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Topic: Electric Powered Sprints
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September 20, 2019 at
08:40:32 AM
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Question was brought up on a motocross board. If mx went all electric would you watch?
Got me thinking if they had an electric sprint class would people watch?
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September 20, 2019 at
09:18:38 AM
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Formula E is a good laugh...trotting from one Shitbox to another like a airport Hertz rental lot and calling it a pit stop!
Watching and paying to watch is a better questions... Or parents who buy rides will answer the question with their wallets.
Lincoln 1845 ft/.35 mile T1=118MPH
Eldora 2287 ft/.43mile T3=135MPH
Port 2716 ft/.51 mile T3=TBD
Grove 2792 ft/.53 mile T3=135MPH
Selinsgrove 2847 ft/.54 mile T1=136MPH
"I didn't move to PA from El Paso in search of better
weather." Van May
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September 20, 2019 at
09:43:15 AM
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That would be a no for me. Sitting in near silence without the smell of burning fuel would be rather unusual. OTOH, you could hear the announcer.
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September 20, 2019 at
09:46:44 AM
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I'd have no problem with it and would probably find it interesting with how they develop the car. If they develop a car that can go as fast a sprint car whether it be a 305, 360, or even a 410 and it can be a competitive form of racing why not? What would be the gripe, the noise would be gone? No more methonal smell? I guess if they can develop a powersource that can power a sprint car as fast as an internal combustion engine then they should be able to develop a way to insert some sort of noise maker to help bring the engine noise back. Could even change the volume level that way you probably wouldn't have to deal with the morons who build a house next to a race track and complain about the noise.
However I think the technology is a little ways off before you can get a battery or powersource that can supply the power to do this. I know Bigfoot the Monster Truck a number of years ago developed a battery powered truck to crush cars but at that time they said that the battery technology still needed some development in order for it to do racing and freestyle.
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September 20, 2019 at
09:47:38 AM
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No red flags for fuel stops.....just battery changes. No thanks.
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September 20, 2019 at
11:26:29 AM
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Nope! Got to have that Screamin V8 in it for me.
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September 20, 2019 at
11:40:51 AM
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Battery technology would have to improve as Nick14 pointed out both to provide power for racing as well as being safe during a crash.
I am curious as to how much the batteries would weigh using current technology. Would a battery operated car be lighter than the current cars are? How would the center of gravity change the handling and performance of the car? Would significant frame changes be needed?
Another point to consider is cost. How much would the initial battery pack cost and how often would it need to be serviced? Could it be cheaper than the current engines used? Would the cars have fewer driveline failures?
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September 20, 2019 at
11:52:58 AM
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I'd watch as long as traditional internal combustion engine sprint car series and car counts weren't affected. Similar to how Formula E hasn't had much of an effect on Formula 1.... to my knowledge at least.
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September 20, 2019 at
12:04:48 PM
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To anyone that doubts the posibility of a battery sprint car, visit one of the K-1 go-cart facilities located in a number of larger cities. The power and speed will amase you. Unless you are in tremendous physical shape, about two sessions will wear your ass out. It's a great upper body workout and an experience that is worthwhile.
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September 20, 2019 at
12:28:10 PM
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If and it's a big if, a car could be developed that races like a sprint car with that same raw speed, balls out racing, I'd watch it. No interest in watching some watered down version tho. Lack of sound would take some getting used to, but if they are going fast I could deal with it.
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September 20, 2019 at
12:30:14 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: rolldog on September 20 2019 at 11:40:51 AM
Battery technology would have to improve as Nick14 pointed out both to provide power for racing as well as being safe during a crash.
I am curious as to how much the batteries would weigh using current technology. Would a battery operated car be lighter than the current cars are? How would the center of gravity change the handling and performance of the car? Would significant frame changes be needed?
Another point to consider is cost. How much would the initial battery pack cost and how often would it need to be serviced? Could it be cheaper than the current engines used? Would the cars have fewer driveline failures?
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My guess is the battery would be heavier than an ICE. Teslas are heavier than typical sedans. But their batteries are insanely large in order for them to compete against the range of an ICE vehicle.
As short as a sprint car race is I think current battery technology and range would be fine for a 30 lap feature. In fact its making me think twice about the weight question. Maybe they could run 30-50 laps with a smaller battery.
Truly an intersting topic most people dont want to consider being a real possibility. Electric cars are the future as much as I hate to admit it. Its only a matter of time before electric motorsports becomes more widely accepted.
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September 20, 2019 at
12:59:24 PM
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You just know that the high dollar teams will be able to put in a new, fresh battery every time they hit the track.
My wife has a Prius. It's an interesting car, but not anything that would remotely resemble a race car.
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September 20, 2019 at
01:42:45 PM
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This message was edited on
September 20, 2019 at
01:43:26 PM by Kingpin2014
IndyCar is moving to a hybrid engine soon that will produce 900 hp. Obviously not full electric but still interesting
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September 20, 2019 at
02:08:57 PM
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Funny, my friend and I were just talking about this when we were sitting in the stands last Saturday at Atomic.
Our discussion was more about the engineering/design of the car. Weight distribution would be a big factor I would think as now you'd lose all the weight from the fuel over/behind the back axle. How big of an electric motor would it need? No need for a a radiator, right? Wing hydrallics would run off the elctric motor?
