbor. You could anchor way out there and still go to the grocery store miles away. You could touchdown in their parking lot

[MicHughV]

A solar powered Jetson dink at that....yessirree, I think we are onto something.

Need some work done at the masthead....zip.....you're there.

Looking for the cut thru' the reef....zip....you'll have an eyeball view from a 100'.

C'mon, inventors...get busy.....there is a market !!!

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

A solar powered Jetson dink at that....yessirree, I think we are onto something.

Need some work done at the masthead....zip.....you're there.

Looking for the cut thru' the reef....zip....you'll have an eyeball view from a 100'.

C'mon, inventors...get busy.....there is a market !!!

[malbert73]

Chotu and MicHugh- it already almost exists- a small sized hovercraft is the answer

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

A solar powered Jetson dink at that....yessirree, I think we are onto something.

Need some work done at the masthead....zip.....you're there.

Looking for the cut thru' the reef....zip....you'll have an eyeball view from a 100'.

C'mon, inventors...get busy.....there is a market !!!

They are there Jetson one.
https://youtu.be/sFpgLxqJDQg

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

A solar powered Jetson dink at that....yessirree, I think we are onto something.

Need some work done at the masthead....zip.....you're there.

Looking for the cut thru' the reef....zip....you'll have an eyeball view from a 100'.

C'mon, inventors...get busy.....there is a market !!!

I have been waiting for flying cars since I first saw them in Popular mechanics magazine in 1947.

[MicHughV]

Saw something today that I've never seen before, which kinda blew my mind.....

This is a Ford F-150, with the hood open. Expecting to see a V8 nestled in there, I saw this....storage space. No engine. Electric. Driver tells me it runs great and gets around 250 miles per overnight charge.

[JBP]

Originally Posted by malbert73

Chotu and MicHugh- it already almost exists- a small sized hovercraft is the answer

I remember personal hovercraft were all the rage about 40 years ago, but never seemed to gain traction. Too bad, I think they would be fun. I once built a one person indoor hovercraft with an old vacuum for the kids to ride around.

[JBP]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

Saw something today that I've never seen before, which kinda blew my mind.....

This is a Ford F-150, with the hood open. Expecting to see a V8 nestled in there, I saw this....storage space. No engine. Electric. Driver tells me it runs great and gets around 250 miles per overnight charge.

It has a payload capacity of 2,235 pounds and towing capacity of 10,000 pounds. Range is a big issue towing though. It's also still really expensive, being the only mainstream full size electric truck. Not for long, I'm sure.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by JBP

It has a payload capacity of 2,235 pounds and towing capacity of 10,000 pounds. Range is a big issue towing though. It's also still really expensive, being the only mainstream full size electric truck. Not for long, I'm sure.

My f100 does about 250 miles per recharge v8 engine and a 18 gallon battery. Takes abou 15 minutes to recharge. Payload and towing so7nd about right. Mine has the ultimate anti theft device . A 3 speed column shift .

[MicHughV]

Yep, I see that as the current downfall of the EV....car or truck.....which is limited range and prolonged charging times
Probably good for in-town commuting, but long distance ?? I don't see it.
Even if charging stations were readily available all over the place, it still takes some time to get a full re-charge.
I'm sure that this will eventually be addressed...solar panels on the roof.....better batteries, etc.

Some years back now, there was a guy at our marina, who had one of those mini-hovercraft things. It caused a tremendous amount of noise and spray, and to my eye, was not very functional for much of anything. I only ever saw it in action once or twice whereafter it was seen no more.

But it's obvious that the drive for a functional EV is ever progressing.

As they say.....watch this space....

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

Yep, I see that as the current downfall of the EV....car or truck.....which is limited range and prolonged charging times
Probably good for in-town commuting, but long distance ?? I don't see it.
Even if charging stations were readily available all over the place, it still takes some time to get a full re-charge.

Our friends have a Tesla going on 2 years now. Its range is more than adequate for city life, and with a little planning they also regularly do trips of 300+ km. This past winter they drove west on historic route 66 to spend a month in Arizona. Again - some planning, but not a serious hardship.

99% of their charging is overnight, in their driveway. There are apps and websites to show where charging stations can be found when travelling. And you can of course rent an ICE vehicle for long trips where charging would be an issue.

EVs are very practical now. Infrastructure is rolling out; another friend, an architect, is busy designing new EV dealerships and retrofits to existing ones.

I'm looking forward to a robust recycling infrastructure for EV batteries because marine could be a great market for remanufactured batteries.

[JBP]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

I'm sure that this will eventually be addressed...solar panels on the roof.....better batteries, etc.

There is the Aptera which promises unlimited range via solar charging with backup battery, but you can't get one yet. The key phrase on their web site, "Once we meet our funding objectives..."

https://aptera.us/vehicle/