Electronic dreams

[misterNNL]

After reading my daily Hot Rod Magazine on-line feature update that included a story on Ford's 1,400 HP electric powered Mustang drag car,I naturally thought about how we model builders are going to replicate the power sources used in those vehicles. That same article mentions the Ford also has an electric F150 under development.

Then of course there is Swamp Rat 38, the Garlits battery powered dragster. "Big" is tuning this one to run 200 MPH in the quarter mile. He has already run in the 180's several times in attempt to bring some semblance of economic reality to what used to be a blue collar sport as an alternative of mega buck deep pockets teams that drop $ 50K for a single 300 MPH run.

My point is that at some point we are going to want to build models of vehicles like these and I wonder where the scale power plants for those models will come from. Does some 3D source already exist? Then there is the question of how to accurately detail it. We have over a century of well documented history of how to correctly detail internal combustion engine but these will be whole new challenge.

We may have more questions about this topic than answers but the comments should be interesting.

Edited April 28, 2020 by misterNNL
Forgotten details

[Fat Brian]

The motor part is fairly easy to replicate because it's just a cylinder about a foot or so long and eight or ten inches around. Here is one with an adapter plate to bolt to a Turbo 350 transmission. 

For a more modern transaxle style setup here is the drive unit from a Tesla model S.

This is how the battery pack is layed out in a Tesla, it sits in the floor to put its weight low in the car. In conversions of gas vehicles into EVs this battery pack is disassembled and put into more of a cube or rectangular shape that can be put into the car to keep the weight distribution close to the same. As you can guess be the picture of the engine there is plenty of extra room under the hood for the battery.

[Jantrix]

It's not that I'm against electric cars, I know that that they are the future of cars, period. However I doubt I'd ever build one, as they hold no visual interest to me. Like the modern V8's where everything is under farings and shrouds and the intakes are fairly flat and un-interesting, I just don't find them eye catching. Give me something mechanical, complicated, and shiny anyday.

[Chariots of Fire]

Any electric car I would buy would need to have a resonator that would impersonate a V-8 with glass pak mufflers.?

[misterNNL]

Somehow I knew this would be interesting. Not that I'm in love with electric cars at all,just know that it's going to be at east a portion of our future car culture.

[keyser]

Needs to sound like first 50 sec of this, or the Jetsons car, or the Necromonger spaceships in Riddick

Pink Floyd my personal favorite.

 

[SSNJim]

6 hours ago, Fat Brian said:

 

This is how the battery pack is layed out in a Tesla, it sits in the floor to put its weight low in the car. In conversions of gas vehicles into EVs this battery pack is disassembled and put into more of a cube or rectangular shape that can be put into the car to keep the weight distribution close to the same. As you can guess be the picture of the engine there is plenty of extra room under the hood for the battery.

 

I used to pass the Tesla dealer in DC every so often at lunch time. They had that/a bare chassis in the showroom for a long time. It always fascinated me. I could never get a clean picture of it through the window, and never went in. They moved a couple of blocks away a few years ago. Now I only drive past the dealership when I drive to work, and never get a good look inside.

[peteski]

11 hours ago, Fat Brian said:

This is how the battery pack is layed out in a Tesla, it sits in the floor to put its weight low in the car. In conversions of gas vehicles into EVs this battery pack is disassembled and put into more of a cube or rectangular shape that can be put into the car to keep the weight distribution close to the same. As you can guess be the picture of the engine there is plenty of extra room under the hood for the battery.

I'm not sure weight has much to do with that. Unlike the heavy Lead-Acid batteries, the hundreds of flat LiPo battery packs they use (similar to what is in cell phones), are fairly light. I think it was about the volume. You wouldn't want to fill up the entire trunk with batteries when they can be spread flat, under the car.  Plus that somewhat keeps them safe in an accident. These batteries can catch fire when shorted out (crushed).

Maybe they use different kind of Lithium batteries nowadays, but I remember few years back seeing that those Tesla battery packs are full of little cell phone batteries.

[Flat32]

Tesla factory

[Ace-Garageguy]

The 1200 pounds of the Tesla S battery pack is hardly insignificant, and as Pete mentions, it's vulnerable to collision damage. It includes a 1/4" thick metal case for protection, which itself weighs 275 pounds.

The model 3 battery pack, still pretty heavy, is significantly lighter, 1050 pounds, because much of the protective function of the S case design has been transferred to the chassis structure. 

It's still made up of over 4,400 individual cells.     

By comparison, 20 gallons of gasoline, at about 6 pounds per gallon, weigh 120 pounds. An average tank isn't more than 30 pounds more, for a comparable fuel-and-tank weight of much less than 200 pounds.

Component layout of the model 3 is really very simple.

PS: The internet is awash in images of every conceivable electric vehicle and hybrid powertrain. Just as with IC-powered vehicles, if you understand how the things work, making sense of the photos and various components isn't difficult.

For instance, this model borrows heavily from the twin-turbine/battery powered hybrid Jaguar C-X75 prototype...

 

 

Edited April 30, 2020 by Ace-Garageguy

[keyser]

Then there's this. Pininfarina Battista. 1900hp  . What Ferraris could look like before they dumped PF. Rimac underneath. 

Edited April 30, 2020 by keyser

[misterNNL]

I accessed a site called racepagesdigital.com just now and found several  images of the motor on the Garlits Swamp Rat 38. Just as suggested by many of those commenting here it looks amazing uncomplicated. The single thing that I was the most surprised with was this innovate race car is chain driven. It is odd to see "Big" make a 185 MPH run then turn around and drive the car back to the pit area.

 

 

 

[keyser]

I was shocked to remember BDDG is 87yo! Wow. 

As long as he doesn't use a Prius or Tesla as a push car. But he won't need one of those either  or earplugs. 

 

 

 

Edited April 30, 2020 by keyser