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The worst race I ever watched was a ebike race that happened before a MotoGP race at Laguna Seca. Those bikes sound lame as do all electric vehicles. There's no
by tapatio 11y ago
The worst race I ever watched was a ebike race that happened before a MotoGP race at Laguna Seca. Those bikes sound lame as do all electric vehicles. There's nothing like a high HP MotoGP bike or Formula One car. Long live combustion engines!
- nodata 11y agoLong live the steam engine too!
- Someone 11y agoThat remark in combination with its parent made me imagine what formula 1 with steam engines would look like. Steam engines can provide lots of torque at low speed, so they should be able to accelerate reasonably fast from zero speed when using a high-tech, low weight boiler. Top speed would not be that high, though, due to the inefficiency of steam engines. It also could be quite a bit on the too dangerous side due to exploding boilers.
- angersock 11y agoYou're thinking about this the wrong way...use them the way they are supposed to be used: drive turbines with them. Steam engines, treated as powerplants, are actually remarkably efficient.
- TheLoneWolfling 11y agoYep. There's a reason why fossil fuel power generation is mainly steam turbine based. There are other problems with steam turbines, however. The efficiency band can be relatively small, and it doesn't change power levels particularly quickly.
- beachstartup 11y agosteam generators are also used in nuclear power plants.
- manigandham 11y agoYes, the sound just isn't the same. I'm excited for new tech and the physics are cool but the sound and chaos of ICE vehicles is just special and hard to beat.
- sseveran 11y agoI agree. I watched the first Formula E race and didn't think much of it. The really interesting work is with the current F1 hybrid power units. I will be surprised if Formula E ends up as anything more than a side show like GP2 F3000.
- sseveran 11y agoI agree. I watched the first Formula E race and didn't think much of it. The really interesting work is with the current F1 hybrid power units. I will be surprised if Formula E ends up as anything more than a side show like GP2 F3000.
- bigiain 11y agoInterestingly, I feel kinda the same sometimes about MotoGP and Moto2/3 bikes - they sound different to the 2 stroke 500s and 250/125s that were the soundtrack to top level motorcycle racing for most of my life. That doesn't make them "lame" really, it's as least as much about me being old... I saw the first ever TTXGP race in the US at Sears Point a few years back, and yeah - they sounded "wrong" to my ears (and an interesting comment from a friends wife: "They sound like a herd of angry power tools!") I suspect in 20 years time the equivalent of teenaged "petrol heads" will think that's what race bikes/cars sound like, and will be restoring vintage 100MPH+ Teslas in their sheds just like people restore 70's V* muscle cars today. Vive la change :-)