mountain driving assist?

[buhrger]

so here's the kooky idea i had recently about mountainous driving: you know how mountain roads inevitably include the occasional rather steep section? and the cars driving up have to work extra hard to get up, and the cars driving down have to sit on their brakes so that they don't lose control of their vehicles. (i'm exluding teenage "look how

Comments

[wstockall]

Does the fact that a rail gun works by running current THROUGH the projectile count as an objection?

Maybe a linear induction motor instead?

Actually using regenerative braking on the vehicles would probably work better, although I don't know which would be cheaper to implement (inductive braking on all the steep bits vs. moving to all hybrids on the road).

One more possible objection. If I would like to actually stop on the uphill portion, how do I "opt out" of the magnetic thrust for the duration?

[buhrger]

so that's three objections so far, 14 to go :-)

the "running current through" issue had occurred to me. i wasn't familiar with the differences between railguns and linear induction motors. i blame my overly theoretical education.

i have a sneaking suspicion that inductive braking would be cheaper in the sense that you only need to implement it on a few bits of roadway, versus going to an all-hybrids policy, which at least theoretically has consequences for the entire population of powered vehicles.

opting out is an excellent question. if it was set up so you could maneuver to the shoulder of the road, perhaps that could be placed outside of the magnetic assist? (and i'm only thinking of an assist here, not the main propulsion.)

[buhrger]

really this is just the electromagnetic equivalent

batteries

[theotherguy7]

If there was a really nice place to stop at the top and bottom (middle) of the hill it should be possible 'sell' your excess power to a huge bank of batteries that could then top up the batteries in the hybrids. Electricity just needs to be set up so the potential is higher the right way. Or a simple exchange if there was standardization. or a wee trailer that could be a self contained generation unit. as far as the drive unit I have some ideas that i need to paten before posting :)
If it was a trailer unit it could be a lucrative capitalist investment. any vehicle with a hitch can slow down with the generative braking and the one towing would get a fee and not wear out his brakes. a rail system that uses the pulley and counterweight/ballast(water?) system can return the wee trailers to the top of the hill with no loss to the system in electricity. a innovation on the dam as it involves ballast that chooses to go somewhere. does water choose to go down hill?

Re: batteries

[theotherguy7]

by really nice place I was seeing an eatery that would make money off of food as well as electricity. People want to stop eat enjoy the view...
Of course this money would go to feed the poor. Right?

[jillybean74]

You should patent this. It could save a lot of greenhouse gasses.

[buhrger]

if there's a way to do it without EMPing all the passing cars and thus disabling all their electronics, that is.

[jillybean74]

I thought the patent office doesn't care if it's actually possible, just that it's an idea. It may become technically possible in the future. Isn't that how Eddison did things? Bought up patents that had been created by someone else, and proceeded to produce them when it became technically possible?

[buhrger]

could be. dunno.
admittedly, part of my reason for putting this up here, and in a public post no less, is so that i can point to it later in this sort of a context if necessary.

[jillybean74]

Some take on this idea? Would require cables, however...
http://ecogeek.org/preventing-pollution/2905-energy-harvesting-cranes-cut-down-on-fuel-used-at-

[buhrger]

tomestar suggested cables too (see above). which would work. but i'd prefer something a little less invasive if possible.

In one sense, this is what plug-in hybrids are about

[andrew_the_oga]

In one sense, this is what plug-in hybrids are about. The regenerative braking on the way down tops up your battery, so you need to draw less energy later when you recharge.

If you had an overhead catenary cable from which electric drive vehicles could draw current on the way up, and into which they could pass energy generated by their regenerative brakes on the way down, you'd have something-- a kind of electric funicular, if you like.

[buhrger]

indeed. i'm increasingly suspecting that the idea of finding a way to get non-electric vehicles in on the act is, shall we say, overly optimistic.