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N. Bruce Nelson
Engineering Explained
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Comments by "N. Bruce Nelson" (@n.brucenelson5920) on "Engineering Explained" channel.
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134a is a non starter because it has about 1300 times the GWP of CO2. It was a great gas for addressing the ozone hole problem however. Propane actually makes a good refrigerant gas. The flamability is no different than with conventional refrigerants mixed with the oil that circulates with them and can be managed to be safe through proper design.
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Hybrid systems require more parts, are more costly to produce, and have poorer performance do to more weight. They are a stop gap measure.
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@GregDinAZ Understood. Thanks for your reply. I have the same constraints. In my case, if the proposed federal rebate becomes a reality that would make a big difference. My wife and I had a ride in an alpha prototype in November and from a performance standpoint, 2WD is still thrilling. Since our Gen 1 Honda insight does OK in snow we think the 2WD will be fine. We are not in such a big hurry anymore that the large, heavy battery is worth it for us. We will take more breaks to recharge and save even more money sleeping in the back instead of finding a hotel room. We have ordered the 40 kWh model, but with full solar.
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@simonthebroken9691 The wait won't be long - perhaps end of the year or early next year. My wife and I have both ridden in one.
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Good for you, I have done the same.
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For some, It won't be. Others will be able to meet their entire energy needs through the full solar option.
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Both can be done, it is not either/or.
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With the present panels the true energy gain is more like 4 or 4.2 kWh on a sunny day, but your point still holds. Solar panel efficiency is likely to increase and cost come down over the next 20 years as well. Aptera has IP over a design that makes them easy to replace in the event of damage or technical improvement.
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In the case of Aptera that would be less than 10 pounds, including circuitry.
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@peterchandler8505 Exactly. The relative inefficiency means that hydrogen can never be as environmentally or as cost effective as battery/solar, even allowing for the manufacturing energy inputs.
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I am thrilled to say I will have one of the first 50. I expect to have mine in the Feb time frame, realistically.
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@frenchchriss9880 Aptera is not any normal metal car body The body is a foam filled sandwich with a much higher r value than a normal car, so it heats up at a much slower rate.
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Check out Aptera. Their largest number of engineers are developing Solar, and they will be filing for 50 patents or more in this area.
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It will be for some users, but as you point out, there are many others. Just 1000 Apteras with V2G tech in a city of 1 million would cut the peak energy demand capacity for that city by 30%.
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The drag of the alternators saps energy in the form of heat and you don't get as much electricity back to convert to motion to overcome the added drag it produces.
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Not only does Aptera have batteries in the car- with V2G, they will be able to feed power back into the house, too when the grid is under stress.
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@GregDinAZ All the best. I spent 16 years in Mesa, so I have pretty good idea of your environment. I just moved to Iowa, where we have real winters.
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It is certainly possible to charge while parked if you can spare the weight and volume of the wind charger.
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@ezymarkz Pretty close. Aptera panels are 22-23% efficient and have about 750 peak watts, or a total of about 4 to 4.4 kWh on a good day.
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@jaypaans3471 Check out Aptera at a fraction of the cost.
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Aptera has about 35 sq. ft of solar panels, or a peak 750 watts. This is enough for about 4.4 kWh in the Southwest.
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The Aptera uses a foam filled body shell that has a far higher r value than a typical metal bodied car. The AC will not be stressed. They are designing it for up to 125 F ambient conditions.
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A good, but far more costly option.
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Aptera will be crash tested to automotive standards before it ships and will rate well. My Gen 1 Honda Insight protected me in a 60 mph collision from behind by a large car, and I was uninjured. Aptera will be considerably safer.
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You missed the way the solar insolation charts are developed....
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Propane cars are used in mass production in some areas, especially in the Netherlands. They do have emissions though, and are more complex to built than an Aptera.
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A full solar Aptera has less than 10 lbs of cells on the roof. An AWD model with a 1000 mile battery weighs around 2200 lbs and has over 200 continuous hp.
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There will be significant numbers of people who drive the average 30-40 miles per day and live in sunny areas that will see most of their driving needs covered by the present Aptera design. At a added cost of $900 for the full solar option it already is cost effective for many people. This is possible because of the energy efficiency offered by the Aptera design.
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Ambassador George Shultz had solar panels on his house and he gleefully told me how driving his Tesla was cost free because his solar supplied all the power he needed.
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While you are belching out contaminates that are setting the forests around you on fire.
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Voltage is not an issue anymore with dc-dc conversion tech. The question will be is the power enough.
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Some are doing that now.
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The most efficient Teslas have more than 2.5 times the energy requirements for the same speed.
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The real advantage for Aptera is that it uses 1/3 the power of a Tesla to go the same speed and distance.
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Almost no one would need to do that.
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@tomgnyc An Aptera could charge to a 1000 mile range at EPA Highway cycle speeds in an hour at such a charger provided the charging rate didn't slow down as the battery approaches full charge. (It does). This is likely less time than the time required for gasoline fillups for a conventional ICE vehicle making such a trip.
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Very little extra weight and cost. Why not both?
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Aptera publishes a solar insolation chart sourced from US government data that shows how much solar energy you can expect on the average at your location.
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That company liquidated. It was bought out of liquidation by the original founders in 2019 and the original team reassembled. They are back with a bran new design and successful business startups under their belts, including a successful IPO. They just hired a very experienced CFO. They are happening.
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Something like that is coming.
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Strictly speaking, full solar is a $900 option.
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Where did this idea come from? It isn't the case
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Aptera will be tested to US crash safety standards and the results published before they start shipping. We know from modeling that it will do exceedingly well.
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The Aptera solar panels come in at 22-23% efficiency and the vehicle uses around 100 watt hours per mile at a speed of around 50 mph average (EPA highway cycle)
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Remember "they" is we. We make collective choices.
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That will vary by battery size and chemistry. New batteries have higher charge capacity at high temperatures.
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The Aptera panesl are inexpensive and there is proprietary tech that makes them easy to change. The entire cost of full solar is only $900.
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@ps.2 Aptera panels are 22-23% efficient at present.
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Aptera achieves close to 340 eMPH
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At that point it is simpler and cheaper to run a plug to solar panels on the roof of the parking structure.
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