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0 To 100 kph in 1 second [video]

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Re: 0 To 100 kph in 1 second [video]

#51
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not at real time - i'm a hobbyist photographer so have snapped the tyres digging into the track, but they're far too fast to see with a pair of eyes! really the only thing you can see is a blur then a parachute being deployed. the noise goes through you like nothing else though. I have metal plates in my arm due to an injury and was worried the vibration was going to undo the hardware :-D

By chance do you share any of that photography online? P.S. You could always stop by the pits and ask them to re-torque the bolts :-D

unfortunately not - will see if i can dig some out. haven't been over to santa pod for a while so the pics are a bit rubbish.

Re: 0 To 100 kph in 1 second [video]

#52
post #43
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nit pick: battery technology only needs to equal about 25-30% the raw energy density of fuel to equal the density of fuel in terms of useful work output. That’s because electric motors can be as high as 98-99% efficient at converting electric power into work while small internal combustion engines peak out at about 35% and that’s generous. 20% is more typical. Then for ICE you have additional losses in the transmissi…

> battery technology only needs to equal about 25-30% the raw energy density of fuel "only" is doing a lot of work here, current lithium batteries are under 1 MJ/kg while good ol car gasoline is at 40+ MJ/kg top fuel dragsters run nitromethane which is 4 times less energy dense than regular gas yet the go much faster so clearly there is much more going on than just energy density, like the fact that they have to enti…

AFAIK the big problem with an electric drag racer is weight/mass. Batteries are heavier than fuel. Electric motors are fantastic at acceleration, but you have to feed them with enough amps to make that happen.

A drag racer doesn't need range, so storing a large volume of energy probably isn't the problem. But having enough batteries to supply enough amperage to get that kind of acceleration is probably adding too much weight to be competitive.

This is also the problem with battery powered aviation. The majority of the energy used in a flight is on takeoff and ascent, effectively lifting all that mass to cruising altitude.

Re: 0 To 100 kph in 1 second [video]

#53

How do you get on the ETHZ team that does this? I would have loved to do this in my undergrad engineering degree, but nothing like this ever appeared in my curriculum.

I suppose you apply. If I'm not mistaken it's the ETHZ's formula student team https://www.amzracing.ch/en

Re: 0 To 100 kph in 1 second [video]

#54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the other hand, absolutely unlimited performance - perhaps without a human driver - racecars would be pretty cool to watch. Extreme speed! Grandstands etc would need to be extra secure though due to the higher speeds.

> Grandstands etc would need to be extra secure though due to the higher speeds. So maybe then also get rid of spectators?

Spectators could follow along with FPV drones

Re: 0 To 100 kph in 1 second [video]

#55

I would suggest that if you are allowed a fan that sucks air from under the car then you can easily achieve pretty much any acceleration. The reason F1 cars do not do this is because suction is limited in F1 for very specific reasons and it goes back to the fatal crash of Ayrton Senna. Basically, a car that relies too much on suction is unsafe to drive because any failure can throw the car out of track with fatal con…

> The reason F1 cars do not do this is because suction is limited in F1 for very specific reasons and it goes back to the fatal crash of Ayrton Senna.

That's just completely wrong.

Re: 0 To 100 kph in 1 second [video]

#56
post #52
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> battery technology only needs to equal about 25-30% the raw energy density of fuel "only" is doing a lot of work here, current lithium batteries are under 1 MJ/kg while good ol car gasoline is at 40+ MJ/kg top fuel dragsters run nitromethane which is 4 times less energy dense than regular gas yet the go much faster so clearly there is much more going on than just energy density, like the fact that they have to enti…

AFAIK the big problem with an electric drag racer is weight/mass. Batteries are heavier than fuel. Electric motors are fantastic at acceleration, but you have to feed them with enough amps to make that happen. A drag racer doesn't need range, so storing a large volume of energy probably isn't the problem. But having enough batteries to supply enough amperage to get that kind of acceleration is probably adding too muc…

> A drag racer doesn't need range

in fact it only needs 1/4 of a mile!

Re: 0 To 100 kph in 1 second [video]

#57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Grandstands etc would need to be extra secure though due to the higher speeds. So maybe then also get rid of spectators?

Spectators could follow along with FPV drones

Then we could just simulate the race based on the cars' and track's mathematical parameters, and then CGI the whole thing in Unreal Engine, and watch it in the Metaverse. No need for actual cars or drivers anymore.

Re: 0 To 100 kph in 1 second [video]

#58
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Senna died when his car lost downforce due to mechanical fault.

No, he died because of a steering column failure, not a loss of downforce. Edit: I read up some more and it seems that noone really knows why he lost control. My previous impression was that the steering column broke mid-corner causing him to crash into the wall. This is from an interview with Adrian Newey who designed the car: Newey admits that he has considered the causes of the crash repeatedly over the past 17 ye…

Yes, but strictly speaking he died because he was hit in the head with a wheel.

The halo, wheel tethers, and probably a few other modern things would have improved his odds.

Re: 0 To 100 kph in 1 second [video]

#60

I would suggest that if you are allowed a fan that sucks air from under the car then you can easily achieve pretty much any acceleration. The reason F1 cars do not do this is because suction is limited in F1 for very specific reasons and it goes back to the fatal crash of Ayrton Senna. Basically, a car that relies too much on suction is unsafe to drive because any failure can throw the car out of track with fatal con…

If you need a video for that: https://youtu.be/e21ZjwZGjiQ?si=r_oHvxYhiWvg7cRa
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