In brıef

“You never change something by fighting the existing reality.
  To change something, build a new model that makes
  the existing model obsolete.”
  ― R. Buckminster Fuller

LongSpéır Transport™ | GMC Serıes•PHEV R&D Platform


While the efficiency of a gas generator is typically of lower horsepower output than a direct combustion engine, the overall efficiency of a properly configured EV system is significantly higher due to superior conversion efficiency and the power output characteristics of electric traction motors compared to an internal combustion engine and drivetrain.

In summation, a hybrid battery electric vehicle (HBEV) powered by a high-output ICE inverter generator may not be as environmentally friendly as a pure battery electric vehicle drawing from sustainable sources, but it is an order of magnitude lower environmental impact than a comparable ICE-driven vehicle, with a reduced battery pack size resulting in increased load capacity, extended range without dependency on charge station availability, while being systemically more efficient than a fossil fueled internal combustion engine vehicle.

Prioritizing the selection of a multi-fuel inverter generator would further enhance vehicle adaptability and mission resilience. “Vehicle adaptability” refers to a vehicle’s ability to adjust and function effectively in different environments or situations, often by changing configurations or utilizing modular components, while “mission resilience” describes a vehicle’s capability to maintain operational effectiveness even when facing challenges or disruptions, ensuring the successful completion of its intended task despite obstacles.
[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

*Note: My proposal is for what is called a “Series” PHEV where the GMC drivetrain is entirely electric, enabling components that are by design repairable, replaceable, and upgradeable.

Most PHEV are like the Prius and are a “Parallel” PHEV drivetrain, with a complex, proprietary series-parallel architecture combining motive power from both the ICE and battery electric motor, that by design is expensive to maintain, expensive to repair, and intentionally not upgradeable.

Key points about efficiency comparisons:
■ EV Motor Efficiency: Electric motors convert a much higher percentage of electrical energy into mechanical energy compared to internal combustion engines, typically achieving efficiencies between 85-90%. [4, 5, 6]

■ ICE Inefficiency: Internal combustion engines lose a significant amount of energy as heat during combustion, resulting in lower overall efficiency (around 20-40%). [2, 7, 8, 9]

■ Energy Conversion Losses: Even when using a gas generator to power an EV, there are still energy losses during the charging process and in the motor itself. However, these losses are generally less than the energy losses in an ICE.
[2, 4, 5]

[1] https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/01/electric-vehicles-use-half-the-energy-of-gas-powered-vehicles/
[2] https://www.motortrend.com/news/evs-more-efficient-than-internal-combustion-engines/
[3] https://thedriven.io/2024/01/31/electric-vehicles-use-half-the-energy-of-fossil-fuel-vehicles/
[4] https://www.energycouncil.com.au/analysis/evs-are-they-really-more-efficient/
[5] https://www.elastoproxy.com/ice-vehicles-vs-electric-vehicles/
[6] https://www.pelonistechnologies.com/blog/comparing-the-efficiency-of-different-electric-motor-types
[7] https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/inefficiency-ice
[8] https://www.irishevassociation.ie/news/ten-reasons-an-electric-motor-is-better-than-an-internal-combustion-engine-ice-for-our-car-transportation
[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_efficiency

Vintage GMC EV Motorhome RestoMod Ideation

I’ve contacted RƎE Automotive about a collaboration on my proposed GMC Motorhome EV RestoMod, employing their modular RƎEcorner alternative to the various motor in-wheel systems I’m researching in parallel, for example a relatively new leader out of Germany, DeepDrive Tech.

I drove professionally as a youngster, and to increase range, my thought is to borrow a page from the semi-truck handbook, that is to take advantage of the new suspension and drive to lift one set of bogie tires while cruising.

If RƎE Automotive isn’t interested in collaboration, my course would then be to proceed with the in-wheel design or feasible to adopt their basic drivetrain architecture using the venerable “Industrial Lego” method made possible by RƎE Automotive’s use of many industry standard components.

Talk About EV Tires with Tire Rack’s Woody Rogers • MotorTrend Channel

MotorTrend’s Ed Loh & Jonny Lieberman sit down with Tire Rack’s SVP Marketing, Woody Rogers, to talk all about TIRES! No matter the vehicle, they need tires! The guys discuss the history of Tire Rack, three top tire tips, how to make a more informed tire purchase decision, EV tire myths, Winter vs Summer tires, heat cycling, tire shaving, and more!

Planes of the Future: The End of the Jet Age? | FD Engineering

The way we fly is about to change, driven by a new breed of aviators unafraid to challenge the status quo. From clean, green electric aircraft to autonomous sky taxis, these innovators are reshaping the future of aviation. As advancements in technology accelerate, the traditional jet age may soon give way to a new era of sustainable and efficient air travel. Could this shift signal the end of an era, or the beginning of a transformative leap in how we soar through the skies?

From the Westland-Hill Pterodactyl to the Northrop Flying Wing

DroneScapes
This article, updated and revised after having originally been published in Aeromilitaria, is understood to be one of the fullest accounts of these aircraft written so far and includes material accessed in the British National Archives, plus images that have never previously been published. Beginning with the lightweight Pterodactyl I of 1924, Geoffrey T. R. Hill took his concept forward through several stages to the test flying of a full-scale fighter prototype, the Pterodactyl V of 1934, and proposals were also made for a flying boat and other versions.

How BYD, Nio And Other Chinese EVs Compare To Tesla

Low-cost, high-tech Chinese EVs have stirred fears of a government subsidized existential threat to automakers around the world. So what do these vehicles have to offer? How do they compare to the Tesla Model Y, which in 2024 was the best-selling car in the world? CNBC’s Beijing bureau chief Eunice Yoon tested four of them from large and high-profile Chinese brands to see how they stack up, and how their rivals might compete.

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