Environmentally friendly drag racing

Posted by biodiversivist (Guest Contributor) at 1:28 PM on 15 May 2006

Read more about: cars | electric vehicles

When is that plug-in hybrid going to get here? And where is that cellulosic biofuel technology?

I admit to having paranoid thoughts lately. Paranoia, as anyone who has eaten one too many "special" brownies knows, can be an unpleasant mental state (especially when combined with the giggles).

Could it be true that oil companies are buying off researchers?

I can just visualize it. One day, the head researcher in your company calls in sick. A week goes by and she is still missing. You later learn that she has retired and bought a two million dollar house in Maui. Which you find odd, considering that you were paying her even less than her male counterparts!

The cars are coming. The signs are everywhere. This article talks about one branch of the growing sport of electric-vehicle racing -- motorcycles. Note that the sponsor for this drag bike is the same company providing the batteries for the new line of DeWalt power tools, which were due out this month (but are now due out next month ... uh oh).

I concede that there is a conflict of interest with the big carmakers in going electric. And that is why the change may be spearheaded by small businesses (screw Detroit). Electric cars are simple. The parts and motors for electric cars are sitting out there on shelves for other industrial applications. Sending a rotating power source through an existing drive train is pretty straightforward. The batteries were the weak link. I envision an era of tinkering by entrepreneurs with Detroit playing catch up, which is what they are best at anyway.

Once this new battery technology becomes available to the public, as lead-acid technology already is, you will see electric car conversions all over the place. Hey, the first airplane was built by bicycle mechanics. As I have said before, I am going to put three of these DeWalt power tool batteries in parallel on my bike first chance I get. And I will brag about them every chance I get (unless of course they blow up). But then again, that problem can be fixed with even more technology in the form of armored, flame retardant bike clothing.

For story: Environmentally friendly drag racing
5 Comments | Post a Comment

Bike Plans

I hope you'll post about the bike (with pics) when it's ready.

by LibertyFarm at 3:26 AM on 16 May 2006

I might do that

I realize I made it sound like a simple thing but it won't be (or cheap). I just want to demonstrate the technology.

Also, I doubt that Dewalt wants people using their batteries for other applications (for liability reasons). I also would not want anyone out there lighting off a lithium battery so be forewarned that I am not recommending that anyone try this even if they think they know what they are doing and are willing to accept bad results. The article talks about turning lithium batteries into fireworks and they are not kidding.

I'm an experienced engineer, tinkerer, and licensed airframe and powerplant mechanic with a reasonable amount of common sense. As such, I will be wearing safety goggles and will have a fire extinguisher handy when I test this circuit. These are lithium batteries and have the potential of rapid oxidation (they burn up really fast).

For example, you would not want to accidentally put a discharged battery in parallel with a fully charged one. The charged battery may rapidly charge the one with slightly lower voltage with really bad results. The batteries must also be matched (have voltages that are within a percentage or two of each other).

Diodes may be needed in the circuit or possibly each battery can be used alone until discharged using a switch to move to a fresh battery. There is also the issue of max current draw and a breaker to limit that.

Also, as is typical with power tools, they have designed a charger specifically for the batteries. You cannot just buy the batteries. The charger and batteries are essentially a system. You cannot use a different charger than the one designed for those batteries.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

by biodiversivist at 12:58 PM on 16 May 2006

This is sad that most of the posts to my

articles are from me, but I just found this site and it supports my suspicion that Detroit will be playing catch up with entrepreneurs for many years to come, eventually bringing the price way down and of course, unfortunately, driving the small players out of business.

http://www.hymotion.com/products.htm

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

by biodiversivist at 2:15 PM on 17 May 2006

My blog comments

Are half mine too. We are underappreciated. Hehey.

Workout time, will comment later.

Nope we are not paranoid, the powers that be are threatened by an energy revolution. But it's happening anyway!

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

by amazingdrx at 2:27 PM on 17 May 2006

paranoid thoughts

>>I admit to having paranoid thoughts lately. Paranoia, as anyone who has eaten one too many "special" brownies knows, can be an unpleasant mental state (especially when combined with the giggles).>>

Of course you are. But hey, the first step to recovery is admission. I'm rooting for you to come around to logic, Bioidee!

by Rob at 12:11 AM on 03 Jun 2006

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