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Review Of GM's HyWire Hydrogen Concept Car
SanLouBlues writes "Autoweek has a detailed review of a test drive in GM's HyWire concept (second item). The gas and brakes are both on the steering wheel which may be placed on either the left or the right with little effort. Overall some very positive marks for such a radical car."
Yeah, I really don't like the interface in the prototype. Fortunately, it's skinnable also. So you can have a car with pedals. Part of the review says that it'll be a better car without pedals because the steering wheel will have a better range of motion. However, if you are handicapped and missing legs or something this would provide a great deal of independence I'd think.
I was pretty impressed with the performance specs. 97+ MPH out of 130ish horespower is not bad. When they can pull 200 HP out of it and have 4 wheel drive (more for safe delivery of power than offroad, think Audi Quattro not Land Rover) and you'll have something I'll want to buy. Oh, and 250-300 mile range would be good also.
Begs the question of "how do you measure fuel economy". MPG (or L/100Km) is a bit off, unless you measure the capacity at STP. I think we need to go to a straightforward percentage (how many joules were liberated and how much forward momentum/sec was generated).
...SKF engineers confess that the all-in-one control is meant to emphasize the advantages possible with by-wire technology--it would work just as well with pedals to send the go/stop signals...
A: The HyWire isn't a hybrid.
B: Today's hybrid gas/electrics AREN'T bubble cars.
OK, I'll give you the Insight is a bubble car. But it's also a two-seater semi-concept car. The Prius is closer to a real car, but I swear to god it looks like an Echo. The Civic, on the other hand, is just a Civie EX with a fancy transmission and electric moter. Obviously, it's got some other differences, but the only noticible one on mine is the the back seats don't fold down (that's where the batteries are).
-e
Rock!
There is a paper describing the cost of distribution in a 3 part series at evworld.com that concluded this week.
? storyid=471
http://www.evworld.com/databases/storybuilder.cfm
Yes the claims are crap about hydrogen being the savior of the environment.
"Internal combustion engines generate torque (and HP) as their RPM's increase"
Well that's all up to the transmission, displacement, and a few other factors. Most cars generate peak torque low in the rpm range and higher horsepower as the rpms increase. Nearly every VTEC equipped Honda will generate peak torque around 3000-3500 rpms, while the peak hp comes at redline in each gear. On the other hand, your garden variety Subaru Impreza WRX generates peak torque at a low low 2200rpm, and peak hp near 6000rpm.
At any rate, comparing rc cars to full sized vehicles is just a ruse. Thanks for the insight.
The steering, braking, acceleration, hell just about everything is electronically controlled. I'm no electrician, but wouldn't that kind of spell doom for you if there was an electronic failure?
Every US fighter jet has been all electronically controlled(aka, fly-by-wire) for 20+ years. No major problem, you just have to design with the problem in mind.
Also, to echo what many others have said, braking/acceleration on the *steering wheel* is utterly ludicrous. They're very much suited to foot pedals.
Why? Just because it has been this way for 100 years doesn't mean it is correct. Have you ever driven a motorcycle?
Finally, is the hydrogen car the one which only outputs CO2, and no other emissions? I thought I heard that somewhere. Interesting that GM don't seem to give a shit about the emissions (that really is a big reason why new techs are being developed, isn't it?), as they don't mention it on their site.
No. Hydrogen(H2) cars only put out H20. No carbon in fuel means no carbon emission. Of course, generating H2 could generate carbon emissions, but it doesn't have to.
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