Re: Open-Source Armchair Critics At It Again

On Wed, 29 Jul 2026 19:13:47 +0200, Carlos E. R. wrote:

> On 2026-07-28 17:22, Rich wrote:
>> c186282 <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> On 7/27/26 00:42, rbowman wrote:
>>>> On Sun, 26 Jul 2026 21:23:57 -0400, c186282 wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>      They DID promise atomic-powered cars back when I was a little
>>>>>      kid.
>>>>>      Wonder what happened ?
>>>>
>>>> Ford didn't make any promises with the Nucleon. It was a concept
>>>> based on small, lightweight reactors becoming available in the
>>>> future. Never happened.
>>>>
>>>> I do remember Chrysler's turbine car from the '64 World's Fair. There
>>>> were working prototypes but that didn't prove out either.
>>>
>>>    Turbines aren't great for automobiles.
>>>
>>>    We CAN make 'em cheap enough now - but they are not very fuel
>>>    efficient and take too long to wind up and down.
>>>
>>>    So, no "Batmobiles".
>>>
>>>    "Hybrids", using a small constant-speed diesel as the recharge
>>>    generator ...  those can be very efficient.
>> 
>> Which is also a "usage point" for "turbines".  Run them at
>> constant-speed spinning a generator, then use the resulting electricity
>> for battery recharge.
>> 
>> But you still have to deal with the "not terribly efficient" factor for
>> a car sized model, plus the heat generated by the turbine combustion
>> process.
>> 
>> 
> In theory, you could run a second turbine on those hot gases of the
> exhaust.

Did you just reinvent the turbocharger? I haven't driven anything with a 
turbo in a long time but I understand at least some designs have improved 
the lag.