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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2007 5:43:17 GMT
The currently most popular hybrid car that's so beloved of the tree huggers is the Toyota Prius; that has a battery that lasts about an hour (assuming you never go above 30 mph and use battery power only) costs around £3000 (just for the battery, no labour charge for changing included) and takes about 6 hours to recharge. Electric vehicles obviously aren't any more environmentally-friendly in terms of the power they consume, and the batteries they use are usually pretty toxic (although fuel cells may improve that situation). However, electric speedway bikes would have the advantage of being much quieter, and would (arguably) minimise local pollution although methanol is a pretty clean fuel. In a wider context, electric vehicles will never take-off whilst they have to rely on large, heavy batteries with limited capacity. However, fuel cell technology exists now (and has done since the 1960s) and it's really a question of making it affordable. |
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Post by donsking on Oct 31, 2007 21:50:15 GMT
OK, its past my bedtime but I cant leave it like this overnight... Speedway is the ideal motorsport to go electric precisely because of the battery requirement (races tend to be sort and sharp compared to MotoGP or similar). There are plenty of different battery vehicles out there and most tend to try and compromise speed with range (hence your Prius example), speedway has no such hang ups - empty the battery in 60sec or so to get maximum power and replace for the next heat (OK not the cheapest option but this is motorsport) As a quick demonstration of what can be achieved www.killacycle.com not my cup of tea but each to their own BTW feel free to 'diss' (how old are you  anything posted on here - thats why we are members of WWoS, freedom to speak our minds (and those of us still members all grown up enough to take it) Fascinating captain! So clearly the technology exists and, based on their numbers, by my calculations the battery pack needed to produce the power of a current speedway bike would weigh about 7 lbs, and it seems they've got the charging side sussed as well. I'm still getting to grips with the whole weight thing though; taking away the power pack, that bike weighs in at around 500lbs, which is pretty damn heavy for a bike without a conventional engine, so I can only assume the motors are a bit hefty. But, the possibilty is there nevertheless, I'm guessing the costs are astronomic at the moment though. |
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Post by jimblanchard on Oct 31, 2007 22:02:33 GMT
But what attracts most to the sport is the overdosing of all the senses with a strong emphasis on the smell. Electric motors are not going to burn Castor oils so its not going to have any smell.
I guess they are quiet these electric motors so hardly any noise either.
Sorry, but I think by going electric it is not going to be speedway racing. If its not attracting enough people as it is as a very exciting product, it not going to appeal to any more by simply dumbing it down and taking out of it the best parts of it.
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Post by donsking on Oct 31, 2007 22:14:58 GMT
But what attracts most to the sport is the overdosing of all the senses with a strong emphasis on the smell. Electric motors are not going to burn Castor oils so its not going to have any smell. I guess they are quiet these electric motors so hardly any noise either. Sorry, but I think by going electric it is not going to be speedway racing. If its not attracting enough people as it is as a very exciting product, it not going to appeal to any more by simply dumbing it down and taking out of it the best parts of it. Well, that is another good point, but it perhaps might only matter to the handful of current fans who actually go a to meeting. The full thrust of Tony's theory is that if you take away the noise and pollution aspects, you instantly make the sport more attractive to the people who hand out the planning consents, and remove the two things that people most often object to when clubs are trying to set up new promotions. The result is that it might be possible to have speedway teams in or near major cities, and that's where the greatest potential audience is. |
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Post by speedyguy on Aug 25, 2016 8:29:00 GMT
When I first started going to speedway I was definitely a team (club) man. Up the Rangers! But in those days teams generally stayed the same year after year. Of course, there were a few changes in the line-up, but the main bulk of the team remained in tact. Now, you're lucky if you get one rider staying on from one season to the next. So I agree with what donsking has said above. It is difficult to support a team and to follow your favourites when they change so rapidly. It's not like the good old days....(Well, I am 60 now you know!)  |
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Post by speedyguy on Jan 7, 2017 10:02:02 GMT
With speedway in its present POOR state, the comments to this thread are worthy of very serious consideration and further debate. The only snag to that happening as I see it - no member ever joins in to enter into what is happening on this forum. 
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anything posted on here - thats why we are members of WWoS, freedom to speak our minds (and those of us still members all grown up enough to take it)
