h a l f b a k e r yAlmost as great as sliced bread.
add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, best, random
news, help, about, links, report a problem
browse anonymously,
or get an account
and write.
register,
|
|
|
If you look at the Prius or Insight you'll notice they try to be raindrop-shaped... you'll also notice they don't do it all *that* well especially in the xz-plane. No roadable car does: it would interfere with the tailgate and the lights and be awkward to drive and difficult to park.
The Inflatable
Tail is a clear plastic bag "boat-tail" with a small forward-facing inlet duct, that can be deployed by a switch on the dashboard at highway speeds. Braced Internally by plastic strips to help retain its shape, it forms an aerodynamic tail for the vehicle inflated by the duct. Marker and license plate light intensities are increased slightly to maintain visibility.
A nose is possible too but would have to be actively inflated and the deployment mechanism would be more complex.
call me ambitious.
whale_20tail_20spoiler
[po, Aug 29 2009]
Previous Art
Inflatable_20aerodynamic_20add-ons
same thing, for trailers. [loonquawl, Sep 01 2009]
[link]
|
| |
So... not a tail so much as an inflatable fairing. Interesting
concept. Can a Prius even go fast enough to benefit from a
fairing? |
|
| |
I'm sure it could but I just mentioned it to get people to think about the shape(edited). The shape for most vehicles would probably end up being a rather blunt tail. |
|
| |
Well hey, I kinda like it. [+] |
|
| |
re:<hb link> I wondered why I kept getting a mental image of a dinosaur-type tail when this one would basically be a 4-sided chubby pyramid. Now I know. |
|
| |
I suspect it would still interfere with the visibility of the tail lights. But I have nonetheless bunned this because it is ingenious. Some day there may be LED tail lights that are light enough to mount on the tail itself. |
|
| |
You could also mount razor blades on this tail to deter tailgaters. |
|
| |
<pedant> //they try to be raindrop-shaped// Raindrops are actually a wobbly spherical shape, flattened at the bottom </pedant> |
|
| |
The Prius is speed-limited to 170kmh = 106mph. |
|
| |
In short, if the fairing reduces the likelihood of drag-inducing turbulence at the rear of the vehicle then it will be of benefit. |
|
| |
Ultralights can take off at speeds below 60kmh, so there's certainly aerodynamic effects noticeable and usable at relatively low speeds. |
|
| |
Off the highway an inflatable nose or tail would interfere with driving, turning, parking, and be prone to vandalism, but *on* the highway where there's car-lengths between vehicles and lane-changes are very minimal angle, it would shine. |
|
| |
Some VSTOL's have such a low stall speed because their engine is blowing air into the wings. |
|
| |
(Image of a car inflating at speed into the shape of a formula 1 car) [+] |
|
| |
I'm surprised nobody's mentioned the possible airbag effect it
might have in a high-speed collision. Nuther bun, please! |
|
| |
Dynamic shape changing. This is a bit advanced isn't
it. |
|
| |
//advanced//
perhaps, but it's rather minimal investment all round: no change in driving routine, no safety concerns, very low cost, no increased wear on the engine. |
|
| |
[MisterQED] posted a similar idea: [link] |
|
| |
//The Prius is speed-limited to 170kmh = 106mph//
I wonder how they found that out? |
|
| |
You haven't driven one, have you? They're actually a pretty bloody good car, when you consider most of your driving is in short hops at low speeds, around town. |
|
| |
I was quite surprised at how well they accelerate. The silence is a little unnerving, at times. |
|
| |
They get about five times better mileage than my 3 litre Mazda Tribute and three times better mileage than my Benz SLK 350. |
|
| |
//when you consider most of your driving is in short hops at low speeds, around town//
That'll probably be why I've never driven one, then, 'cos it isn't. |
|
| |
You live in the UK. It's like one big 35mph carpark, with towns dotted about it, [copro]... unless you're actually driving on the M25, M3 or M11. |
|
| |
I live in the southeast, ten or more miles inside the M25, but my average speed on my daily commute of nearly 35 miles each-way is happily in excess of 45 mph, and my mpg north of 55, with not a motorway in sight.
This in a tonne-and-a-half of turbo diesel. I am not noted for the lightness of my right foot.
A Prius would help me not a jot, since I probably only brake about 6 or seven times in the whole journey.
Top Gear did a track test with a Prius vs a Porsche*. The Porsche got better mpg.
* They drove the Prius as fast as it would go on the test track, and all the Porsche had to do was keep up. |
|
| |
[EDIT] Oops, it was a BMW M3, not a Porsche (that was Fifth Gear) |
|
| |
that's not surprising: Porsches are as aerodynamic as Priuses and an idling V8 is more fuel efficient than a screaming 4 way out of its efficiency band... Porsche make a 4-banger these days ? |
|
| |