Jim Dunmyer said the following to Pete Snidal on the subject of
ENGINE DESIGN (09 Oct 97  08:03:41)
 >  Ideally, a fossil-fuel engine wants to be pulling around the middle of
 >    its power band for max economy.  This problem, to me, suggests, using
 >    small engines in conjuntion with battery power, in a gas-electric
 >    or diesel-electric car.  A small motor pumping hard (and therefore
 >    efficiently) all the time, keeping batteries charged at a rate which
 >    will keep them up between heavy and light-duty cycling.
 JD> Pete,
 JD> So-called 'hybrid' technology isn't at all new. The only problems are
 JD> weight and complexity, both of which lead to expense. After all,
 JD> you're installing 2 complete power trains in the vehicle, with the
 JD> only positive tradeoffs being smaller batteries and smaller engine.
 JD> Neither of those will offset the negatives.
You never heard of turbines have you? You should see these things. All
the old Otter planes are being retrofitted with modern turbine engines.
The turbines turn those old reliable relics into a really great plane.
Hybrid turbine powertrains are currently successfully driving buses
cheaply in the San Fransico transit system. That is not a negative
tradeoff.
You give me the impression of imagining today's technology as you knew
it back when you were younger, Jim. In case you don't realize it, there
has been much progress since then. You should have more faith in the new
generation X'ers abilities.  [Lecture mode OFF]
 Mike
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