He said his neighbor has a Telsa (not sure which one, but he said it was one of the "lower end" models, if there is such a thing). His neighbor took him for a ride. He said the acceleration was instant and very powerful.
It would eliminate push trucks! Image every pit stall at Knoxvile with a plug-in station!
If it's ever tried, I would think a midget would be the sensible place to start. Imagine the Chili Bowl with no fumes!
I'm usually hesitant to change, but I would embrace this, especially if brought the costs down. Imagine no more $50K-plus engines.
There are a lot of smart people on here (not including me). I'd be interested to hear more engineers chime in.
Great thread! Fun to think about. The writing is on the wall I believe for electric vehicles. As others have said, does it make it's way to grass-roots motorsports some day?
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September 20, 2019 at
03:06:22 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: larsonfan on September 20 2019 at 02:08:57 PM
Funny, my friend and I were just talking about this when we were sitting in the stands last Saturday at Atomic.
Our discussion was more about the engineering/design of the car. Weight distribution would be a big factor I would think as now you'd lose all the weight from the fuel over/behind the back axle. How big of an electric motor would it need? No need for a a radiator, right? Wing hydrallics would run off the elctric motor?
He said his neighbor has a Telsa (not sure which one, but he said it was one of the "lower end" models, if there is such a thing). His neighbor took him for a ride. He said the acceleration was instant and very powerful.
It would eliminate push trucks! Image every pit stall at Knoxvile with a plug-in station!
If it's ever tried, I would think a midget would be the sensible place to start. Imagine the Chili Bowl with no fumes!
I'm usually hesitant to change, but I would embrace this, especially if brought the costs down. Imagine no more $50K-plus engines.
There are a lot of smart people on here (not including me). I'd be interested to hear more engineers chime in.
Great thread! Fun to think about. The writing is on the wall I believe for electric vehicles. As others have said, does it make it's way to grass-roots motorsports some day?
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speaking in terms of weight distribution and thinking about the Tesla, I think it has batteries all throughout the car Through an ESS Energy Storage System. I looked the roadster up and it says it contains 6831 lithium-ion batteries at 1000lbs apeice so placement of the batteries and how many you need would be a topic. Tesla said that they fit in 11sectors with 621 batteries each. A seperate computer processor controls each sector to make sure all of the charging and discharging is handled smoothly.
Then you have the PEM Power Electronics Module which is a power inverter/ charging system and controls the motors RPM, torque, and regenerative braking system. Braking captures kinetic energy usually lost through braking and transfers it back into the ESS. Some specs of just what the Tesla has are below. It would be interesting if it could be done and at a cheaper cost. Fun to think about indeed, and if it is being developed at higher levels maybe there will be a domino effect into the local/ dirt track level.
Acceleration: zero to 60 in about 4 seconds
- Dimensions: 155.4 inches long, 73.7 inches wide, 44.4 inches tall with a 92.6-inch wheelbase
- Weight: 2,500 pounds (subject to change due to safety regulations)
- Top Speed: Over 130 mph
- Range: 250 miles EPA highway
- Battery Life: Useful battery life in excess of 100,000 miles
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September 20, 2019 at
03:23:35 PM
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For me it would take some getting used to, as I'm old school (well, I'm old....) but it is something to think about. I wonder if the 'instant power' of electric motors and no traction control might make it interesting by putting more emphasis on the driver.
Do you think in 50 years will the board be full of posts. "Man, the 24 volts are dying off and I wouldn't cross the street to see those damn 18 volts." lol
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September 20, 2019 at
05:39:56 PM
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$200 1RC Sprint Car
They don't even know how to spell sprint car
much less chromoly...http://www.ycmco.com
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September 20, 2019 at
05:54:41 PM
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I'm ready to talk to the folks at Knoxville....50 lap prius nationals!! Lets get the tree huggers into it!!
Thinking.... The only thing me and Tony Stewart have in common is our dislike for priusessssss
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September 20, 2019 at
06:01:29 PM
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One thing about sprint car engines is that I'm pretty sure they produce the same 900+ horsepower every lap they run. What would happen if the engine lost power output the more laps it was run. That's what will happen with batteries. The powerplant will lose power as the race goes on. I fly electric RC airplanes, so I have some experience with DC brushless motors and lithium batteries. So overall this would be a big no for me. I'm not necessarily opposed to hybrid cars for the street if that's what someone wants, but I think sprint cars should be left alone.
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September 20, 2019 at
07:28:13 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: Dryslick Willie on September 20 2019 at 06:01:29 PM
One thing about sprint car engines is that I'm pretty sure they produce the same 900+ horsepower every lap they run. What would happen if the engine lost power output the more laps it was run. That's what will happen with batteries. The powerplant will lose power as the race goes on. I fly electric RC airplanes, so I have some experience with DC brushless motors and lithium batteries. So overall this would be a big no for me. I'm not necessarily opposed to hybrid cars for the street if that's what someone wants, but I think sprint cars should be left alone.
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Depends on the transmission for the electric car. I was reading where the Tesla's current engine design can maintain it's horsepower for 250-300miles.
Now that's a common everyday car. I would say more development would be needed in order to make a 900+ hp engine to maintain a charge for a certain Period of time. But if they do could make for 0 fuel stops and more laps for features. With the advancements companies like Tesla has made, it's only a matter of time before another company comes to compete, which means only a matter of time before they compete on the track. That's when the development will happen.
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